Do Auto MCUs Need Proprietary Flash?

@28nm, IDMs may give up proprietary NVM
Junko Yoshida, EETimes
5/9/2014 03:15 PM EDT

MADISON, Wis. — Globalfoundries this week rolled out a 55-nm semiconductor manufacturing platform, specifically designed to meet the stringent needs of the automotive industry.

The foundry's new automotive platform supports the implementation of non-volatile memory (NVM) in MCUs and SoC designs. Globalfoundries is also making available, on the same 55-nm platform, SST's embedded flash technology -- based on the SST-Microchip SuperFlash split-gate design. This opens a licensing door to second- or third-tier automotive chip suppliers with no flash technology of their own.

Cerntainly, there are other foundries also offering SST technology on their automotive qualified platforms. But Globalfoundries believes it's the first to make it available on 55-nm.

The move toward licensable NVM technologies reflects "the changing automotive foundry landscape," Paul Colestock, director of segment marketing at Globalfoundries, told EE Times.

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