TSMC, the world's leading global innovator in semiconductor manufacturing, filed multiple lawsuits on September 30, 2019 against GlobalFoundries in the United States, Germany and Singapore for its ongoing infringement of 25 TSMC patents by at least its 40nm, 28nm, 22nm, 14nm, and 12nm node processes. In the complaints, TSMC demands injunctions to stop GlobalFoundries' manufacture and sale of infringing semiconductor products. TSMC also seeks substantial monetary damages from GlobalFoundries for its sale of infringing semiconductor products and unlawful use of TSMC's patented semiconductor technologies.

The 25 TSMC patents in the complaints relate to a diverse set of technologies, including FinFET designs, shallow trench isolation techniques, double patterning methods, advanced seal rings and gate structures, and innovative contact etch stop layer designs. These specific technologies cover the core features of mature and advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes. The patents at issue comprise just a small portion of TSMC's extensive portfolio that numbers more than 37,000 granted patents worldwide. TSMC was ranked one of the top 10 companies for U.S. patent grants last year, for the third consecutive year.

Infineon Technologies and GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc. today announced a joint technology development and production agreement for 40 nanometer (nm) embedded flash (eFlash) process technology. The cooperation will focus on technology development based on Infineon's eFlash cell design and manufacturing of automotive and security microcontrollers (MCUs) with 40nm process structures. Production of the next generation 40nm eFlash MCUs will take place at different GLOBALFOUNDRIES sites, initially in Singapore with subsequent transfer to its site in Dresden, Germany.

"Next generation embedded Flash microcontrollers with 40nm process structures will further enhance our competitive strength in the automotive as well as chip card and security markets," says Arunjai Mittal, Member of the Management Board of Infineon Technologies. "We trust in GLOBALFOUNDRIES with their excellent manufacturing background and sites on different continents to fulfill Infineon's stringent quality, infrastructure security and business continuity requirements."

MOSAID Technologies Inc. today introduced HLSSD (HyperLink Solid State Drive), a SSD that achieves Terabyte-class storage capacity using a single controller device. MOSAID engaged PaxDisk of Korea to develop the Terabyte-class HLSSD.

MOSAID's Terabyte-class HLSSDs are optimized for data centers and the enterprise. Based on HLNAND (HyperLink NAND) technology, MOSAID's HLSSDs deliver scalability, performance, reliability and cost advantages over SSDs that use conventionally designed NAND Flash devices.

SK Hynix Inc., today announced a joint development agreement and a technology license agreement with IBM for the development of Phase Change Random Access Memory (or 'PCRAM') technology.

IBM brings years of research experience in phase change memory technology, as well as profound know-how in developing multi-level cell (MLC) technology. Last June, IBM researchers demonstrated a reliable multi-bit, phase-change memory technology that would allow computers and servers to boot instantaneously and significantly enhance the overall performance of IT systems. Combining IBM's expertise in such disciplines with SK Hynix's cutting-edge manufacturing process optimization and cost competitiveness will help to accelerate the commercialization of PCRAM technology.

Mentor Graphics Corp. today announced that GLOBALFOUNDRIES is helping its customers improve reliability checking by adding Calibre PERC to select 28nm bulk CMOS design enablement flows. Calibre PERC will give designers access to the new reliability verification rules developed by the IBM Semiconductor Development Alliance (ISDA), augmented with GLOBALFOUNDRIES specific checks to help prevent external latch-up. Using Calibre PERC's unique architecture, complex reliability rules that require the integration of logical (net list) and layout (GDS) information can be fully automated, eliminating manual spreadsheet-based efforts and reducing the chances of design errors.

"In the past, verification of latch-up immunity depended on manual layout checks and rough approximations of device and interconnect resistance using traditional mechanisms," said Bill Liu, vice president of design enablement at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. "Now our customers can perform accurate measurements and analysis automatically using Calibre PERC's data integration capability. For example, some of our customers are currently using PERC to accurately determine the resistance of the paths in complex output driver arrays as a function of device spacing. This allows them to easily and accurately detect points in the circuit where latch-up could be an issue and to make appropriate improvements."

Despite the fact that NVIDIA is frantically seeking out other semiconductor foundries for high-volume manufacturing its 28 nm chip designs, and despite some looming irritants, NVIDIA appears to value its relationship with TSMC highly. NVIDIA's senior vice president for Advanced Technology Group Joe Greco, in a recent company blog post, credited close collaboration with TSMC for the stellar energy-efficiency (performance/Watt) figures NVIDIA's Kepler architecture has been able to achieve.

"The advancement that TSMC offered was a new optimized process technology. Kepler is manufactured using TSMC's 28nm high performance (HP) process, the foundry's most advanced 28nm process which uses their first-generation high-K metal gate (HKMG) technology and second generation SiGe (Silicon Germanium) straining," read the blog post. "Using TSMC's 28nm HP process enabled us to reduce active power by about 15 percent and leakage by about 50 percent compared to 40nm, resulting in an overall improvement in power efficiency of about 35 percent (see charts)."

With the advent of highly-complex 28 nm discrete PC graphics processors, and ARM designers lined up with their increasingly powerful SoCs, TSMC is bound to see a pile up of orders for chips built on its newest bulk manufacturing process. In view of this, the "messiah of the fabless" is planning an expansion of its 28 nm manufacturing facility. This expansion is set to occur a little later in 2012. TSMC reportedly is running at full capacity at its 12-inch fabs because of strong demand for 28 nm as well as 40 nm and 65 nm. Due to this, some designers are approaching TSMC's competitors UMC and Samsung for 28 nm bulk manufacturing, according to sources. The expansion will follow a revision of TSMC's capex target for 2012, up from US $6 billion.

Taiwan's premier chip foundry, TSMC, is reportedly seeing strong demand for sub-40 nm chip manufacturing. It's easy to manufacture smaller, simpler chips on new foundry nodes than complex devices such as GPUs. Hence, the source notes that it's wireless communication device chip manufactures that have sub-40 nm nodes at TSMC fully booked up. The foundly also scored orders from local and foreign fabless audio IC firms. "In fact, TSMC's 6-inch fab dedicated to process analog and LCD driver ICs has been running at full capacity since late February, with shipment delivery times to customers being extended to more than 12 weeks, the sources pointed out," notes DigiTimes.

Today the internationally renowned graphics card and mainboard maker MSI released two new graphics cards. The R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC and R7750-PMD1GD5/OC feature the new Radeon HD 7700 GPU based on AMD's latest 28nm process with support for PCI Express Gen3. Core voltage adjustment is supported by the MSI R7700 graphics card. The R7770-2PMD1GD5/OC GPU core frequency can be overclocked by up to 32.4% using MSI's exclusive Afterburner graphics card overclocking utility to reach an amazing 1.35GHz*! MSI's R7700 series graphics cards also feature a customized dual-fan thermal design that effectively reduces the GPU operating temperature and ensures stable performance. Integrated support for 3D video, high-quality DisplayPort 1.2 and HDMI 1.4a outputs, along with AMD's exclusive Eyefinity multiple display output technologies make these the perfect choice for enthusiasts.

Without so much of a stale press release, NVIDIA has today outed its very first GeForce 600M series mobile graphics cards. Unfortunately, there's not much to get excited about as the cards in question, named GeForce GT 635M, GT 630M and 610M, are based on the 40nm GPUs already used by the GeForce 500M line.

We don't want to point any fingers but the fact is the GeForce GT 635M, GT 630M and 610M strike an undeniable resemblance to the GeForce GT 555M/550M, GT 540M and GT 520M, respectively. No worries, AMD has done something similar with the first few cards in the Radeon HD 7000M series.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new model in its successful HD 6900 series of graphics cards - the HD 6970 2GB with a new super efficient Dual fan cooler and Dual BIOS giving users the choice of fast, quiet operation or performance tuning.

The new SAPPHIRE HD 6970 has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 1536 stream processors and 96 texture processing units, and clock speeds are 880MHz for the core and 1375Mhz (5.5Gb/sec effective) for the 2GB of GDDR5 memory. This new design has two 90mm fans with thin impellers that can move the same amount of air at 10% lower rotation speeds than conventional fans, keeping noise low, and their special dust repelling bearings contribute to high reliability.

Intel started the trend of improving integrated graphics with their second generation LGA1155 socket Core i3, i5 & i7 line of processors. Depending on the model, these processors sport integrated HD2000 or HD3000 graphics right on the processor die, which nowadays give acceptable performance for low-end gaming and can play Full HD 1080p video perfectly. This trend is increasing with the upcoming Ivy Bridge processors, which will be able to support a massive 4096 x 4096 pixel display, as we reported here. AMD now also have equivalent products with their Llano-based A-series processors. So, where does this leave discrete graphics cards? Well, the low end market is certainly seeing reduced sales, as there really isn't enough of a performance difference nowadays to always warrant an upgrade from an IGP. As integrated graphics improve further, one can see how this will hurt sales of higher end graphics cards too. The problem is that the bulk of the profit comes not from the top-end powerhouse graphics cards, but from the low to mid-end cards which allow these companies to remain in business, so cannibalizing sales of these products to integrated graphics could make high-end graphics cards a much more niche product and crucially, much more expensive with to boot.

TSMC today announced that its 28nm process is in volume production and production wafers have been shipped to customers. TSMC leads the foundry segment to achieve volume production at 28nm node.

TSMC's 28nm process offering includes 28nm High Performance (28HP), 28nm High Performance Low Power (28HPL), 28nm Low Power (28LP), and 28nm High Performance Mobile Computing (28HPM). Among these technology offerings, 28HP, 28HPL and 28LP are all in volume production and 28HPM will be ready for production by the end of this year. The production-version design collateral of 28HPM has been distributed to most mobile computing customers for their product-design use.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new model in its successful HD 6800 series of graphics cards - the HD 6870 1GB Dirt3 Edition with Dual fan cooler and a voucher code for the full game in the package.

The SAPPHIRE HD 6870 Dirt3 Edition has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 1120 stream processors and 56 texture processing units, but clock speeds are increased to 920MHz for the core and 1050Mhz (4.2Gb/sec effective) for the 1GB of GDDR5 memory giving users a boost in performance. The new SAPPHIRE exclusive cooler design has Dual fans to keep this model cool and quiet even when under load conditions, keeping even extreme gamers happy! This new design has two 90mm fans with thin impellers that can move the same amount of air at 10% lower rotation speeds than conventional fans, keeping noise low, and their special dust repelling bearings contribute to high reliability.

SAPPHIRE Technology has just announced a new high performance model in its extensive series of graphics cards - the HD 6850 Vapor-X Edition with SAPPHIRE exclusive Vapor-X cooler. The SAPPHIRE HD 6850 Vapor-X Edition has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 960 stream processors and 48 texture processing units, but clock speeds are increased to 800MHz for the core and 1100Mhz (4.4 Gb/sec effective) for the memory giving users a considerable boost in performance.

The SAPPHIRE exclusive Vapor-X cooler ensures that the card runs quietly and efficiently. Together with other special hardware features including on-board 10-phase power control and SAPPHIRE's highly efficient, cool running second generation Black Diamond chokes this ensures there is a good margin for performance tuning (overclocking) by enthusiast users. SAPPHIRE's overclocking tool for these models - TriXX - is available free for anyone to download from a link on the SAPPHIRE website.

Eurocom Corporation, a developer of long lifespan, fully upgradable notebooks is adding AMD's newest AMD Radeon HD 6990M GPU to their extensive options list of high performance notebook computers. Eurocom will offer both HD 6970M and HD 6990M in its products. The addition of the AMD Radeon HD 6990M offers users a new level of high performance GPU computing in single and CrossFireX (dual) configurations. Eurocom will also offer the AMD Radeon HD 6990M GPUs separately to existing customers as an upgrade option.

"Together with support from Eurocom, AMD is able to provide notebook users with the world's fastest single mobile graphics processor - AMD Radeon HD 6990M," said Matt Skynner, corporate vice president and general manager of the graphics division, AMD. "AMD's graphics offer massive computing power for mobile users and hardcore gamers can experience even more gaming performance through AMD CrossFireX technology."

SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today debut the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Graphics Cards, which are designed for mainstream users looking to build the premium PC gaming rig. Thanks to the improved 40nm core manufacturing process at TSMC, now the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Graphics Cards have outstanding performance power consumption ratio than ever. Compared with previous generation products, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Graphics Cards also feature a special cooling system and a hardware power monitor circuit which deliver higher performance/Watt ratio. Tested in SPARKLE R&D lab, the SPARKLE GeForce GTX 560 Graphics Cards have the same power consumption as GeForce GTX 460 graphics card, but providing 28% more performance in today hottest games.

SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today announced the SPARKLE GeForce GT 520 1GB/2GB DDR3 Low Profile Graphics Card, bringing DX11 support and HD video experience to entry level users. Modern DX11 games and 3D applications demand more graphics performance than ever before and integrated graphics simply aren't good enough. With full DirectX 11 and full Shader Model 5 support, the SPARKLE GeForce GT 520 1GB/2GB DDR3 Low Profile Graphics Card packs 48 CUDA cores ! If you want to play popular DX11 games like Dirt2, Metro 2033, Lost Planet2, Battlefield: Bad Company2, etc, the SPARKLE GeForce GT 520 1GB/2GB DDR3 Low Profile Graphics Card is an essential addition to your entry level PC.

SAPPHIRE Technology, the largest manufacturer and supplier worldwide of graphics solutions based on AMD technology has just added a new top-of-the-range model bringing record performance levels to the recently launched HD 6000 series - the SAPPHIRE HD 6990.

The new SAPPHIRE HD 6990 is a dual GPU card featuring the latest architecture from AMD providing massively parallel computing power for graphics and other accelerated applications. It is fitted with 4GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 1250MHz (5.0GHz effective). A key feature of this card is a switch selectable dual BIOS, which allows the user to chose a core clock speed of 830MHz for Performance or 880MHz for Extreme use.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator of power efficient x86 processor platforms, today announced the new VIA Eden X2 processor, the industry's lowest power dual-core processor, optimized for fanless implementation in a broad range of industrial and commercial embedded systems. VIA Eden X2 will debut at Embedded World 2011, Nuremberg, Hall 12, Booth No. 574

VIA Eden X2 processors combine VIA's signature 'Eden' fanless design principles, in a highly optimized, power-efficient dual-core architecture. This guarantees rock-solid stability for mission critical embedded systems without compromising on performance or features. With a component longevity guarantee of 7 years, VIA Eden X2 processors are guaranteed to extend the reach of fanless system design for years to come.

SPARKLE Computer Co., Ltd., the professional VGA card manufacturer and supplier, today announced the SPARKLE GTX580 Thermal Guru Graphics Card with Effective Own Design Cooler, the ultimate DX11 3D monster from SPARKLE, which delivers intense performance and premium cooling effect for gamers who demand the best.

The SPARKLE GTX580 Thermal Guru Graphics Card is the latest new addition to SPARKLE's GTX 580 Series. Its core and memory clock are 772 and 4008 MHz respectively. Designed specifically for gamers who demand the best, the SPARKLE GTX580 Thermal Guru Graphics Card is built with NVDIA GeForce GTX 580 GPU. Based on 40nm processor and advanced GDDR5 memory technology, it consists of ground-breaking features including Microsoft DirectX 11 and NVIDIA PhysX which lead to incredibly immersive HD gaming experience and unrivaled performance.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, today announced the development of an eight gigabyte (GB) registered dual inline memory module (RDIMM) based on its advanced Green DDR3 DRAM. The new memory module, which has just been successfully tested by major Samsung customers, delivers superior performance, in particular because of its use of a three-dimensional (3D) chip stacking technology referred to as 'through silicon via' (TSV).

"At Samsung, we're well positioned to accommodate early market demand for our state-of-the-art TSV technology as the industry continues to forge forward with even further advances in bonding technology to enable greater performance and operational efficiency," said Dr. Chang-Hyun Kim, senior vice president and Samsung fellow, memory product planning & application engineering at Samsung Electronics. "Our 40nm-class* RDIMM being announced today marks the introduction of a more advanced eco-friendly 'Green Memory' product line up utilizing 3D-TSV technology that is expected to enhance the leadership of Samsung and our allies in server and enterprise storage."

Hot on the heels of the global launch of the new HD 6000 series of graphics cards based on the latest generation of graphics technology from AMD, SAPPHIRE Technology announces its first enhanced product - the HD 6850 TOXIC Edition. The SAPPHIRE HD 6850 TOXIC Edition has the same internal architecture as the standard model, with 960 stream processors and 48 texture processing units, but clock speeds are increased to 820MHz for the core and 1100Mhz (4.4 Gb/sec effective) for the memory giving users a considerable boost in performance. In addition, the efficient SAPPHIRE original cooler ensures that there is a good margin for performance tuning (overclocking) by enthusiast users. A new overclocking tool - TriXX - is available to SAPPHIRE users as a download from the SAPPHIRE Select Club - free for SAPPHIRE enthusiasts to join online.

Unlike the standard model, the SAPPHIRE HD 6850 TOXIC Edition has the more versatile output configuration of two DVI, one HDMI and two mini DisplayPort connectors. Using two of the DVI/HDMI outputs as well as the two DisplayPorts enables this card to support up to four monitors in Eyefinity (SLS) mode. With the release of the DisplayPort v1.2 drivers, it will be also be possible to daisy chain additional DisplayPort v1.2 monitors from each DisplayPort output.

Elpida Memory, Inc., Japan's leading global supplier of Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), today announced it had begun sample shipments of its new 32-gigabyte Load Reduced Dual In-Line Memory Module (LRDIMM), the DRAM industry's highest density memory module. The LRDIMM consists of 72 advanced 40nm process 4-gigabit DDR3 SDRAMs in a Double Density Package (DDP).

LRDIMM is a new standard for server memory modules that reduces I/O bus capacity by buffering the I/O bus line with the memory buffer (MB) to simultaneously enable higher system density and faster speed. JEDEC, a standardization body for the semiconductor industry, is studying the adoption of LRDIMM standards. Elpida is actively engaged in promoting its own standard.

Point of View known for its range of NVIDIA based 3D Graphics cards, Netbooks and other PC products, announces today its launch of the newest flagship enthusiast graphics cards: the Point of View GTX 580.

An intelligent thermal redesign of the cooler - using vapor chambers - have dropped down the operation temps massively. Combine the lower temperatures with a very energy efficient GPU and you have a winner.