ARM & GlobalFoundaries show off 2.5GHz+ 28nm Cortex A9 and 20nm test vehicle

GlobalFoundaries playing with 2.5GHz dual-core Cortex A9 designs, also 20nm tech.

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GlobalFoundaries will be a name that will be commonly mentioned in 2012, which is something they'll be easily doing if they continue at this pace. They've announced a dual-core Cortex A9 test chip that is built on a 28nm HPP (High Performance Plus) process.

This test chip clocks in at 2.5GHz and is said to be capable of higher frequencies. It operating voltage is just 0.85V. Both the frequency and voltage targets are good for a Cortex A9 implementation, but remember, this is just a test chip.

ARM & GlobalFoundaries show off 2.5GHz+ 28nm Cortex A9 and 20nm test vehicle | TweakTown.com

Most companies are expecting to pass the 2GHz mark next year on high-performance 28nm processes, so we should see this by the end of 2012, if not early 2013. We should see these designs in tablets and netbook replacements, with ARM being Windows 8-compatible now.

The second announcement was the tapeout of a 20nm Technology Qualification Vehicle (TQV). This too is a test chip, to test GlobalFoundaries latest 20nm process. The move to 20nm is much further down the line for GF, as there's lots of development work before the release that requires the testing of silicon.

Both announcements are meant to show off GlobalFoundaries close partnership with ARM, as well as its continued march into the manufacturing space. We are living in exciting times, people!

NEWS SOURCE:anandtech.com

Anthony joined the TweakTown team in 2010 and has since reviewed 100s of graphics cards. Anthony is a long time PC enthusiast with a passion of hate for games built around consoles. FPS gaming since the pre-Quake days, where you were insulted if you used a mouse to aim, he has been addicted to gaming and hardware ever since. Working in IT retail for 10 years gave him great experience with custom-built PCs. His addiction to GPU tech is unwavering and has recently taken a keen interest in artificial intelligence (AI) hardware.

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