Cell processor partners Sony and Toshiba, along with fellow Japanese chip maker NEC, today said they plan to work together to develop 45nm chip fabrication process technologies.

The deal appears to be a pooling of resources. Sony and Toshiba first said they were co-operating on 45nm technologies in February 2004. Toshiba announced a separate 45nm development partnership with NEC in November 2005.

Now, NEC's 45nm team will join researchers from Sony and Toshiba at the latter's Advanced Microelectronics Center in Yokohama, Japan.

Last month, Sony, Toshiba and IBM said they were extending their 90nm and 65nm process technology development partnership to the 32nm node. Last week, Intel said it had produce the world's first 45nm memory chip, a crucial step in commercialising the technology. ®