GlobalFoundries will accept chip designs for 7nm finfet production in the second half of 2017 and the first 7nm chips should be produced in early 2018. The manufacturer skips the 10nm node and goes straight from 14nm to 7nm.
GlobalFoundries has confirmed that its 14nm finfet-lpp process will be followed by 7nm-finfet production after the CEO previously hinted. At the beginning of 2018, the risk production should start at 7nm, which means the first batch of chips that rolls off the production line. In addition to finfet production for complex processors and mobile socs, GlobalFoundries focuses on the 12nm fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator process. This production platform is intended for cheaper energy-efficient chips, such as those for the Internet of Things and other networks.
GlobalFoundries still seems to be somewhat behind the major competitor TSMC. He would like to start 7nm finfet production on a larger scale at the beginning of 2018. DigiTimes recently wrote this on the basis of statements from the CEO of the company. Each step towards a new production process enables more economical and more powerful chips, complemented by improved designs. The reduction of the nodes therefore forms the basis for chips becoming increasingly powerful, economical and cheaper. However, this trend, in which Moore’s Law is often cited, is under pressure: the production of each smaller node costs more and more money.