Based on the agreement, Infineon and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will jointly develop 65nm process technologies for eFlash microcontrollers (MCUs) that fulfill the stringent quality requirements of the automotive industry, as well as the demanding security requirements of the chip card and security markets.

The partnership extension with TSMC is in line with Infineon’s strategy to outsource manufacturing and to engage in technology co-development for 65nm and smaller geometry processes. Infineon and TSMC have compiled more than a decade-long partnership covering several Infineon’s applications, such as industrial and wireline.

Based on a manufacturing agreement to use TSMC 65nm low-power technology for Infineon’s products employed in mobile devices, which started about two years ago, the move to automotive and chip card applications signals a firm and ongoing commitment on the part of both companies to a strong development alliance and a stable and long-term production partnership.