STMicroelectronics Inc. (ST, Geneva, Switzerland) announced it has signed an agreement with Alien Technology Corp. to collaborate on the development and manufacturing of integrated circuits (ICs) for ultra-low-cost radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. As part of the cooperation, Alien will make available to ST its RFID IC and system design experience, and ST will provide RF engineering and IC development expertise, process technology and manufacturing capability.
The goal of the collaboration is to design and produce an ultra-low-cost, high-performance, RFID IC that will ultimately cost less than a penny, establishing the two companies at the forefront of RFID technology development and deployment. The cooperation also includes a multi-year, volume supply agreement between the companies. The first product associated with this agreement is expected to be available in the first quarter of 2004.
