(Engadget) - As of this morning you can add Hitachi to the list of cohorts IBM has gathered in its quest for sub-32nm circuitry. Hitachi's 2-year semiconductor research agreement -- a first between IBM and Hitachi -- puts them under a loose-knit alliance with AMD, Chartered, Freescale, Infineon, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and STMicroelectronics. The notable, non-member here is of course, Intel; that little company making "45-nm processes" and "Hi-K metal gate" house-hold terms amongst geeky, type-A adopters of consumer electronics. Yes, we're looking at you.