NEC, Sony and Toshiba jointly develop 45nm technology

NEC, Sony , and Toshiba today said that the companies have agreed to jointly develop system LSI process technologies for the 45 nanometer generation.

As applications in the digital consumer, mobile, and communications arenas evolve, there are greater requirements for advanced system LSI technologies to achieve higher performance and functionality, such as high-speed data processing, as well as lower power consumption and smaller chip dimensions. The miniaturization of process technology to meet these requirements is becoming increasingly critical and complex.

Meeting these requirements for leading edge system LSI process technology development requires a tremendous investment of development resources. Many semiconductor companies worldwide are working together with the goal of more efficient development.

In February 2004, Sony and Toshiba announced their collaboration on 45-nm system LSI process technology development, and have since proceeded with technology development based at Toshiba's Advanced Microelectronics Center in Yokohama, Japan. The results of their efforts have been reported and recognized at industry symposia. Likewise, NEC Electronics and Toshiba announced their agreement to jointly develop 45-nm process technology in November 2005, and have been in discussions to decide the details of that collaboration.

As a result of today's agreement, NEC Electronics' 45-nm development team will join Sony and Toshiba's ongoing work on 45-nm technology development at the Advanced Microelectronics Center. By combining the three companies' development resources, NEC Electronics, Sony, and Toshiba will raise development efficiency and further accelerate the pace of development, with the aim of establishing 45-nm system LSI process technology quickly.