GlobalFoundries Partners with Electronics Companies on Interoperable Design Kit
Santa Clara-based semiconductor foundry GlobalFoundries is partnering with Synopsys, Mentor Graphics and Keysight Technologies to distribute its OpenAccess process design kit to developers.
GlobalFoundries recently announced that it’s partnering with three power electronics companies to distribute process design kits for its 22FDX platform.
The companies announced in the partnership are silicon design firm Synopsys, Siemens subsidiary Mentor Graphics and electronics testing, and measuring solutions provider Keysight Technologies. With the Interoperable Process Design Kit (iPDK), engineers and designers working on edge AI, IoT, automotive, security, and communications applications will be able to access GlobalFoundries’ 22FDX libraries, technology files, symbols, net listing information, PyCells, and more resources.
The company touts that 22FDX RF is the only solution of its kind that can enable a single-chip 5G mmWave radio architecture, yielding 20% power savings, a 10% improvement in battery life and double the output power. The 22FDX product family consists of 22FDX Ultra-Low Power, 22FDX Ultra-Low Leakage and 22FDX RF & Analog products. It improves power efficiency and performance while reducing the cost of integration for 5G mmWave edge AI, IoT, and automotive applications.
Image courtesy of GlobalFoundries.
The Interoperable Process Design Kit will be distributed through OpenAccess, a database with IC specifications, reference tools, and other resources for semiconductor designers and manufacturers. GlobalFoundries, Synopsys, Mentor, and Keysight are all members of the Silicon Integration Initiative, a group that oversees the OpenAccess API.
Based in Santa Clara, California, GlobalFoundries specializes in semiconductor design and fabrication, with manufacturing centers in Vermont, Singapore, Germany and New York. GlobalFoundries manufactures integrated circuits for over 250 clients, including the likes of ARM, Broadcom, Qualcomm, and STMicroelectronics. The firm was created in 2009 as a joint venture between AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC).
In a statement announcing the partnership, GlobalFoundries Vice President of Design Enablement Richard Trihy stated that the new Interoperable Process Design Kits would assist clients in developing high-quality and optimized designs for manufacturing on GlobalFoundries’ platforms.
“Expanding our support to iPDK provides our clients greater flexibility to use the design suite tools of their choice,” Trihy added. “The collaborative nature of iPDK ultimately leads to reduced design costs and greater value creation for our clients and our industry.”
