From AMD (which builds all its 64-bit microprocessors on SOI):

• The Quad-Core AMD Opteron™, billed as “the world’s most advanced x86 processor ever designed and manufactured and the first native x86 quad-core microprocessor”, is built on 65nm SOI, which the company says lowers power consumption and improves performance.

• Availability of the AMD Phenom™ triple-core processors, expected to be the world’s first desktop PC processors to integrate three cores on a single die, is slated for Q108.

• Toshiba, one of the world’s largest notebook providers, is launching three Satellite® notebook PCs based on AMD Turion™ 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology.

Atmel credits its SMARTIS™ BCD-on-SOI technology for the advanced capabilities of three new families of automotive ICs. The ATA6836 half-bridge driver IC features high-temperature operation and increased reliability for both passenger car and 24V truck applications. The ATA662x family of highly integrated LIN system basis chips sets new benchmarks for EMI performance. And the highly-integrated ATA6823 H-bridge driver IC can handle up to 100A, but pulls less than 45 microamps in sleep mode.

In what may represent a major DRAM bitcell change, Hynix has agreed to license ISi’s single transistor bitcell Z-RAM™ for use in its DRAM chips.

Now that UMC has successfully taped-out a test chip built with ARM SOI libraries on UMC’s 65nm SOI process, a full process design kit is in place and ready for use by customers for improved speed and power in complex SOCs.

Soitec and MIT are among those teaming with Raytheon on the DARPA-funded Compound Semiconductor Materials on Silicon (COSMOS) program. The U.S. Office of Naval Research has awarded Raytheon a $6.5 million contract to develop affordable military electronics based on the process of directly growing a compound semiconductor on a uniquely engineered silicon substrate.

From IBM:

• Availability of design kits for the new CMOS 7RF SOI technology, which enables singlechip RF solutions for mobile devices, is planned for the first half of 2008.

• Introduced to the design community at DAC this past summer, the new Cu-45 ASIC brings SOI technology into communications, consumer and other major commercial market segments.

• Billed as “the fastest microprocessor ever built”, the new POWER6™ is built on 65nm SOI. A 64 bit, dual-core processor with 790 million transistors running at up to 4.7GHz, it doubles the speed of the previous generation POWER5™ while using nearly the same amount of electricity to run and cool it.

Freescale is sampling its new, SOI-based MPC8610 integrated host processor, which the company says offers significant power, board real estate and cost savings. The chip is engineered to deliver breakthrough performance, connectivity and integration for embedded applications that process or display graphical images, such as kiosk voice and facial recognition, robotics, in-vehicle infotainment equipment, cockpit displays, single-board computers and multi-function printers. Full production is planned for mid-2008.

CiPoS, a new SOI-based family of highly integrated intelligent power modules from Infineon eliminates as many as 23 discrete components. The modules are designed to improve energy efficiency of electrical drives in consumer appliances such as washing machines and air conditioners, offering efficiencies of up to 94%.

SOI MEMS specialist Tronics and Alcatel Micro Machining Systems have entered into a JDP to develop next-generation deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) systems and process technology for high-performance custom sensors and actuators for the instrumentation, life sciences, automotive and aerospace industries.

The new ADL5387 high-performance, wide-input range demodulator from Analog Devices enables high capacity digital modems for microwave radio transmission and next generation broadband access systems. It is fabricated on ADI’s XF3 SOI SiGe complementary bipolar process.