Sony out of 32 nm R&D

Recently, Sony said as part of a semiconductor joint venture with Toshiba for high-performance chips including ones based on the Cell Broadband Engine and the RSX graphics engine, it would transfer its 300-mm wafer fab from Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corp.’s Nagasaki Technology Centre’s Fab 2 to Toshiba by the end of March 2008. This 300-mm fab is the one used to manufacture chips for the Playstation 3 video game console.

While it is withdrawing from the joint R&D on technology, reports also said Sony will continue to work with Toshiba and IBM on design work for chips with 32 nm and smaller circuitry.

One industry observer noted that this departure from manufacturing makes sense in light of its shift toward products and away from processes. IBM, Sony, Toshiba originally extended their alliance for 32 nm processes early last year, noting at the time that they had begun a new, five-year phase of their joint technology development alliance that included fundamental research related to 32 nm and beyond advanced process technologies.