August 14, 2012 - BUSINESS WIRE -- GLOBALFOUNDRIES and ARM will jointly work to optimize system-on-chip (SoC) technology for ARM processor designs on GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 20nm and FinFET process technologies, in a new multi-year agreement. This agreement extends on prior efforts by driving production IP platforms that will enable customer designs on 20nm and promote rapid migration to 3D FinFET transistor technology.
ARM will develop a full platform of ARM Artisan Physical IP, including standard cell libraries, memory compilers and POP IP solutions, aiming for better system performance and power efficiency for mobile devices. The partners -- ARM and GLOBALFOUNDRIES have worked together for years on ARM Cortex-A series processors -- are also extending their long-standing collaboration include graphics processors, which are increasingly critical in mobile devices.
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GLOBALFOUNDRIES will optimize implementations and develop benchmark analysis for next-generation, energy-efficient ARM Cortex processor and ARM Mali graphics processor technologies. The comprehensive platform of ARM Artisan Physical IP for GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 20nm-LPM and FinFET processes and POP IP products provide fundamental building blocks for SoC designers. This platform builds on the existing Artisan physical IP platforms for numerous GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ process technologies including 65nm, 55nm and 28nm, as well as the Cortex-A9 POP technology for 28nm SLP, now available for licensing from ARM.
ARM POP technology accelerates the core hardening for ARM’s Cortex-A series CPUs. POP IP products comprise 3 critical elements necessary to achieve an optimized ARM core implementation: Artisan physical IP standard cell libraries and memory cache instances that are specifically tuned for a given ARM processor and foundry technology; a comprehensive benchmarking report to document the exact conditions and results ARM achieved for the processor implementation across an envelope of configuration and design targets; and the detailed implementation knowledge including floor plans, scripts, design utilities and a POP Implementation Guide.
The GLOBALFOUNDRIES 20nm-LPM technology is a comprehensive, cost-effective platform, delivering up to 40% performance improvement and twice the gate density of 28nm. Since it will offer a range of transistor capabilities, 20nm-LPM will serve a broad range of power and performance points across high-volume market segments. By offering a full scaling of the transistor and metal pitch, the resulting 20nm-LPM devices will be highly competitive in cost and area to suit the requirements of next-generation devices.
This collaboration also extends to GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ FinFET-based process technology. The partners will jointly optimize physical IP and process technology to assure a rapid migration path from 20nm-LPM to FinFET. The collaboration will result in a range of implementation solutions available earlier and at lower risk.
ARM designs technology for advanced digital products, from wireless, networking and consumer entertainment solutions to imaging, automotive, security and storage devices. ARM website: http://www.arm.com/.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a full-service semiconductor foundry with a truly global footprint. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is owned by the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC). For more information, visit http://www.globalfoundries.com.
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