Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Processor First to Use TSMC's 28HPM Advanced Process Technology

SAN DIEGO and HSINCHU, Taiwan, R.O.C., Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) and TSMC (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM) today announced that Qualcomm's wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., will be the first company to produce working silicon on TSMC's 28nm HPM (High Performance Mobile) process technology. TSMC's 28HPM is the first production process that can support 2GHz + application processors with low power consumption. The process is ideally suited for tablet and high-end smartphone applications.

The first 28HPM production device is a Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 processor with quad core Krait 400 CPUs with speeds of up to 2.3 GHz per core, customized for low power consumption.  It also is the first SoC to integrate a 4G LTE Advanced modem with Carrier Aggregation and Category 4 data speeds up to 150 Mbps. Compared to previous generations, Qualcomm Technologies has significantly improved overall power efficiency via reduced leakage and active power while substantially increasing speed in its Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors.

With its large speed and power range, TSMC's 28HPM process is optimized for mobile computing applications. It also supports wide market applications from application processors, integrated application processors with multimode LTE-Advanced Qualcomm Gobi modems to cloud-computing networking applications. The process could support CPU speeds of 2-2.3GHz with less than 750mW of power consumption per core. Compared to TSMC's 40LP, 28HPM devices are 2.5-2.7X faster, and cut active power in half.

"By utilizing TSMC's 28HPM process, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors will deliver industry leading performance and outstanding battery life," said Jim Lederer, executive vice president and general manager, Qualcomm Technologies. "In working closely with TSMC, we maximize the impact this process will have on bringing Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors to tablet and high-end smartphone solutions, while continuing to find ways to align our business and strategic objectives that help to define the value of our partnership."

"Qualcomm Technologies uses its world-class architecture and deep familiarity with 28nm design to achieve breakthrough 2.3GHz performance and power characteristics high-end smartphone users want today," said Rick Cassidy, President, TSMC North America. "We are happy to see Qualcomm Technologies' achievement in producing the first 28HPM device and congratulate them on their ongoing mobile device leadership."

About Qualcomm Incorporated
Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website, OnQ blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

About TSMC
TSMC is the world's largest dedicated semiconductor foundry, providing the industry's leading process technology and the foundry segment's largest portfolio of process-proven libraries, IPs, design tools and reference flows. The Company's managed capacity in 2012 totaled 15.1 million (8-inch equivalent) wafers, including capacity from three advanced 12-inch GIGAFAB™ facilities, four eight-inch fabs, one six-inch fab, as well as TSMC's wholly owned subsidiaries, WaferTech and TSMC China, and its joint venture fab, SSMC. TSMC is the first foundry to provide 28nm production capabilities. Its corporate headquarters are in Hsinchu, Taiwan. For more information about TSMC please visit http://www.tsmc.com.

SOURCE TSMC