IBM prepares design kits for 0.7nm
IBM has taken the next step with its 0.7-nanometer "Nanostack" chip manufacturing technology, unveiled in June. The company will begin providing process development kits (PDKs) for the technology to interested chip designers in the first quarter of 2027.
A PDK is the set of rules, models and tools designers need to draw circuits for a given manufacturing process. IBM's move is aimed at letting companies get familiar with the technology and plan their designs before it reaches widespread production.
A step beyond 2nm
The 0.7-nanometer node is described as an extension of current chip manufacturing technologies. The most advanced node in mass production today sits at 2 nanometers. IBM's goal is to lay the groundwork for smaller and more efficient AI chips.
The Nanostack approach is based on stacking transistors in layers, aiming to fit more compute and memory capacity into the same area. The source does not say when the technology will enter mass production.
