IBM provides Russia with 90-nm process

LONDON – IBM Coirp. has agreed to help Russia's Angstrem with 90-nm manufacturing process as part of a broader agreement on collaboration that will range from mathematics to microelectronics and computer science.

OJSC Angstrem (Zelenograd, Russia) said it intends to use the 90-nm process to make ICs and sensors for industrial and consumer applications. In addition, Angstrem will receive design rules and support to help it set up as a foundry operation to serve Russian and external customers, the company added. The deal is being funded by the State Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank) and the process will be installed in a newly-built factory in Zelenograd, known as Angstrem-T.

The amount that Angstrem is paying to IBM was not disclosed.

In addition to the licensing agreement, the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines areas of potential future cooperation around the use of the technology. Under the terms of the MoU areas of possible partnership between Angstrem and IBM include: chemistry, electrical engineering, computer science, materials science, mathematics, physics and microelectronics.

"IBM's advanced technologies in microelectronics - the primary sector of the innovation economy - will help to accelerate the development of innovations in other related industries," said Alexey Litvinov, general director of Angstrem, in a statement.

"Technological innovation has a huge role to play in Russia's economic development and in improving the quality of life by increasing access to new technologies, systems and devices," said Siamak Kia, of the IBM Research & Intellectual Property Executive, in the same statement. Kia added: "I expect the next logical step in this partnership to be microelectronics packaging technologies to further expand and deepen the growing relationship."