The new platform includes collaboration on two Globalfoundries process variants: 28nm super low power (SLP) for mobile and consumer applications and 28nm high performance (HP) for applications requiring maximum performance.
The ARM and Globalfoundries SoC platform is based on the ARM Cortex-A9 processor, optimized ARM physical IP and Globalfoundries’ 28nm Gate-First High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) process. Together, the companies said that they will enable manufacturers of embedded devices such as smartphones, smartbooks, tablets and more to address increasing design and manufacturing complexities while reducing time to volume production at mature yields.
Globalfoundries expects to start production on these next-generation technologies in the second half of 2010 at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany.
Globalfoundries claims that its 28nm process with Gate-First HKMG technology provides significant performance gains over the previous generation 40/45nm technologies. Current estimates show 28nm with HKMG will provide approximately 40% higher performance within the same thermal envelope, delivering improved application performance and enriched multi-tasking capabilities on mobile devices.
In addition, the combined benefits of ARM IP and Globalfoundries 28nm HKMG process enables up to a 30% reduction of power consumption and 100% increase in standby battery life compared to 40/45nm.
Tudor Brown, president of ARM, said: “The transition to the 28nm technology node will be an important inflection point for wireless technology.Our collaboration with Globalfoundries will enable customers to rapidly bring high-performance, low-power ARM technology-based designs to market on a 28nm HKMG technology that is ready for high-volume implementation.
”The combination of Globalfoundries technology, our leading physical IP solutions, and the full internet capabilities delivered by ARM processors results in a powerful integration of processing, graphics and power efficiency.”
