ChipFoundry
Latest
TSMC's 28-nanometer process pays off as it rakes in $1.68 billion profit in Q3
Everything is relative, so when a chip foundry like TSMC (which produces gear for the likes of NVIDIA) has a bad quarter, that means it only made a $1 billion in profit. Today's numbers reveal that the company has managed to rescue its halting fortunes after turning over $4.8 billion and making a tidy $1.68 billion in profit. The cause of this upswing was that orders for its coveted 28-nanometer process doubled in the period -- repaying some of the $8.5 billion spent developing it and keeping profits just a little over that of its close pal, Qualcomm.
Samsung ready to invest in next-gen chip production: here comes 20nm and even 14nm
As things stand, the super-small and super-efficient 22 nanometer transistors in Intels' Ivy Bridge are about as cutting edge as mainstream chip production gets, which is why this promise from Samsung is rather impressive. As reported by Reuters, the Korean manufacturer is preparing to invest $1.9 billion in a new logic chip line that will make chips for smartphones and processors. These chips will use 20nm and 14nm fabrication processes, making them potentially faster and more efficient than Ivy Bridge -- and leaving the silicon currently found in Sammy's 32nm Exynos Quad and Qualcomm's 28nm Snapdragon S4 far behind. Of course, Intel is gearing up for 14nm production next year too, and even setting its sights on 5nm after 2015, so the coming battle for Moore's Law should be just as lively as it is today. [Silicon wafer photo via Shutterstock]
Globalfoundries buys out AMD stake to become fully independent chip maker
Globalfoundries has celebrated its third anniversary by announcing that it's agreed terms with AMD to buy out its remaining stake in the company to go it alone. Whilst Sunnyvale will remain a key customer to the chip foundry, the nuts and bolts of ownership will be wholly in the hands of ATIC. The company now provides a big chunk of AMD's 32nm wafers and is now kicking off a $3 billion spending plan to kit out its facilities in Singapore, Germany and New York. It looks like the single life will allow it to spend equal time and effort refining those 20nm ARM chips promised for 2013 as well as its new partnership with IBM.
