APU

In a bid to offer the right solutions for different classes of desktop personal computers, Intel Corp. recently presented its vision of desktop platforms to makers of PC components. Apparently, the world’s largest maker of microprocessors sees as many as six distinctive segments of today’s desktop market. Sales of personal …

Intel Corp. will formally introduce its Core i5 and Core i7 “Skylake-S” processors with unlocked multiplier next week and will start to sell such chips to end-users. The new central processing units are expected to become rather popular among enthusiasts, but far not all of them will be able to …

It is not a secret that Intel Corp.’s upcoming “Skylake” processors will have a number of micro-architecture-related advantages over predecessors. Various leaks point to different kind of performance gains, but Intel itself, apparently, expects its new central processing units to be 10 – 20% faster than “Broadwell” products depending on …

Samsung Foundry this week said that it had officially added its 10nm FinFET fabrication technology into its foundry roadmap. The company also clarified that it will start mass production of chips using its third-generation manufacturing process with FinFET transistors in late 2016, which means that the first 16nm commercial chips …

ARM Holdings, the company whose microprocessor IP powers the vast majority of smartphones, consumer electronics products, printers, cameras, hard drives and a lot of other applications, this week announced development of its first ARMv8-R processor core for real-time embedded apps. The new core will belong to the ARM Cortex-R family …

Qualcomm has been one of the more disruptive companies in the technological industry over the past few years, with its chips beating AMD and Intel to the punch in many mobile scenarios. However that may not be the case in the future, as the American firm has announced that it's …

A computer enthusiast has managed to set a new record in overclocking of Intel Corp.’s Core i7-6700K processor. The chip was pushed to 6.50GHz about a month ago, which is the highest frequency achieved by a “Skylake” microprocessor so far. While the record was set using liquid nitrogen cooling, this …

For quite a while, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has been talking about using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography for its advanced 10nm process technology. However, since appropriate scanners are not ready and will not be for at least a couple of years, the company will be unable to take advantage of …

Advanced Micro Devices on Monday introduced its new A8-7670K accelerated processing unit designed for low-cost personal computers. The new APU is based on “Kaveri” design and features slightly lower performance than the flagship A10-7870K. The AMD A8-7670K features four “Steamroller” cores (two dual-core modules) with 3.60GHz/3.90GHz clock-rate, integrated AMD Radeon …

Intel Corp.’s upcoming Core i7-6700K “Skylake” processor will hit the market only in August, but samples of the chips have already been shipped to select Intel’s partners, who test them in their labs. According to a new report from a Chinese web-site, the new chips are pretty good overclockers: one …

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. this week disclosed some additional details about its 7nm fabrication process. TSMC reiterated plans to start qualifications of the technology in early 2017 and then initiate volume production in 2018. The 7nm process will use certain elements derived from the 10nm fabrication process, which will help …

Advanced Micro Devices recently started to design its third semi-custom accelerated processing unit for an undisclosed customer. Some believe that this third semi-custom system-on-chip will eventually power Nintendo’s next-generation game console code-named “NX”. However, AMD claims that the new SoC “expands the base” of its semi-custom business beyond gaming, which …

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. this week denied any delays of risk or mass production of chips using its 10nm process technology. The company intends to start volume production of semiconductors at 10nm node late next year, which means that its clients will receive their first 10nm chips in the first quarter …

Despite of tough times, Advanced Micro Devices plans to sustain its research and development investments on certain levels in a bid to ensure that its products are competitive in the future. Research and development are two corner stones of high-tech companies. Without fundamental research of things that may not seem important today …

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. announced on Thursday that it had started volume production of chips using its 16nm FinFET manufacturing technology in the second quarter of 2015. The world’s largest contract maker of semiconductors is delivering the first batch of products made at 16nm node to its customers right now, …

Despite of lowering sales of personal computers and slow demand for consumer electronics in general, Intel Corp. claims that shipments of its high-end Core i7 microprocessors were record-high in the second quarter of 2015. Although Intel Corp. posted mixed results for the second quarter of the year and made a rather …

Intel Corp. has implied a number of times that it did not need to use extreme ultraviolet lithography for its 7nm manufacturing process. However, after facing problems with multi-patterning methods at 14nm and 10nm fabrication technologies, it seems that the company has changed its mind. This week Intel said that …

Intel Corp. on Wednesday confirmed the delay of mass production of central processing units using 10nm fabrication process to 2017. The company said that it ran into difficulties with its 10nm technology and decided to stretch the life-cycle of 14nm process with one more family of CPU products code-named “Kaby …

GlobalFoundries on Wednesday confirmed that it is had initiated high-volume production of chips for its customers using 14nm FinFET (14LPE) process technology. The company claims that yields of its 14nm semiconductors are comparable to yields at Samsung Foundry, the company that developed the 14LPE. “Our 14nm ramp is right on …

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reduced prices of chip production using its 20nm and 28nm fabrication processes earlier this quarter, according to a media report. Customers of TSMC lowered orders for 20nm and 28nm chips and the company wants to increase utilization of its capacities by slashing prices. Potentially, the price-cuts …

GlobalFoundries on Monday introduced a family of fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) manufacturing technologies designed for customers seeking high performance and low design costs. The new fabrication processes promise to deliver performance of next-generation technologies with FinFET transistors, but at costs comparable to those of existing processes. GlobalFoundries calls its new family …

Intel Corp. has cancelled release of its code-named “Cannonlake” processors and will introduce “Kaby Lake” chips instead in 2016. Intel’s first 10nm central processing units will be code-named “Ice Lake” and will be available only in 2017. Moreover, “Ice Lake” CPUs will re-introduce fully-integrated voltage regulator (FIVR). All Intel’s processors …

A web-site has published what it claims to be the first fully-fledged review of Intel Corp’s yet unannounced Core i7-6700K central processing unit code-named “Skylake”. As it appears, Intel’s forthcoming flagship chip for enthusiasts will be up to 29.1 per cent faster than the company’s current Core i7-4790K central processing unit. …

If the semiconductor market rumours are correct, then Intel Corp. might not be the only chipmaker, which plans to delay mass production of chips using 10nm manufacturing process. Apparently, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. postpones risk production using 10nm fabrication process by two quarters. “TSMC will start risk production in its …

For many years Intel Corp.’s “tick-tock” strategy has been a perfect example of firm execution, wise innovation and timely product-launches. In the recent years the “tick-tock” cadence essentially broke down, but the method of step-by-step innovation in different directions have been inherited by other companies. For example, Nvidia has its …

Advanced Micro Devices this week formally confirmed that it would not produce any of its chips using 20nm process technology at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Instead, the company will focus on development of its chips to be made using various FinFET process technologies. As a result of the cancellation, the …

Intel Corp.’s “Kaby Lake” central processing units will be released exactly a year after the company’s “Skylake” chips due this August and September. The introduction of chips in late third quarter means that the company will further postpone the roll-out of microprocessors made using 10nm fabrication process. As reported, Intel’s …

Advanced Micro Devices on Monday lowered its revenue guidance for the quarter citing slow demand for its accelerated processing units by end-users and PC makers. The company expects its revenue and profitability to be lower than originally anticipated. AMD claims that its sales in Q2 will be approximately 8 percent lower …

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has announced that it had produced the first verification chips for its 10nm manufacturing technology. The world’s largest contract maker of semiconductors plans to start risk production using 10nm fabrication process late this year and to initiate high-volume manufacturing in late 2016 or in 2017. At …

Intel Corp. on Thursday announced major leadership changes at the company. Renée James, president of Intel, along with a number of other important executives, plan to leave the world’s No. 1 maker of microprocessors in the coming months. The execs to leave the company were, among other things, responsible for manufacturing …