US-based Xilinx has chosen United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) over IBM as the main foundry for its 0.13-micron and 90nm PLDs (programmable logic devices), according to sources.
Sources speculate that Xilinx’s decision was based on UMC’s re-focusing on a pure-foundry strategy and the Taiwanese foundry’s progress in 90nm volume production compared to IBM.
According to sources, UMC recently achieved volume production of Xilinx’s PLDs using 90nm process technology at its 12-inch Fab 12A. In the second quarter, UMC achieved volume production on the same process, at its 8-inch Fab 8D, before IBM.
As the result, except for 0.13-micron production of the Virtex-II Pro, one of Xilinx’s FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) that embeds IBM PowerPC processors, IBM will serve as Xilinx’s backup foundry partner, sources said.
According to sources, some of UMC’s clients suspected its partnership-focused strategy announced at the beginning of this year would impact its progress on advanced technologies. As a result, Xilinx had previously selected IBM over UMC for 90nm processing.
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Source:
DigiTimes
