SAN JOSE, Calif. — Bridging the gap between its 90- and 65-nm processes, silicon foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) is quietly ramping up an 80-nm technology for chip makers.
On its logic roadmap, TSMC is working on various versions of its new 80-nm process, including separate general purpose, low-power, and high-speed technologies. The technology appears to be ramping right now, according to TSMC (Hsinchu, Taiwan).
The 80-nm technology is a "die shrink" of the company's 90-nm process, which is currently in production, according to a TSMC spokesman.
On the general purpose and high-speed side of the equation, TSMC appears to be ramping up the so-called CLN80GT and CLN80HS processes, respectively, for these applications. The low-power processor is called the CLN80LP, which is due out later this year.
In the past, TSMC has offered die shrinks. For example, it currently offers a 110-nm process technology.
But at 80-nm, this is the first time that TSMC has offered separate technology flavors, such as a general purpose, low power and high speed.
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