Global Semiconductor Alliance Creates 3D Integrated Circuit (IC) Plan

Global Semiconductor Industry Spokesperson Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) has announced that it will raise the awareness and visibility of 3D IC technology and related education programs globally.

GSA President Jodi Shelton said, "The GSA realizes that the semiconductor industry is facing one of the biggest challenges that threaten the development of the entire industry - IC and system power loss is rapidly increasing. Our members are constantly reviewing the history of 2D SOC, and Exploring when and how to adopt a process to transition to a new paradigm to continue to meet the needs of our customers is why the GSA 3D IC Program is so focused on enhancing the customer's recognition of the benefits and importance of the technology."

To accelerate the development and promotion of high-capacity EDA tools and processes, GSA established an EDA interest team in May 2008 to analyze long-term market needs. Team members include EDA suppliers, semiconductor companies, manufacturers, and IC design services. Representatives of business, research institutions and other industry organizations. In addition, the team also provides advice on how EDA suppliers can work with customers and partners to fully meet these needs. In early 2009, the team decided to focus its research on tools and processes to support the rapidly emerging 3D IC technology. As a first step, they designed a brief survey questionnaire designed to fully understand the industry's plans to use the technology and the need for tools and processes.

Reiter said: “The wireless industry is pushing 3D IC stack technology to make up for the lack of power and space limitations of mobile Internet devices. At the same time, users of networks, graphics and computer equipment need 3D IC technology to meet the next generation of bandwidth and performance requirements. Various system and IC designers plan to step up cooperation to integrate heterogeneous processing technologies into the 3D IC stack."

The GSA will continue to work with other organizations to promote the widespread use of the 3D IC ecosystem, harmonize standards and determine synergies to develop economies of scale. At present, there are already many leading semiconductor suppliers that have crossed the traditional 2D design technology and have promoted the important advantages of implementing 3D technology in the enterprise. The GSA hopes to help the industry quickly transition to 3D IC technology, make it suitable for a wide range of applications at low cost, and increase the return on investment of early adopters.