ARM gets a hand from IBM

Collaboration on mobile processors adds to ARM's Win8 momentum

UK chip designer ARM is to extend its collaboration with IBM on processors for mobile devices.

Under the agreement, ARM will fine-tune its designs to run on IBM's 14-nanometre semiconductor fabrication lines.

Consequently, mobile gizmos using ARM's designs will reach the market quicker than they would have done, the two companies claim.

ARM was lifted earlier this month when Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer used his keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show to tell the world that the next Windows OS - version 8 - will run on mobile devices sporting system-on-a-chip processors, a design in which ARM excels.

Collaboration with IBM has previously involved the latter's 32nm and 48nm processes. Extending this to 14nm fab lines requires more tailored chip designs to avoid the pitfalls of "nanometre effects" - problems of fabrication caused by the tiny scale of individual on-chip components - as well as to achieve the best performance, power and area targets for the chips.

ARM will be paying particular attention to features that are seen as critical for the next generation of mobile gadgets, such as extended battery life, uninterrupted internet access, high-end multimedia replay and secure transaction processing.

"ARM's Cortex processors have become the leadership platform for the majority of smartphones and many other emerging mobile devices," said Michael Cadigan, general manager, IBM Microelectronics in a statement.

"We plan to continue working closely with ARM and our foundry customers to speed the momentum of ARM technology by delivering highly advanced, low-power semiconductor technology for a variety of new communications and computing devices."