TOKYO NEC Electronics Corp. has joined the Sony-Toshiba team working on 45-nm process development.
The three companies announced Wednesday (Feb. 1) that they have agreed to work together to develop logic process technologies for the 45-nm generation. Through the joint development, which is scheduled to conclude in September 2007, the three companies will form a group that shares the same 45 nm process, allowing reduced costs of development and greater flexibility in manufacturing.
Sony and Toshiba collaborated in the development of 90-nm and 65-nm logic processes. In February 2004, the two companies announced that their collaboration would be extended to the 45-nm generation.
Separately, NEC Electronics and Toshiba announced their agreement to jointly develop 45-nm process technology in November 2005. It had been expected that the three companies would announce that they were in a team to conduct the R&D at the same base at Toshiba's Advanced Microelectronics Center in Yokohama, Japan.
NEC Electronics engineers are now expected to join Sony and Toshiba engineers working at Toshiba's R&D center.
