Santa Clara, Calif., May 14, 2014 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a leading provider of advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology, today appointed Dr. Thomas Caulfield as senior vice president and general manager of the company’s latest leading-edge 300mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility (Fab 8), located in Saratoga County, NY. Caulfield, an accomplished industry leader with more than 20 years of technical and global executive experience, will lead the operations, expansion and ramp of semiconductor manufacturing production at Fab 8, where GF supports customers on the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology platforms including 28 nanometer (nm), 20nm, and the recently announced 14nm FinFET platform.

“We are expanding our Fab 8 manufacturing campus, strengthening strategic partnerships, and deepening customer relationships so we can offer our customers leading-edge technology and a more flexible and cost-effective way of doing business,” said GF CEO Sanjay Jha. “Tom is a proven and respected industry leader with more than two decades of semiconductor technology and manufacturing experience and we are excited to have him join our team to drive the next phase of growth at Fab 8.”

Caulfield joins GF with an impressive track record of results through his extensive career spanning engineering, management, operational leadership and global executive experience with leading technology companies.

Most recently, Caulfield served as president and chief operations officer (COO) at Soraa, the world’s leading developer of GaN on GaN™ (gallium nitride on gallium nitride) solid-state lighting technology. Prior to Soraa, Caulfield served as president and COO of Ausra, a leading provider of large-scale concentrated solar power solutions for electricity generation and industrial steam production. Before leading global operations at Ausra, Caulfield served as executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service at Novellus Systems, Inc. where he oversaw world-wide field operations for over 1,200 employees.

Prior to joining Novellus Systems, Caulfield spent 17 years at IBM in a variety of senior leadership roles, ultimately serving as vice president of 300mm semiconductor operations for IBM’s Microelectronics Division, leading its state-of-the-art wafer fabrication operations in East Fishkill, NY.

Construction on the Fab 8 project began in July 2009 and the facility is currently supporting multiple customers on multiple technology platforms, as well as completing construction on additional manufacturing facilities to support increased customer demand. Since 2009 the project has created approximately 2,200 new direct jobs and expects to create an additional 600 jobs through the end of the year, supporting more than approximately 10,000 indirect jobs in the economy based on research by the Semiconductor Industry Association. In addition, the project has required more than 6 million man hours to complete and created more than 10,000 new construction jobs and thousands of additional construction-related jobs since 2009.

About GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers.

With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by Mubadala Development Company. For more information, visit https://www.globalfoundries.com.

Media Contacts:

Travis Bullard
GF
(518) 305-9025
[email protected]

55nm solution provides advanced technology and comprehensive design enablement support optimized to meet unique requirements of in-vehicle ICs

Santa Clara, Calif., May 7, 2014 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES today introduced an optimized semiconductor manufacturing platform aimed specifically at meeting the stringent and evolving needs of the automotive industry. Built on the company’s 55-nanometer (nm) Low Power process and AEC-Q100 Group D qualified, the solution includes a comprehensive set of technology and design enablement capabilities tailored to improve the efficiency, performance, and power consumption of automotive ICs while maintaining adherence to the industry’s strict safety and quality standards.

The automotive platform is a comprehensive solution consisting of the necessary design tool support, IP, technology, and services to leverage GF’s 55nm low power process. It allows customers to quickly migrate their automotive microcontrollers, ASSPs and ASICs to a more advanced technology, leveraging the significant area, performance and power benefits of the process. The platform supports the implementation of non-volatile memory (NVM) in MCUs and SoC designs, as well as best-in-class SST-based embedded flash technology of automotive grade with an endurance of 100K erase/program cycles or higher and data retention of more than 20 years.

GF, a member of the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC), has developed the 55nm automotive platform to address critical industry trends, such as increased fuel economy and safety standards, along with higher consumer demand for in-vehicle information and entertainment. By delivering a foundry-based solution, the company is providing needed advanced manufacturing capabilities and services to OEMs and IDMs that are developing more sophisticated and efficient semiconductors to power safety, body, powertrain and infotainment applications in vehicles.

“Vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers are facing extremely challenging requirements by both regulators and customers. Better fuel efficiency, higher safety standards, increased in-vehicle communications capabilities and more demanding consumer requirements are all driving the need for more performance and lower power ICs for these systems,” said Paul Colestock, director of segment marketing at GF. “We are applying our advanced manufacturing technology to address these requirements directly with our focused automotive platform. This provides OEMs and IDMs with a full-service, cost-effective and reduced-risk foundry solution that enables an efficient implementation of advanced capabilities within the unique demands of the automotive electronics segment.”

Design enablement focused on unique needs of automotive sector

The platform’s complete design enablement support through certified models and design rules, PDKs and EDA tools support streamline the automotive IC design process. Its automotive-specific flow includes defect detection, defect reduction and outlier controls to provide significant improvement in quality and reliability. Robust design-for-manufacturing (DFM) support for automotive builds in quality and yield at the design stage.

The automotive platform supports the use of ARM core technology with a variety of standard cell and compilers, as well as IP blocks for GPIO, interface, and oscillator functions.

The platform is backed by an automotive services package to meet automotive grade quality and reliability requirements. The services offering includes 15 years record retention, a continuous improvement program with the aim to achieve “Zero Defects”, and comprehensive failure analysis and 8D problem resolution.

The 55nm low power process PDK, embedded flash PDK, and flash macro design service are available now.

Partnership will enable FFSA and ASIC solutions on GLOBALFOUNDRIES technologies

Santa Clara, Calif., April 21, 2014 – GF today announced that Toshiba Corporation will join the company’s GLOBALSOLUTIONS ecosystem of partners. As a worldwide ASIC partner, Toshiba will enable its Fit Fast Structured Array (FFSATM) and ASIC solutions based upon GF’s technologies and services for customers across the globe.

The agreement includes participation on multi-project wafer (MPW) runs and production wafers covering the whole portfolio of GF technologies, including leading-edge process nodes.

Initially, the partnership will focus on implementations of Toshiba’s FFSAs manufactured with GF’s 65nm and 40nm low-power process technologies, with 28nm arrays to follow. Toshiba’s FFSA products—including libraries and intellectual property (IP)—allow customers to reduce development time and costs by customizing existing base wafers, choosing from a number of design platforms at GF. For higher-volume applications, customers can work with Toshiba’s libraries to develop fully custom system-on-chips (SoCs). With an initial product completed, customers can then leverage the embedded FFSA technology to provide quick-turn derivative products, with much lower development costs.

“We are very pleased to join GLOBALSOLUTIONS Ecosystem as Worldwide ASIC Partner.” said Tatsuo Noguchi, Vice President, Toshiba Corporation Semiconductor & Storage Products Company. “Our FFSATM products, developed with BaySand licensed technology and in collaboration with BaySand Inc. of the U.S., can be configured simply by customizing the design of a few metal layers, and satisfy increasing market needs for high performance and low power technologies. We believe that GF customers will benefit from our FFSATM.”

“We are excited to have Toshiba, one of the world’s leading semiconductor companies, join our GLOBALSOLUTIONS ecosystem,” said Chuck Fox, senior vice president of worldwide sales at GF. “Toshiba has a strong track record of providing ASIC solutions throughout the world. We believe that many of our customers will benefit from the combination of Toshiba’s world-class design resources and our proven 65nm, 40nm, and 28nm process technology.”

GLOBALSOLUTIONS is the sum of GF’s internal resources and ecosystem partners, combined to efficiently enable the fastest time-to-volume for GF’s customers. The GLOBALSOLUTIONS ecosystem includes partners in all aspects of design enablement and turnkey services, OPC and mask operations, and advanced capabilities in assembly solutions.

ABOUT GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers. With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.globalfoundries.com

CONTACTS:

Jason Gorss
GF
518-305-9022
[email protected]

Shared technology allows global capacity for 14nm FinFET fabrication in the U.S. and Korea

Seoul, Korea and Santa Clara, Calif. April 17, 2014 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. and GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced a new strategic collaboration to deliver global capacity for 14 nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology. For the first time, the industry’s most advanced 14nm FinFET technology will be available at both Samsung and GF, giving customers the assurance of supply that can only come from true design compatibility at multiple sources across the globe. The new collaboration will leverage the companies’ worldwide leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, with volume production at Samsung’s fabs in Hwaseong, Korea and Austin, Texas, as well as GF’ fab in Saratoga, New York.

Developed by Samsung and licensed to GF, the 14nm FinFET process is based on a technology platform that has already gained traction as the leading choice for high-volume, power-efficient system-on-chip (SoC) designs. The platform taps the benefits of three-dimensional, fully depleted FinFET transistors to overcome the limitations of planar transistor technology, enabling up to 20 percent higher speed, 35 percent less power and 15 percent area scaling over industry 20nm planar technology.

The platform is the first FinFET technology in the foundry industry to provide true area scaling from 20nm. The technology features a smaller contacted gate pitch for higher logic packing density and smaller SRAM bitcells to meet the increasing demand for memory content in advanced SoCs, while still leveraging the proven interconnect scheme from 20nm to offer the benefits of FinFET technology with reduced risk and the fastest time-to-market.

Through this multi-year exclusive technology license, process design kits (PDKs) are available now, allowing customers to start designing with models, design rule manuals, and technology files that have been developed based on silicon results from 14nm FinFET test chips. Mass production for the 14nm FinFET technology will begin at the end of 2014.

“This unprecedented collaboration will result in a global capacity footprint for 14nm FinFET technology that provides AMD with enhanced capabilities to bring our innovative IP into silicon on leading-edge technologies,” said Lisa Su, senior vice president and general manager of Global Business Units at AMD. “The work that GF and Samsung are doing together will help AMD deliver our next generation of groundbreaking products with new levels of processing and graphics capabilities to devices ranging from low-power mobile devices, to next-generation dense servers to high-performance embedded solutions.”

“This strategic collaboration extends the value proposition of a single GDSII multi-sourcing to the FinFET nodes. With this true multi-source platform, Samsung and GF have made it easy for fabless semiconductor companies to access FinFET technology and increase first-time silicon success,” said Dr. Stephen Woo, president of System LSI business, device solutions, Samsung Electronics Division. “Through this collaboration, we are advancing the foundry business and support model to satisfy what customers have been asking for.”

“Today’s announcement is further proof of the importance of collaboration to enable continued innovation in semiconductor manufacturing,” said GF CEO Sanjay Jha. “With this industry-first alignment of 14nm FinFET production capabilities, we can offer greater choice and flexibility to the world’s leading fabless semiconductor companies, while helping the fabless industry to maintain its leadership in the mobile device market.”

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology, opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of TVs, smartphones, tablets, PCs, cameras, home appliances, printers, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 80 countries with annual sales of US$216.7 billion. To discover more, please visit www.samsung.com.

* Editors’ Note : Samsung Electronics’ Foundry business is dedicated to support fabless and IDM semiconductor companies offering full service solutions encompassing design kits and proven IP to fully turnkey manufacturing to achieve market success with advanced IC designs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com/Foundry

About GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers. With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.globalfoundries.com.

CONTACTS:

Jason Gorss
GF
518-305-9022
[email protected]

Lisa Warren-Plungy
Samsung Semiconductor
408-544-5377
[email protected]

Click here to access the press release (PDF)
Click here to access the Overview Presentation (PDF)

Highlights:

• Test chip designed to demonstrate performance and power characteristics of ARM® Cortex®-A12 processor on GlobalFoundries 28nm-SLP process
• Achieved maximum frequency of 2.0GHz in 15 weeks using the full Cadence RTL-to-GDSII digital implementation and signoff solutions
• Full suite of Cadence signoff tools used, including QRC Extraction, Tempus Timing Signoff Solution and the Physical Verification System

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 12, 2014—At CDNLive Silicon Valley 2014, Cadence Design Systems Inc. and GF announced that they have taped out a quad-core test chip built around the ARM Cortex-A12 processor. Targeted to operate at frequencies of up to 2.0GHz while still within the mainstream mobile power and area envelope, the test chip is implemented in GF’s 28nm-SLP (Super Low Power 28 nanometer High-K Metal Gate) process using a full Cadence® tool flow and incorporates ARM POP™ technology to leverage the full performance range of the 28-SLP process.

The Cortex-A12 processor provides a 40 percent performance increase and direct upgrade path from ARM’s highly successful Cortex-A9 processor, while matching the energy efficiency of its predecessor. The successful tapeout marks an important move toward the incorporation of the Cortex-A12 core in mobile applications such as smartphones and tablets.

“As the lead foundry working with the Cortex-A12 processor, we collaborated closely with Cadence and ARM to implement this new core using our 28nm low-power process, and ARM libraries specifically tuned to meet demanding mobile market requirements,” said Ana Hunter, vice president of product management at GF. “This test chip will be instrumental in showing our mutual customers how they can productize and reap the benefits from the Cortex-A12 processor in conjunction with the 28nm-SLP process using a Cadence flow.”

“The ARM Cortex-A12 processor is a high-performance compute solution that will benefit developers looking to upgrade existing mid-range mobile products as well as expanding our technology into a new range of electronic devices such as set-top boxes,” said Dipesh Patel, executive vice president and general manager, physical design group, ARM. “The work by ARM, Cadence and GF in jointly developing a test chip on 28nm utilizing ARM POP IP will accelerate its time to market.”

The full Cadence RTL-to-signoff digital implementation flow was used, including Encounter® RTL Compiler, Encounter RTL Compiler with Physical, Encounter Digital Implementation System and Encounter Conformal Equivalence Checker. The full suite of Cadence signoff tools were also used, including QRC Extraction, Tempus™ Timing Signoff Solution and the Physical Verification System, closing final signoff and achieving tapeout in 15 weeks from RTL availability.

“Projects like this Cortex-A12 processor test chip are important milestones, and can only be achieved through tight collaboration,” said Anirudh Devgan, senior vice president of the Digital and Signoff Group at Cadence. “Our work with GF and ARM will be welcome news for electronics companies interested in exploring ARM’s newest core.”

GF’s 28nm-SLP technology is ideally suited for the next generation of smart mobile devices, enabling designs with faster processing speeds, smaller feature sizes, lower standby power and longer battery life. The technology is based on GF’s “Gate First” approach to High-K Metal Gate (HKMG), which has been in volume production for nearly three years. The technology offers a combination of performance, power efficiency and cost that is ideally suited for the mobile market.

POP technology contains ARM Artisan® Physical IP logic libraries and memory instances specifically tuned for a given ARM core and process technology, a comprehensive benchmarking report to pinpoint exact conditions and results ARM achieved for core implementation, and POP implementation knowledge including a user guide, floor plans and scripts. POP IP products are currently available from 40nm to 28nm, with a roadmap down to 14nm process technology for a wide range of Cortex-A processor series CPU and Mali™ GPU products.

GF will deliver a presentation on their joint work at CDNLive Silicon Valley on March 12. The presentation is titled, “A Power-, Performance-, and Cost-Optimized Cortex-A12 Implementation in 28nm-SLP (Super-Low-Power) Technology”

About Cadence

Cadence enables global electronic design innovation and plays an essential role in the creation of today’s integrated circuits and electronics. Customers use Cadence software, hardware, IP, and services to design and verify advanced semiconductors, consumer electronics, networking and telecommunications equipment, and computer systems. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with sales offices, design centers, and research facilities around the world to serve the global electronics industry. More information about the company, its products, and services is available at www.cadence.com.

About GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers. With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.gf.com.

New channel partner agreement focuses on 40nm and 28nm processes

Munich, February 26th, 2014 – GlobalFoundries and Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS today announced the extension of their long-term collaboration, focusing on 40nm and 28nm processes. GF will also join the European Multi Product Wafer (MPW) Program EUROPRACTICE.

Through the collaboration GF will offer its leading-edge foundry capabilities to Fraunhofer IIS as an aggregator, and Fraunhofer will enable the academic network in Europe to get access to GF’s process technologies and Process Design Kits (PDK) via EUROPRACTICE.

“As one of the largest foundries worldwide and the largest wafer manufacturer in Europe we are proud to enter this prestigious program,” said Karl Lange, GF Vice President of Sales for Europe. “With Fraunhofer as channel partner, combined with our broad technology portfolio and process know-how, we will add significant value to EUROPRACTICE.”

“The offer of GF technologies down to 28nm to Europe’s universities and research institutes is an important step for EUROPRACTICE and will stimulate education and research in IC design,” said Josef Sauerer, Head of the Integrated Circuits and Systems Department at Fraunhofer IIS. “Also, our contract research with industries will benefit from GF’s advanced technology portfolio”

Fraunhofer IIS and GF started their collaboration in 2004 with the successful launch of 180nm and later 55nm programs. The extended collaboration will introduce technology nodes down to 28nm in the European Wafer Shuttle Program, helping European academia and research institutes to get access and support for CAD tools and ASIC prototyping at reduced costs.

About GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers.

With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.gf.com.

About Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS

Fraunhofer IIS, established in 1985 and based in Erlangen, with additional locations in Nürnberg, Fürth, Würzburg, Ilmenau and Dresden, is today the largest Fraunhofer Institute in the Fraunhofer Society. More than 750 employees work in contract research for industry, service provider companies and public institutions. Fraunhofer IIS became world famous with its significant involvement in the development of the MP3 and MPEG AAC audio encoding processes. In close co-operation with clients from industry, more than 150 scientists conduct research and development in the field of design automation, integrated circuits and sensor systems. Further research areas are digital radio, audio and multimedia technology, digital cinema technology, wired, wireless and optical networks, localisation and navigation, high-speed cameras, ultra-fine-focus x-ray technology, image processing, medical technology and supply chain services. For more information, visit https://www.iis.fraunhofer.de.

About EUROPRACTICE

During the past years, the IC service of EUROPRACTICE has been developed to one of the most successful ASIC prototype and small volume service in Europe with customers from more than 55 countries world-wide. Annually more than 535 ASICs are prototyped on Multi Project Wafer runs and more than 100 small volumes are delivered to industry. The European Commission is funding the EUROPRACTICE service through a contract under the IST FP7 program. Through this funding 650 European academia and research institutes are able to get access and support to CAD tools and ASIC prototyping at reduced costs. ASIC prototype and small volume turnkey offering for industry and academia are offered by IMEC and Fraunhofer IIS, access to CAD tools for academia is offered by STFC. For more information, visit https://www.europractice-ic.com.

Sanjay Jha appointed by GLOBALFOUNDRIES Board to lead company

Santa Clara, Calif., January 6, 2014 — Building on the successful track record of its first five years in the semiconductor industry and its continued commitment to build out its global network of manufacturing facilities, GF announced today, from its new offices in Silicon Valley, Sanjay Jha has been appointed as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Jha has served as CEO of Motorola Mobility Inc. and as the COO of Qualcomm Inc.

Ajit Manocha, who served as an advisor to the company’s shareholder prior to being appointed CEO of GF in mid-2011, will return to that role and will work closely with Jha on his transition.

“Ajit has played an instrumental role in making GF the second largest foundry in the world, delivering on customer relationships, technology leadership and operational excellence,” said Ibrahim Ajami, Vice Chairman of the GF Board. “Sanjay is one of the most respected leaders in the technology industry and has a proven track record of consistently delivering shareholder value. His industry background and experience as a foundry customer will position GF for continued growth.”

“This has been an incredible journey and our success thus far has been a testament to our ability to partner with leading customers in the industry. I am confident that I am leaving GF in a position of strength and that Sanjay will take this company to new horizons,” said Manocha.

Jha will lead the company’s build out and ramp of its Fab 8 leading-edge facility in Malta, New York, supporting customers at the 14 nm technology node. GF will also continue its upgrade of facilities in Singapore and Germany, which serve multiple customers across a spectrum of technologies.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a company with such a strong track record in an industry that I know and love. I look forward to working closely with Ajit during the transition and with a very talented global team to continue to make our customers successful,” said Jha.

About GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers.

With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.globalfoundries.com.

The MoU was signed at the 7th Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum 2013 in Singapore

1. Singapore, 26 Nov 2013 – A*STAR Institute of Microelectronics (IME), GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte. Ltd., and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI) have entered into a collaboration to develop and advance micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies for automotive, aerospace, consumer, healthcare, industrial, and mobility applications. The joint research initiative, which builds on the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum (ADSJF), is supported by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC), a Mubadala company focused on building leading technologies companies, and the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore.

2. The Abu Dhabi-Singapore Twin Lab will focus on the development of MEMS technologies including inertial sensors, energy harvesters, nano-opto-mechanical sensors, and ultrasonic transducers. These platform technologies form the foundation of a wide spectrum of sensors that address high volume markets, including mobile platforms, distributed wireless sensor network, healthcare and environment monitoring.

3. GF Singapore is a leading semiconductor foundry providing full-scale wafer manufacturing services to fabless and fablite semiconductor companies. The foundry will serve as the programme manager and manufacturing partner in this collaboration. The opportunity will also enable the foundry to expand its IP portfolio to address MEMS high-volume manufacturing at effective cost levels and capacity to serve the fast growing MEMS market.

4. “We are pleased to be in a strategic and mutually beneficial collaboration with the renowned research institutes from Singapore and Abu Dhabi,” said Mr K. C. Ang, Senior Vice President and General Manager of GF Singapore. “This joint partnership will enable us to harness their R&D capabilities to create innovative technologies and products that will further solidify and strengthen our foundation in MEMS manufacturing.”

5. IME is a research leader in semiconductor research and development, under Singapore’s Agency of Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), with an established track record in MEMS design and technologies. IME’s extensive experience in sensors and transducers technologies, MEMS process design and integration, as well as state-of-the-art research facilities will help to advance the joint research initiative and further develop innovative technologies for industry.

6. Professor Dim-Lee Kwong, Executive Director of IME, said: “This is a momentous milestone in the field of MEMS research and development for IME and for the parties involved in bringing this initiative to fruition. Each of us plays a key role in the semiconductor eco-system, namely government, industry, academia and research institute, with each bringing valuable opportunities and diverse knowledge. As such, we are confident that this partnership will enable us to successfully push our MEMS research capabilities to greater heights, and contribute to the advancement of the semiconductor industry in both Abu Dhabi and Singapore.”

7. MI is the world’s first graduate-level university, focusing on providing real-world solutions in advanced energy and sustainable technologies. The collaboration will open up opportunities for MI to leverage the industry intelligence of GF Singapore and IME’s MEMS technology development capabilities to develop and grow MEMS scientific research programmes and initiatives.

8. Dr Fred Moavenzadeh, President of Masdar Institute, said: “The agreement with GF Singapore and the Institute of Microelectronics illustrates our commitment to develop strong relationships with internationally renowned research-oriented institutions in advanced technology areas. With the support of the UAE’s leadership, we strive to develop expertise in leading edge areas recognized and pursued by other renowned institutions. We offer our expertise in fabless and fab-lite semiconductor technology and seek to achieve innovative solutions through our collaboration with the Singapore-based entities in MEMS-related research and development projects.”

9. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed today in conjunction with the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum at Marina Bay Sands, and was attended by Mr Lee Yi Shyan, Senior Minister of State for Trade & Industry and National Development in Singapore, and His Excellency Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi (EAA).

Media Contacts:

For IME:

Chua Yi Fen
Senior Officer, Marketing & Communications, IME
Phone: +65 6770 5378
Email: [email protected]

For GF Singapore:

Gina Wong
Communications Manager, Asia Pacific & Japan, GF
Phone: +65 6670-1808
Email: [email protected]

For Masdar Institute of Science & Technology:

Bader Al Zarei
Director – Communications
Public Affairs Department, Masdar Institute
Phone: +971 02 8109372
Email: [email protected]

Foundry 2.0 partnership with Open-Silicon and Amkor Technology yields successful 2.5D test vehicle project

Milpitas, Calif., November 21, 2013 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES today unveiled details of a project that demonstrates the value of its open and collaborative approach to delivering next-generation chip packaging technologies. The company, in partnership with Open-Silicon (chief architect) and Amkor Technology, Inc. (assembly and test), jointly exhibited a functional system-on-chip (SoC) solution featuring two 28nm logic chips, with embedded ARM processors, connected across a 2.5D silicon interposer. The jointly developed design is a test vehicle that showcases the benefits of 2.5D technology for mobile and low-power server applications and the viability of the Foundry 2.0 collaborative enablement model.

While some semiconductor manufacturers are approaching next-generation packaging technologies through internal development, GF is enabling an open supply chain through collaboration with ecosystem partners and customers. This approach allows GF’s customers to choose their preferred supply chain partners, while leveraging the experience of ecosystem partners who have developed deep expertise in design, assembly and test methodologies. When combined with GF’s leading-edge manufacturing capabilities, this open and collaborative model is expected to deliver lower overall cost and less risk in bringing 2.5D technologies to market.

“As the fabless-foundry business model evolves to address the realities of today’s dynamic market, foundries are taking on increasing responsibility for enabling the supply chain to deliver end-to-end solutions that meet the requirements of the broad range of leading-edge designs,” said David McCann, vice president of packaging R&D at GF. “To help address these challenges, we are driving our ‘Foundry 2.0’ collaborative supply chain model by engaging early with ecosystem partners like Open-Silicon and Amkor to jointly develop solutions that will enable the next wave of innovation in the industry.”

The test vehicle features two ARM Cortex-A9 processors manufactured using GF’s 28nm-SLP (Super Low Power) process technology. The processors are attached to a silicon interposer, which is built on a 65nm manufacturing flow with through-silicon-vias (TSVs) to enable high-bandwidth communication between the chips.

Open-Silicon provided the processor, interposer, substrate, and test design, as well as the test and characterization of the final product. GF provided the PDKs, interposer reference flow and manufactured both the 28nm ARM processors and the 65nm silicon interposer with embedded TSVs. Amkor provided the package-related design rules and manufacturing processes for back-side integration, copper pillar micro-bumping, and 2.5D product assembly. GF and Amkor collaborated closely throughout the project to develop and validate the design rules, assembly processes, and required material sets.

The companies demonstrated first-time functionality of the processor, interposer, and substrate designs, and the die-to-substrate (D2S) process used by the supply chain resulted in high yields. The design tools, process design kit (PDK), design rules, and supply chain are now in place and proven for 2.5D interposer products from GF, Amkor, and Open-Silicon.

“This project is a testament to the value of an open and collaborative approach to innovation, leveraging expertise from across the supply chain to demonstrate progress in bringing a critical enabling technology to market,” said Ron Huemoeller, senior vice president of advanced product development at Amkor Technology. “This collaborative model will offer chip designers a flexible approach to 2.5D SoC designs, while delivering cost savings, faster time-to-volume, and a reduction in the technical risk associated with developing new technologies.”

“We are pleased to be at the forefront of making 2.5D a reality with our foundry and OSAT partners,” said Dr. Shafy Eltoukhy, vice president of technology development at Open-Silicon. “This approach will allow designers to choose the right technology for each function of their SoC while simultaneously enabling finer grain and lower power connectivity than traditional packaging solutions along with reduced power budgets for next-generation electronic devices.”

ABOUT GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers. With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.globalfoundries.com.

Design features two 28nm ARM Cortex-A9 processors interfacing across a silicon interposer

Milpitas, Calif., November 21, 2013 — Open-Silicon, Inc., and GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced the industry’s first demonstration of a functional system-on-chip (SoC) solution featuring two 28nm logic chips, with embedded ARM processors, connected across a 2.5D silicon interposer. The jointly developed design is a proof-of-concept vehicle to showcase the benefits of 2.5D technology for mobile and low-power server applications.

At the heart of the custom SoC are two ARM Cortex-A9 processors manufactured using GF’s 28nm-SLP (Super Low Power) process technology. The processors are attached to a silicon interposer, which is built on a 65nm manufacturing flow with through-silicon-vias (TSVs) to enable high-bandwidth communication between the chips. This approach allows designers to choose the most appropriate process technology for each function of their SoC, while the interposer and TSVs allow for finer grain and lower power connectivity than traditional packaging solutions, leading to smaller form factors and reduced power budgets for next-generation electronic devices.

The companies recently demonstrated the functioning SoC at ARM TechCon in Santa Clara, CA, where they were awarded “Best in Show” in the Chip Design category.

“We are now much closer to building a system in package than before and Open-Silicon is extremely pleased to be at the forefront of making 2.5D a reality with our foundry and OSAT partners,” said Dr. Shafy Eltoukhy, vice president of technology development at Open-Silicon. “Given the multitudes of advantages that this technology offers, we firmly believe that widespread adoption along with heterogeneous die-integration will ensue soon.”

“As chip designers face growing complexity and cost at smaller geometries, the adoption of 2.5D technology is increasingly being viewed as an alternative to traditional scaling at the transistor level,” said Srinivas Nori, director of SoC innovation at GF. “By collaborating closely with design partners like Open-Silicon and OSAT partners like Amkor, we will be able to accelerate the availability of this technology while minimizing cost, improving yield, maximizing re-use, and decreasing risk.”

Open-Silicon and GF developed the custom SoC to help overcome some of the challenges associated with bringing 2.5D technology to market. The 2.5D system features the following characteristics:

• Logic die including dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPUs, as well as DDR3, USB and AXI bridge interfaces
• A special EDA reference flow designed to address the additional requirements of 2.5D design, including top-level interposer design creation and floor planning, as well as the increased complexity of using TSVs, front-side and back-side bumps, and redistribution layer (RDL) routing
• Support for additional verification steps brought on by 2.5D design rules
• Custom die-to-die IO for better area and power characteristics providing a maximum of 8GB/s full-duplex data-rate across the two die through the silicon interposer
• A development board with memory, boot-ROM, and basic peripherals to demonstrate the die-to-die interface functionality through software running on the CPUs embedded in the logic dies
• A test methodology consisting of Boundary Scan and Loopback modes
• Package-related design rules, back-side integration, copper pillar micro-bumping, and 2.5D product assembly by Amkor Technology, a leading supplier of outsourced semiconductor packaging and test services

About Open-Silicon

Open-Silicon, a leading supplier and developer of customer-specific products (CSPs), provides ASICs, platforms, concept-to-parts development, customized IP, low-effort derivative design, and state-of-the-art manufacturing solutions. With Open-Silicon, customer’s benefit from global engineering including an ARM® Technology Center of Excellence, advanced SerDes integration, 2.5D interposer-based package engineering, experienced architects, leading-edge physical design methodology, and embedded software development, all leveraging the industry’s best technology from both Open-Silicon and the open market. For more information, visit Open-Silicon’s website at www.open-silicon.com or call 408-240-5700 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 408-240-5700 FREE end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

About GF

GF is the world’s first full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. Launched in March 2009, the company has quickly achieved scale as the second largest foundry in the world, providing a unique combination of advanced technology and manufacturing to more than 160 customers. With operations in Singapore, Germany and the United States, GF is the only foundry that offers the flexibility and security of manufacturing centers spanning three continents. The company’s three 300mm fabs and five 200mm fabs provide the full range of process technologies from mainstream to the leading edge. This global manufacturing footprint is supported by major facilities for research, development and design enablement located near hubs of semiconductor activity in the United States, Europe and Asia. GF is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit https://www.globalfoundries.com.