IBM, Chartered, Infineon and Samsung Announce Process and Design Readiness for Silicon Circuits on 45nm Low-Power Technology; Industry leaders Offer Reliable, High-Performance, Low Leakage Platform for Early adopters of Leading-Edge Process; Early Design Kits Available to Accelerate Transition

 

East Fishkill, NY; Singapore; Munich and Seoul – August 29, 2006 – IBM, Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, Infineon Technologies and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced first silicon-functional circuits and the availability of design kits based on their collaboration for 45nm low-power process technology. The early characterization of key design elements in silicon, coupled with the availability of early design kits, provide designers with a significant head start in moving to the latest process from the industry-leading CMOS technology research and development alliance. The early design kits are developed through a collaborative effort by all four companies and are immediately available for select customers.

 

The first working circuits in 45nm technology, targeted at next-generation communication systems, were proven in silicon using the process technology jointly developed by the alliance partners and were produced at the IBM 300-millimeter (mm) fabrication line in East Fishkill, NY, where the joint development team is based. Among the successfully verified blocks are standard library cells and I/O elements provided by Infineon, as well as embedded memory developed by the alliance. Infineon has included special circuitry on the first 300mm wafers to debug the complex process and to gain experience in product architecture interactions.

 

“This result is another significant milestone in our successful strategy to develop optimized product solutions using the most advanced technology platforms as early as possible,” stated Hermann Eul, member of the board of Infineon Technologies and president of its Communication Solutions business group. “The first structures in 45nm represent our most cutting-edge technology, bringing together high-performance capabilities and low-power consumption. This solution is clearly well-suited to address the needs of next-generation mobile applications.”

 

The development of the design kits incorporates design expertise from all four companies in order to facilitate the earlier transition to the new process by chip customer designers, as well as continue to drive single-design, multi-fab manufacturing capability for maximum design leverage and to bring about ultimate consumer benefit. The 45nm low-power process is expected to be installed and fully qualified at Chartered, IBM and Samsung 300mm fabs by the end of 2007.

 

“The speed, innovation and completeness with which this first 45nm offering has been developed and made available to customers demonstrates the growing customer value and strength of the partnership between these four companies. Our early hardware results indicate that the 45nm node device performance is at least 30 percent greater than that of the 65nm node, and product developers can design to this process with confidence,” said Lisa Su, vice president of semiconductor research and development at IBM and the head of the joint development alliance. “By leveraging the significant R&D and IP resources available worldwide across this alliance of industry leaders, we are able to bring manufacturing technology and design readiness to the market much sooner and effectively for customers than working individually. And, the additional benefit to customers is the flexibility in accessing the technology thanks to the GDSII compatibility across multiple manufacturing facilities.” 

 

“The unique cooperation among IBM, Chartered, Infineon and Samsung reduces the inherent risks in adoption of advanced process technology,” said Ho-Kyu Kang, vice president of the advanced technology development team at Samsung Electronics’ System LSI Business. “Our customers leverage the combined strengths of our system level, product design, and manufacturing expertise in the development of leadership design kits and process technology.”

 

About Chartered

 

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Nasdaq: CHRT, SGX-ST: CHARTERED), one of the world’s top dedicated semiconductor foundries, offers leading-edge technologies down to 65 nanometer (nm), enabling today’s system-on-chip designs. The company further serves its customers’ needs through a collaborative, joint development approach on a technology roadmap that extends to 45nm. Chartered’s strategy is based on open and comprehensive design enablement solutions, manufacturing enhancement strategies, and a commitment to flexible sourcing. In Singapore, the company operates a 300mm fabrication facility and four 200mm facilities. Information about Chartered can be found at www.charteredsemi.com .

About IBM

 

For more information about Semiconductors at IBM, please visit www.ibm.com/chips.

 

About Samsung Electronics

 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2005 parent company sales of US$56.7 billion and net income of US$7.5 billion. Employing approximately 128,000 people in over 120 offices in 57 countries, the company consists of five main business units: Digital Appliance Business, Digital Media Business, LCD Business, Semiconductor Business and Telecommunication Network Business. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones, and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com .

 

About Infineon

 

Infineon Technologies AG, Munich, Germany, offers semiconductor and system solutions for automotive, industrial and multimarket sectors, for applications in communication, as well as memory products through its subsidiary Qimonda. With a global presence, Infineon operates through its subsidiaries in the US from San Jose, CA, in the Asia-Pacific region from Singapore and in Japan from Tokyo. In fiscal year 2005 (ending September), the company achieved sales of Euro 6.76 billion with about 36,400 employees worldwide. Infineon is listed on the DAX index of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX). Further information is available at www.infineon.com. Further information on Qimonda is available at www.qimonda.com .

 

Media contacts:

 

Infineon Technologies AG

Monika Sonntag

Phone: +49 89 234-24497

Email: monika.sonntag@infineon.com

 

IBM

Rick Bause

Phone: +1.845.892.5463

Email: rbause@us.ibm.com

 

Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing

Tiffany Sparks

Phone: +1 408-941-1185

Email: tiffanys@charteredsemi.com

 

Samsung Semiconductor Inc.

Lisa Warren-Plungy

Phone: +1 408-544-5377

Email: lwarrenplungy@ssi.samsung.com

 

 

Chartered, IBM, Infineon Technologies and Samsung Safe Harbor Statement under the provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995

 

This news release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, and in particular, the expected installation, qualification and availability of the 45nm low-power process technology at Chartered, IBM and Samsung’s 300mm fabs, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially. Although Chartered, IBM, Infineon Technologies and Samsung (collectively referred as the “Alliance Partners”) believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, the Alliance Partners can give no assurance that their expectations will be attained. The Alliance Partners urge investors to review in detail the description of the risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially in the section captioned “Risk Factors” in their respective companies’ Annual Report on Form 20-F or Form 10-K, as the case may be, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are based on the current view of the respective Alliance Partner’s management on future events. The Alliance Partners undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

 

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