Infineon is using a 65nm process as well as the GlobalFoundries 14nm Low Power Plus process to create ever-tinier SIM cards:
At MWC this year, Infineon showcased a lineup of its current and embedded SIM products. The company demonstrates not only the industry-standard MFF2 eSIM chip, but also considerably smaller ICs designed for future miniature devices (many of which may not even exist yet as a category) as well as M2M (machine to machine) applications. It is noteworthy that to manufacture an eSIM the size of a match head, Infineon uses GlobalFoundries 14LPP process technology, taking advantage of leading-edge lithography to bring the size of a simple device down.
[...] The first one, when packaged, has dimensions of 2.5×2.7×0.5 mm, which essentially means that it has no packaging at all. This IC is produced using a mature 65 nm process technology and that means that it is very cheap. The second eSIM implementation that Infineon demonstrates is actually even tinier: its dimensions when fully packaged and ready to use are just 1.5×1.1×0.37 mm. The IC is made using 14LPP process technology by GlobalFoundries and the foundry charges the chip developer accordingly. Using a leading-edge process technology to make eSIM cards is not something common, but the approach enables developers of various devices to take advantage of the smallest cards possible (another advantage of such cards are low voltages and power consumption).
The current JEDEC eSIM form factor has an area of 5×6 mm (30 mm2, over 18 times the area of Infineon's smaller version) and less than 1 mm thickness (0.85 mm in Infineon's comparison).
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ARM wants mobile or IoT devices to include a tiny integrated SIM card:
Every millimeter of space matters when you're trying to build increasingly complex electronics into increasingly tiny packages, and the relatively spacious SIM card has long been an area of frustration for hardware manufacturers. Now, the chip design company ARM may have an answer: an integrated component called an iSIM that's built into the same chip as the processor.
ARM says the iSIM will take up a "fraction of a millimeter squared," whereas the current SIM standard — Nano SIMs — are about 12.3 x 8.8mm in size, not including the hardware usually needed to house them. Not only will that save space, but ARM says it'll more importantly save on costs, too: instead of paying "tens of cents" per card, manufacturers will be paying single-digital cents.
Also at CNET, Tom's Hardware, and Wccftech.
Related: Infineon Demos a 1.65 mm^2 eSIM Chip
A complaint by Apple has reportedly led to an investigation of two mobile carriers and the GSMA. AT&T and Verizon want to prevent users from using eSIM to easily switch carriers without replacing a SIM card:
The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into potential coordination by AT&T, Verizon and a telecommunications standards organization to hinder consumers from easily switching wireless carriers, according to six people with knowledge of the inquiry.
In February, the Justice Department issued demands to AT&T, Verizon and the G.S.M.A., a mobile industry standards-setting group, for information on potential collusion to thwart a technology known as eSIM, said two of the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details are confidential.
The technology lets people remotely switch wireless providers without having to insert a new SIM card into a device. AT&T and Verizon face accusations that they colluded with the G.S.M.A. to try to establish standards that would allow them to lock a device to their network even if it had eSIM technology.
The investigation was opened about five months ago after at least one device maker and one wireless carrier filed formal complaints with the Justice Department, two of the people said. The device maker was Apple, one of them said. Representatives for the Justice Department, the G.S.M.A. and Apple declined to comment.
Also at The Verge, WSJ, 9to5Mac, and AppleInsider.
Related: Infineon Demos a 1.65 mm^2 eSIM Chip
ARM Introduces "iSIM", Integrated Directly Onto Chips
Infineon acquires Cypress Semiconductor in deal valued at $10 billion
Infineon Technologies has agreed to buy Cypress Semiconductor in a deal that values the chip maker at $10 billion.
[...] This deal indicates a continuation of the trend toward chip industry consolidation — which has swallowed many Silicon Valley companies, from Altera to NXP.
[...] Cypress was founded in 1982 by T.J. Rodgers, a brilliant chip engineer who helped the startup gain recognition for making a wide variety of memory, sensor, and internet of things chips as it grew to include thousands of employees.
Early to recognize the value of improved solar cells made from silicon, Rodgers invested in SunPower in 2002 and helped it launch an initial public offering in 2005. Cypress got a big return on that deal.
Cypress was known for its larger-than-life founder, who said outrageous things like "real men have fabs" and was a smart and fiercely independent libertarian. Regarding fabs, or wafer fabrication plants (chip factories), Rodgers was adamant that owning your own factories was the path to success in semiconductors. (That eventually proved to be wrong).
Also at AnandTech.
Related: Dialog Semiconductor to Acquire Atmel for $4.6B
Infineon Demos a 1.65 mm^2 eSIM Chip
(Score: 2) by BananaPhone on Monday March 13 2017, @03:08PM (1 child)
I can't wait to see my kids struggle shoving that sugar cube into their phone to make it work.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Monday March 13 2017, @06:18PM
Tiny-fingered kids?
Can't wait to see how many my parents will lose...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @03:48PM (2 children)
What's the point of ever-smaller SIM cards? I mean, the first miniaturization step made sense, as you wouldn't fit a fit a full-size SIM into a modern phone (well, now that phones are getting bigger again, you probably would for quite a few ;-)). However I don't get the point of anything beyond mini-SIM. It's incompatibility without real advantage.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @04:38PM
1. Cheaper to ship bulk.
2. Less material cost.
3. IoT.
(Score: 2) by TheRaven on Monday March 13 2017, @08:21PM
sudo mod me up
(Score: 2) by FatPhil on Monday March 13 2017, @04:13PM
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @04:26PM (4 children)
I know some people like to move a SIM card from device to device, but for the rest of us it's just a pain-in-the-ass. I'm sure any smart phone or tablet could register on a network without a removable ID card, and the stupid thing adds cost, breaks, and raises accessibility barriers.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @04:41PM (1 child)
It's more secure to do the first crypto hand-shake offline which is what the physical SIM cards provide.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @05:13PM
Perhaps it's marginally more secure that way if you trust the SIM card issuer above the handset maker. But where does that trust come from? And I expect the crypto is easily broken if your CPU is compromised.
(Score: 3, Informative) by NCommander on Tuesday March 14 2017, @01:06AM (1 child)
It works great when you travel overseas and need local phone service. I switched from CDMA based devices to GSM (now UMTS) devices because I could remove my SIM card, pop in the one I need and call it good. I'm not really sure why you'd want to have a form of lock-in which determines what can and can't be used on a network (Verizon blacklisted CDMA devices they didn't specifically sell)).
Still always moving
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 14 2017, @11:24AM
The SIM card slot on my Moto X is crapping out. It complains about no SIM once a month. Then I have to shut down. Remove case. Find tool. Remove SIM. Blow on it. Hope I don't drop it. Reassemble. Turn on. Oh, it works. F* you, SIM cards.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 13 2017, @04:41PM
Infineon is still in business? Shocking!