TSMC's 28-nanometer High Performance Compact (28HPC) process is currently in volume production, making it the most power- and cost-efficient solution among all 28-nanometer technologies in the foundry segment. 28HPC is the newest process offering of TSMC’s 28nm family that already includes 28LP (low power with SiON), 28HP (high performance with HKMG), 28HPL (low power with HKMG), and 28HPM (high performance for mobile computing). As a compact version of 28HPM, TSMC’s 28HPC is optimized for architectures that realize competitive die size and product performance for the new generation of mobile and consumer devices.

28HPC can deliver 64-bit CPU and LTE (long term evolution) modem performance under a fixed total design power budget for smartphones, tablets and other consumer products. Compared with TSMC’s 28LP, 28HPC provides 10% smaller die size and 30% lower power at all levels of speed, or over 20% speed improvement at the same power, through tighter process control, more efficient design solutions, and new process features.

TSMC says it has already 10 customers with 28HPC products taped out and several have started volume production. Another 70 new product tape-outs are in the pipeline scheduled for the end of 2014.

In related news, TSMC) in view of large market potential for the Internet of Things (IoT), has organized an IoT task force responsible for the development of various specialized manufacturing processes, from 0.35/0.25/0.18-micron to 90/65/50/40nm nodes and embedded flash manufacturing technologies.

The IoT technologies will apply to smartphones, smartwatches, but also in-car devices, household appliances and big data centers, according to TSMC.