Yousef, It sounds like you are selling analog circuits short and/or are not familiar with analog IC design.
First, NSM (as you correctly state) is focused primarily on analog processes. This means that they have optimized their processes for parameters like capacitor and resistor linearity, and FET Idsat matching. These are absolutely needed for Analog, but of little use for digital processes.The key parameters in a digital process is to get the highest FET drive current (Idsat) at the lowest voltage. This device technology thens needs to be matched to a high performance interconnect (low resistance and capacitance) process. Thus an analog process is very different from a state-of-the-art digital CPU process.
Yes you are right when you state that an analog process is concerned with matching, etc., but this is only AFTER the process has met the speed requirements. Thus a high performance analog process, either CMOS or BiCMOS, is more difficult to implement than a straight digital process.
The reason NSM is a stock to own is twofold,
1. It's making money without the CPU business and
2. it's business plan is to make money off of <$100 CPUs through integration, etc.
NSM's business model already counts on lots of low priced chips. Does INTCs?
Anthony |
