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TSMC Executive Calls Upon Semiconductor Industry to "Standardize" Around 0.10-micron Process
Process Alignment Could Result in Faster Time-to-Market for New Applications

London (ots)

Dr. Genda Hu, vice president of corporate marketing
for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) today called
upon the semiconductor industry to standardize on a single, open
0.10-micron semiconductor manufacturing process.
Pointing to industry reports that the semiconductor industry
likely will rally around only a few processes at this node, Dr. Hu
indicated that TSMC is currently working with the industry's leading
companies on this direction. Some agreements have already been
reached, and TSMC will report on these and other developments in the
near future.
"System-on-chip design methodologies are the future of
semiconductor manufacturing," said Dr. Hu, speaking at a news
conference during TSMC's European Technology Symposium here. "A
single, open technology standard could be a key element to efficient
and rapid creation of single-chip systems. As the IC industry in
general moves toward the 0.10-micron node, TSMC believes this is the
ideal point for development of such a standard."
Dr. Hu suggests the alignment could result in nearly identical
manufacturing steps carrying the minimum requirement of a common set
of design rules, common electrical parameters, and identical
transistor characteristics. This alignment is already receiving the
support of a number of major integrated device manufacturers (IDMs)
globally, and is predicated on TSMC's track record of delivering
quality processes on time and with a range of supporting
technologies.
Dr. Hu said the primary drivers to a standard SoC platform are
Moore's Law, which suggests IC density will double every 18 months;
the widening gap between design productivity and transistor density;
and the accelerated product lifecycles that are the hallmark of
today's technology industry. Combined, these forces compel both
fabless and IDMs to "shortcut" product development cycles by using
standardized intellectual property, libraries, and now, process
technology.
The move to a standardized process technology has a number of
additional benefits for the industry. By standardizing, developers
of intellectual property can focus their attention on rapid delivery
of an increasing variety of drop-in, reusable IP products. Similarly,
designers of libraries - the primary building blocks of today's ICs -
can target this single process, eliminating the expense of supporting
multiple processes globally, often with moderate return on their
investments.
"Over the course of the last decade or so, the semiconductor
industry generally has shifted toward a foundry-centric business
model," said Dr. Hu. "Today, IP and library developers, EDA
companies and others tend to verify their products on TSMC silicon
before going anywhere else. Similarly, the majority of fabless
companies and IDM companies worldwide have both prototyping and
volume manufacturing relationships with TSMC. Our focus to this point
has been on developing the manufacturing and service organizations
necessary to provide the highest-possible quality of experience with
TSMC. With that infrastructure largely in place, we now believe we
can provide the industry with the SOC platform for the future."
While semiconductor technology has traditionally been a major
differentiator in the high-tech industry, the resources necessary to
quickly and repeatedly develop leading-edge processes and
state-of-the-art production facilities has become prohibitive. For
this reason, only a few semiconductor manufacturers are now expected
to develop competitive 0.10-micron technologies. IDMs and fabless
companies may still differentiate at the technology level through
collaboration within the 0.10-micron platform, but the vast majority
of differentiation will take place at the SoC level, where innovative
designers can concentrate on system-level applications and features
that differentiate them in their respective markets.
About TSMC
TSMC is the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry,
providing the industry's leading process technology and the foundry
industry's largest portfolio of process-proven library, IP, design
tools and reference flows. The company operates two advanced 300mm
wafer fabs, six eight-inch fabs and two six-inch wafer fabs. TSMC
also has substantial capacity commitments at two joint ventures fabs
(Vanguard and SSMC) and at its wholly owned subsidiary, WaferTech. In
early 2001, TSMC became the first IC manufacturer to announce a
0.10-micron technology alignment program with its customers. TSMC's
corporate headquarters are in Hsin-Chu, Taiwan. For more information
about TSMC see http://www.tsmc.com.
Company Contact:
Dan Holden
TSMC North America
Tel. +1 408 382-8000
Mobile +1 408 910-1141
E-mail:  Dholden@tsmc.com
Agency Contact: 
Heinz Arnold
Positio Europe GmbH
Tel. +49 89 340834-17
Fax +49 89 340834-10
E-Mail:  heinz@positiopr.com