Date: 29/09/2009

TSMC to make AMCC' power architecture based processors on bulk CMOS process

According to the new manufacturing agreement between Applied Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), TSMC will produce AppliedMicro's Power Architecture microprocessors using 90nm process nodes and later at 65nm and 40nm also.

It is first time that AMCC's embedded microprocessors are made beyond Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) fabrication processes. The first product APM 83290 processor from TSMC factory operates at 1.5GHz, which represents the highest performance for a Power Architecture processor manufactured on bulk CMOS technology.

"The collaboration with TSMC marks an entirely new milestone for Power Architecture processing as it enables us to reach many low-cost application areas that were impractical for processors built in SOI technology," said Robert Fanfelle, Associate Vice President of Strategic Marketing for AppliedMicro. "TSMC's 90nm CMOS technology is stable and mature and it offers an unbeatable combination of performance and price flexibility for a new generation of embedded computing applications."

"TSMC values the collaboration with AppliedMicro because by pooling our strengths it signals a new wave of innovation for both companies," said Pan-Wei Lai, Vice President of Business Development at TSMC North America. "Power Architecture technology is highly versatile and adaptable for a wide variety of embedded applications and AppliedMicro's plans for new processor designs promise to extend the relationship between our two companies as we explore ways to bring about improvements on TSMC's advanced technology platforms."

"Our company's collaboration with TSMC heralds a new era in Power Architecture computing as it becomes more accessible for systems designers that want an excellent balance of high performance and low power consumption for today's energy-conscious system designs," said Robert Fanfelle, Associate Vice President of Strategic Marketing at AppliedMicro. "Our processor and system-on-a-chip expertise combined with TSMC's experience and technology provide a powerful launching point for Power Architecture based solutions as we enable new classes of products and systems."