IBM announced on Friday the launch of their fourth generation silicon-germanium (SiGe) foundry technology named 8HP. The new chip has more than twice the performance of the previous products.
The very tiny 130 nm semiconductor was created to reduce the cost of mobile consumer products, advance high-bandwidth wireless communications and help enable innovative new applications such as collision-avoidance automobile radar.
IBM is also offering a lower cost variant specifically targeted at wireless applications for longer batter life and increase functionality in cellular handsets in order to promote the growth of wireless local area networking and global position technology.
"Silicon germanium technology is increasingly influencing next generation consumer devices and applications," said Bernie Meyerson, Chief Technologist for Systems & Technology Group, IBM. "IBM introduced the technology in 1989 to allow chip designers to increase computer performance. Over the years, SiGe revolutionized the wireless industry by providing a high volume Silicon-based technology. The fourth generation of SiGe will continue to enable wireless connectivity on an increasingly global scale."
The technology should be useful as more complicated handheld devices enter the marketplace in the form of cell phones, PDAs and even notebooks. The technology for automobiles should also greatly increase the safety of vehicles as well as the functionality while traveling with the GPS technology improvements.
