In September 2008, ARM and the Common Platform alliance (IBM, Chartered and Samsung) announced a collaboration agreement to develop a comprehensive 32nm and 28nm Systems-on-a-Chip design platform. The first milestone from this collaboration was the announcement of the ARM Cortex processor in Common Platform 32nm HKMG technology at the Mobile World Congress in February.

"Through industry collaboration and integration of our processor and physical IP with advanced manufacturing technologies, ARM and the Common Platform alliance continue to drive the adoption of next-generation consumer electronics," said Simon Segars, executive vice president and general manager, physical IP division, ARM. "We believe this announcement is a significant advancement of the HKMG technology to enable our customers' aggressive product designs while accelerating their time to market."

Unlike poly/SiON, the HKMG low-power technology breaks down the historical barrier of scaling, allowing significant power and performance advantage without the need for complex processes, thereby lowering clients' total development cost.

The announcement marks the latest development achievement from this alliance of semiconductor manufacturing, development and technology companies who collaborate to address the product design and advanced process development challenges central to producing a smaller, faster, more cost efficient generation of semiconductors.

Already working with clients on 32nm low-power technology, the alliance has gained valuable experience in the implementation of HKMG technology, and is offering a migration path from 32nm to 28nm technology. Clients can begin their designs today in leadership 32nm HKMG technology and then transition to 28nm technology for density and power advantages, without the need for a major redesign. By assuring a path from 32nm to 28nm technology, this migration methodology offers clients lower risk, reduced cost and faster time-to-market.

"Through this collaboration, IBM and its alliance partners are helping to accelerate development of next-generation technology to achieve high-performance, energy-efficient chips at the 28nm process level, maintaining our focus on technology leadership for our clients and partners," said Gary Patton, vice president for IBM's Semiconductor Research and Development Center on behalf of the technology alliance.