Not worth the trade-offs
As expected, AMD is now confirming that it will no longer use SOI, or silicon-on-insulator technology. The decision applies to the 28nm node, and probably every process that comes after it.
AMD CFO Thomas Seifert claims all AMD 28nm products will be bulk. AMD was one of few major chipmakers to embrace SOI at the start of the millennium. Intel also developed SOI transistors, but they never entered production.
Seifert argued that SOI always had a fair share of trade-offs and that it limited flexibility. “The flexibility across foundry partners, across design tools out-weigh that by far, the benefits of SOI," he said.
So, dropping SOI could make it easier for AMD to cheat on Globalfoundries with other foundries.
More here.
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