Chinese chipmaker SMIC and US-based IBM recently announced that they have signed a licensing agreement, under which SMIC is enabled to manufacture 12-inch chips leveraging IBM's 45nm bulk CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) technology.

According to Chinese-language Sina Tech, SMIC is granted access to IBM's 45nm bulk CMOS technology -featuring low-power consumption and high-speed performance - in fabricating chipsets for use in mobile devices, graphics chips, and consumer electronics. SMIC's 65nm process technology is currently undergoing the customer verification process.

SMIC declined to reveal any financial details of the deal. Meanwhile, the participation of SMIC in the IBM Alliance was yet to be confirmed.