WishX Posted July 30, 2002 Share Posted July 30, 2002 AMD Announces Semiconductor Alliance By Tim McDonald NewsFactor Network July 30, 2002 http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/18807.html AMD officials said that the partnership will allow the company to put additional development emphasis in areas such as high-performance transistors and interconnects. U.S. chip company AMD announced a research and development alliance on Tuesday with Infineon Technologies of Germany and Taiwan Microelectronics. The alliance's goal is to develop the next generation of semiconductors . The alliance reflects the current state of the global tech economy, which is forcing companies to cut IT costs while trying to stay ahead of the technology curve. Technology companies, in turn, are pooling expensive resources in an effort to remain competitive while striving for profitability. The three companies plan to collaborate on submicron manufacturing processes, using 65 and 45 nanometer technology, which is far smaller than the 130 nanometer processes used today -- the smallest processes currently available. Omen for Future Russ Craig, research director for market research firm Aberdeen Group, told NewsFactor that the alliance was a "harbinger" of future R&D relationships. "Nobody can afford to do it on their own any more," Craig said. "Intel, yes. But whether [intel will do it on its own] is an open question." "It's an interesting hookup," Craig said. "What you've got is AMD, which is challenged to invest both in microprocessor architecture and in the underlying process technology. Infineon is a memory house mainly, and they've got the same problem -- investing in the process technology." Cheaper Components The new platform technologies for the high-volume production of semiconductor products on 300 millimeter wafers will supposedly let the companies make components for future portable devices much less expensively than they can be made today. Initial work will take place at a facility in Hsinchu, Taiwan, where the new products are scheduled to go into production in 2005. Earlier this year, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Philips (NYSE: PHG) Electronics, ST Microelectronics and Motorola (NYSE: MOT) teamed up in a joint effort to develop advanced CMOS processes -- a metal oxide semiconductor manufacturing technique. Prior Alliance Infineon and AMD have formed other alliances together. Last May, they announced the formation of a new company, with DuPont Photomasks, called Advanced Mask Technology Center. The purpose of that company is to develop next-generation lithographic photomasks -- quartz or glass plates that contain precision images of chips, which are vital to making smaller and more powerful chips for an array of mobile devices. "Whereas many companies are striving for cost reduction through R&D cooperation these days, these three partners can already build on a considerable history and set of experiences," said Ulrich Schumacher, president and CEO of Infineon, in a statement. AMD officials said the partnership will allow the company to put additional development emphasis in areas such as high-performance transistors and interconnects. Infineon Accuses Infineon made news last month when it accused Korean chip companies and rivals Samsung and Hynix of receiving government subsidies and of dumping cheap chips in Europe. Infineon filed a trade complaint with the European Union, which confirmed that it was undertaking an investigation. Last June, the Munich, Germany-based Infineon agreed to buy the microelectronics operation of Swedish telecom company Ericcson. Infineon has about 33,800 employees worldwide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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