Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), and Leadcore Technology, a core member of Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group, jointly announced that SMIC's 28nm HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) process is ready with customer's NTO (New Tape Out) success.

Based on this platform, Leadcore is launching a 28nm SoC (System on a Chip) for smartphones and other fields of applications, including high-performance application processor and mobile baseband functions. The chip has passed validation and is ready for mass production.

SMIC is the first foundry to provide both 28nm PolySiON and 28nm HKMG processes in Mainland China. Based on SMIC's 28nm HKMG process platform, Leadcore’s Smartphone SoC has better performance, higher speed and lower power consumption. To extend Leadcore's success in the market, this launch will expand the market share of Smartphones with Chinese-made chips.

"We're glad to collaborate with Leadcore on 28nm HKMG process and develop advanced Smartphone SoC. Following the successful adoption by mainstream smartphones of the chips based on SMIC's 28nm PolySiON process, our 28nm HKMG process has also been highly recognized by end customers and is ready for commercial use," said Dr. Tzu-Yin Chiu, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of SMIC. "We will continue to develop and improve 28nm derivative technology platforms and expect to introduce an enhanced compact version of 28nm HKMG process at the end of 2016, and provide more optimized processes to customers."