The transition to 28 nanometer is not far behind us, but ARM is planning a record fast transition to the next node. ARM hopes that together with close partners it will be shipping processors based on the 20nm node by the end of next year.
The demand for new manufacturing technologies has never been higher and as everything becomes more mobile the industry is hungry for more and more. There is right now a race for 20 nanometer and TSMC is expected to deliver in record time, with ARM as the main partner. Already in 2013 ARM hopes that the first system processors will be completed and shiped in retail products by the end of the year.
“The whole industry is focused on moving to the next generation as soon as it’s economically viable and technologically achievable,” Simon Segars, general manager of the processor and physical IP divisions at ARM
Besides once again doubling the transistor density it is once again the lower energy consumption that is attractive to mobile manufacturers. The problem is not only technological but there is also a question about the economics of moving to a new node. ARM that is one of TSMC’s closest partners at least seems to think so.
There is a lack of the Qualcomm S4 processors that is used in HTC One S
At the same time TSMC will only offer the 20 nanometer node in one version optimized for both low and high leakage – a technology with compromises. The capacity will be anything by high, but TSMC is instead expected to put all of its energy into moving to 14 nanometer as fast as possible. There are rumors of a version of 20 nanometer sporting FinFET, or so called “3D transistors”, but this is unconfirmed.
There is still a lack of 28 nm circuits with TSMC and the company will not be able to meet the demand until the start of next year.
No active posts found.