UMC and Cadence Collaborate on Analog/Mixed-Signal Flow for 22ULP/ULL Process Technologies

Rhea-AI Summary

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS) announced the certification of Cadence's analog/mixed-signal IC design flow for UMC's 22ULP/ULL process technologies. This collaboration enhances process efficiency and shortens design cycles for applications in 5G, IoT, and displays. UMC's 22nm technology focuses on ultra-low power and leakage, providing customers with a balance of cost and performance. The certified flow includes tools like the Virtuoso design platform and Spectre AMS Designer, aimed at boosting design efficiency.

Positive

• Certification of Cadence AMS IC design flow enhances UMC's 22ULP/ULL process technologies.
• Improved design efficiency through integrated solutions for 5G, IoT, and display applications.
• 22nm process technology offers 10% reduced chip die area and better power efficiency.

Negative

• None.

Customers can leverage UMC and Cadence technologies to create designs for 5G, IoT, Displays, and Other Emerging Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif. & HSINCHU, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- United Microelectronics Corporation (NYSE: UMC; TWSE: 2303) (UMC), a leading global semiconductor foundry, and Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDNS) today announced that the Cadence^® analog/mixed-signal (AMS) IC design flow has been certified for UMC’s 22ULP/ULL process technologies. This flow optimizes process efficiency and shortens design cycle time, accelerating the development of 5G, IoT and display application designs to meet increasing market demand.

UMC’s 22nm process features ultra-low power consumption and ultra-low leakage to meet various application requirements including extended battery life, a small form factor, and strong computing capabilities. The UMC-certified Cadence AMS flow provides a Unified Reliability Interface (URI), which enables customers to better monitor the circuit’s reliability and service life when designing on UMC’s 22ULP/ULL processes while achieving an ideal balance between cost and performance. The Cadence AMS flow also includes an actual demonstration circuit, which users can apply during design to enhance efficiency and precision.

The Cadence AMS flow consists of integrated solutions and methodologies enabled by the UMC 22nm process design kit (PDK) to speed a design to completion:

• The Virtuoso^® design platform, including schematic editing, the analog design environment (ADE), and layout XL tool enablement.
• Spectre^® AMS Designer, which combines the power of the Spectre X Simulator and the Xcelium^™Logic Simulation engine to provide consistent and accurate results of designs consisting of transistor, behavioral, timing and parasitic block representations.
• Voltus^™-Fi Custom Power Integrity Solution provides electromigration and IR drop (EM-IR) analysis, which lets users quickly input the required EM rules.

“UMC is committed to providing leading foundry solutions and advanced specialty technologies that meet the requirements of applications in fast-growing markets such as 5G, IoT, and display,” said Osbert Cheng, vice president of device technology development & design support at UMC. “When compared with 28nm capabilities, UMC's 22ULP/ULL process technologies can reduce chip die area by 10%, provide better power efficiency, and enhance radio frequency performance. Through this collaboration with Cadence, we are providing customers with an industry-leading design solution, enabling greater efficiency and speeding time to market.”

"With the increasing design complexity of 5G, IoT and smart wearables, enhancements in analog and mixed-signal technology are critical for the success of advanced IC designs,” said Ashutosh Mauskar, vice president, product management in the Custom IC & PCB Group at Cadence. “The Cadence AMS flow that has been optimized for use on UMC’s 22ULP/ULL process technologies, provides customers with comprehensive solutions across design, verification and implementation. By collaborating with UMC, we’re enabling mutual customers to rapidly achieve innovative mixed-signal designs on 22ULP/ULL.”

About UMC

UMC (NYSE: UMC, TWSE: 2303) is a leading global semiconductor foundry company. The company provides high quality IC fabrication services, focusing on logic and various specialty technologies to serve all major sectors of the electronics industry. UMC’s comprehensive IC processing technologies and manufacturing solutions include Logic/Mixed-Signal, embedded High-Voltage, embedded Non-Volatile-Memory, RFSOI and BCD etc. Most of UMC's 12-in & 8-in fabs with its core R&D are located in Taiwan, with additional ones throughout Asia. UMC has total 12 fabs in production with combined capacity over 800,000 wafers per month (8-in equivalent), and all of them are certified with IATF-16949 automotive quality standard. UMC is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan, plus local offices in United States, Europe, China, Japan, Korea & Singapore, with worldwide total 20,000 employees. For more information, please visit: https://www.umc.com.

Note from UMC Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Some of the statements in the foregoing announcement are forward-looking within the meaning of the U.S. Federal Securities laws, including statements about introduction of new services and technologies, future outsourcing, competition, wafer capacity, business relationships and market conditions. Investors are cautioned that actual events and results could differ materially from these statements as a result of a variety of factors, including conditions in the overall semiconductor market and economy; acceptance and demand for products from UMC; and technological and development risks. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in UMC’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. UMC does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable law.

About Cadence

Cadence is a pivotal leader in electronic design, building upon more than 30 years of computational software expertise. The company applies its underlying Intelligent System Design strategy to deliver software, hardware and IP that turn design concepts into reality. Cadence customers are the world's most innovative companies, delivering extraordinary electronic products from chips to boards to systems for the most dynamic market applications, including consumer, hyperscale computing, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, aerospace, industrial and healthcare. For eight years in a row, Fortune magazine has named Cadence one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Learn more at cadence.com.

© 2022 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Cadence, the Cadence logo and the other Cadence marks found at www.cadence.com/go/trademarks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cadence Design Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220823005883/en/

Michelle Yun

886-3-578-2258 x16951

michelle_yun@umc.com

Cadence Newsroom

+1-408-944-7039

newsroom@cadence.com

Source: United Microelectronics Corporation

FAQ

What is the significance of the UMC and Cadence design flow certification?

The certification optimizes design efficiency for 5G, IoT, and display applications, facilitating faster development.

How does UMC's 22ULP/ULL technology benefit customers?

It offers ultra-low power consumption, reduced chip area by 10%, and improved performance in various applications.

Which companies are involved in the new design flow for UMC?

The design flow involves collaboration between United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) and Cadence Design Systems (CDNS).

What tools are included in the Cadence AMS flow for UMC?

The flow includes tools like the Virtuoso design platform and Spectre AMS Designer for enhanced design accuracy.

What applications does UMC's 22nm process technology target?

The technology targets applications in 5G, IoT, displays, and other emerging markets.