Imec strengthened its relationship with Qualcomm by extending the 3Dimensional Agreement.
Qualcomm participated in Imec’s INSITE program which focuses on designing systems using advanced technologies. By virtue of the extended collaboration Qualcomm is able to gain an early insight on the system design of the three-dimensional and other advanced technologies such as interconnects, structures and sub-20nm node lithography.
Qualcomm has been an active participant in the Industrial Affiliation Program (IIAP) on 3D integration which is being conducted by Imec since 2008. Luc Van Den Hove, the CEO of Imec, is of the opinion that INSITE is the ideal platform for Imec in relating technology and design research with fabless and fab-lite companies. He added that it is also aids companies to predict emergence of new technologies and be able to design sophisticated systems that would hit the market at a faster rate. Steve Mollenkopf, the VP and group president of Qualcomm, regards the collaboration to provide useful insights for Qualcomm into advanced CMOS technology nodes and future mobile chipsets.
INSITE works towards organizing the available information about advanced process technology research programs into formats that help designers in the initial potential assessment of the technology. Using this data, the designers are able to chart out the product road maps. Through INSITE, Imec is able to guide the specifications for future technologies and system requirements.
Source: http://www.imec.be/