Samsung and IBM joining hands to develop ultra-efficient SoCs

Samsung and IBM reveal that they are working on a new joint project creating a new semiconductor design. This joint effort of the two companies is aimed at developing a new standard of ultra-energy-efficient chips.

Samsung and IBM announced this on the first day of the International Electronic Equipment Meeting (IEDM) 2021 and followed it up with a press release. The companies report new advances in their research into the manufacture of new semiconductor designs.

Among the innovations in which Samsung and IBM work are changing in transistor positioning. In the new design, the transistors are mounted vertically on the chip. Current processors and SoCs (systems on the chip) have transistors that are flat on the silicon surface. It is the flow of electricity from one side to the other.

The new design is called the Vertical Transport Field Effect Transistor or VTFET for short. By stacking the transistors vertically the current flows vertically.

Samsung and IBM discussed the benefits of the new design, highlighting the incentives in the computing and mobility sectors. Changes in the current flow should significantly improve in terms of energy efficiency. The two tech giants estimate that the use of VTFETs will produce chips that are twice as fast or up to 85% less power than their current Finfet counterparts.

Samsung and IBM refer to Moore’s law in their joint press release. Moore’s Law states that the number of transistors in an IC chip should be doubled every two years, improving performance without increasing the size.

However, as both manufacturers point out, space for engineers is limited, so compliance with Moore’s law is becoming increasingly difficult. The new design will help extend Moore’s law to future generations.

Samsung and IBM are not the only companies that follow Moore’s law. Intel made a similar announcement during IEDM 2021, revealing new developments that could fuel computing innovations over the next few years.