GlobalFoundries Unleashing 7-nm Process Tech in 2017

During the Common Platform Technology Forum last week, GlobalFoundries and its partners disclosed some of their long-term plans. This included ramping up production using 14-nm-XM process tech by 2014, and possibly going into mass production with 7-nm fabrication technology by 2017.

Xbit labs reports that GlobalFoundries will initiate production using 20-nm process technology in 2013. The hybrid 14-nm-XM process, which combines 14-nm FinFET transistors with 20-nm back-end-of-line (BEOL) interconnected flow, will be ramped up in 2014. Then in 2015 the company plans to intro 7-nm technology and the 10-nm-XM hybrid process which will utilize 10-nm FinFET with 14-nm BEOL.

According to a chart provided by GlobalFoundries, 28-nm LPH parts for the "wireless/mobile computing/ digital consumer" sector have already entered production, and will be followed by 20-nm LPM parts for "wired applications/networking" sometime this year. Later on the company will begin manufacturing 14-nm XM parts for both categories, followed by 10-nm XM parts in early 2015.

The report said that members of the Common Platform alliance plan to speed up development and deployment of new process technologies by launching the tech before it’s approved by IBM. This is expected to speed up time-to-market and maturity of the latest manufacturing tech, but at a higher cost for the foundries.

GlobalFoundries, which seems unfazed by the current PC decline, will reportedly be able to process around 190,000 300-mm wafers per month by late 2013 including 20-nm, 28-nm, 32-nm, 40-nm and other process technologies. Meanwhile, rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) already processes over a million 300-mm wafers per month, and is expect to boost its output by the end of 2013.

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  • icemunk
    Sweet! It will be interesting to see the technologies we will be able to have with the 7nm process
    Reply
  • gamerk316
    Scheduled for 2017 means release at 2022...
    Reply
  • slabbo
    Global Foundries always paper launches tech, but the real launch happens years after TSMC does it first.
    Reply
  • sivaseemakurthi
    Like they 'unleashed' 32nm and 45nm before that!
    Reply
  • Onus
    Regardless of the year this comes out, it certainly points to substantial power saving and reduced heat. I just hope they don't run into problems with longevity.
    Reply
  • realibrad
    keep in mind that as we get smaller, OC ability falls. 7 nm does not give a lot of head room for a large range of power.

    Hopefully we see a large enough performance jump to cover the lack of OC headroom.
    Reply
  • maxinexus
    GF pfff even if they get to 7nm their yields will be so small that nobody would bother to go through the hussle.
    Reply
  • m32
    AMD thought they were going to have 22nm tech 2 years ago. #DONTBELIEVE
    Reply
  • de5_Roy
    is this even for steamroller future apus? looks like it'll be for low power mobile socs, not for higher performance apus and cpus. the process for the apus doesn't seem to be ready yet...
    Reply
  • drbaltazar
    Intel still have yet to find a cooling solution (a la 32 nm but for 22nm )and these guy are ready for 20 nm ?lol!I bet if Intel find a cooling solution they LL be ready before lol.reaching smaller is relatively easy!cooling smaller is the main problem now
    Reply