IBM, Sony Corporation and Toshiba announced they have begun a new, five-year phase of their joint technology development alliance.
As part of this broad semiconductor research and development alliance, the three companies will work together on fundamental research related to advanced process technologies at 32 nanometres and beyond. The agreement will help enable the three companies to more rapidly investigate, identify and commercialize new technologies for consumer and other applications.
Over the last five years Sony Corporation, Sony Computer Entertainment, Toshiba and IBM have collaborated on the "Cell" microprocessor design, and its underlying SOI (silicon-on-insulator) process technologies in 90 and 65 nanometres.
"This is a winning combination," said Masashi Muromachi, President & Chief Executive Officer of the Semiconductor Company at Toshiba Corporation. "With Toshiba's cutting-edge process technology and manufacturing capabilities, Sony's various semiconductor technologies and deep knowledge of consumer markets and IBM's state-of-the-art material technology, we can anticipate breakthrough process technologies for the 32-nanometer generation and beyond. Toshiba will apply these advances to assuring continued leadership in cutting-edge process technology and the accelerated development of essential devices for the age of ubiquitous connectivity."
"The extension of the IBM, Sony and Toshiba relationship to fundamental research is extremely promising," said Kenshi Manabe, President of Semiconductor Business Unit, EVP and Corporate Executive of Sony Corporation. "This joint development project will help accelerate the cycle from fundamental research to commercialization based on detailed feasibility studies of potential technologies, device structures, innovative materials, and unique processing tools."
"By extending this relationship to the next-generation of process technologies and deepening our partnership at the research level, we expect to increase the pace of development for major technology advances," said Lisa Su, Vice President, Semiconductor Research and Development Centre, IBM Systems & Technology Group.
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