GLOBALFOUNDRIES,
a new leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company formed by a joint venture
between AMD (NYSE: AMD) and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC),
today announced its official launch and outlined plans to drive profound change
and expand opportunities in the semiconductor industry. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is led
by an experienced semiconductor management team, including CEO Doug Grose, formerly
senior vice president of manufacturing operations at AMD, and Chairman of the
Board Hector Ruiz, formerly executive chairman and chairman of the board at
AMD. The Company is the only U.S. based global semiconductor foundry company
and commences operations with approximately 2,800 employees worldwide with headquarters
in Silicon Valley.
“The launch of GLOBALFOUNDRIES represents a historic day for our industry,
one which will permanently change the market landscape by launching the world’s
first truly global foundry services provider,” said Doug Grose, Chief
Executive Officer of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “With two committed joint venture
partners providing strong technology and capital resources, our company brings
a unique set of global capabilities to the market that will enable our customers
to fully unlock their potential to innovate.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES will service the manufacturing needs of AMD and will also offer
an expanded roadmap of technologies to third-party customers through its high-volume,
global foundry services. This means that for the first time, early access to
volume chip production using leading-edge technologies will not just be limited
to only high-end microprocessor makers.
“As consumers move to increasingly smaller and more energy-efficient
devices, we need to remain aggressive in our technology development and ensure
we have a full range of foundries available for our partners to get those products
to market,” said Simon Segars, Executive Vice President and General Manager
PIPD, ARM. “Through the integration of our processor and physical IP and
our industry collaboration activities, we continue to drive the adoption of
next-generation consumer electronics. We look forward to working with GLOBALFOUNDRIES
as we explore implementing the ARM platform on their advanced process technology
to support the growing demands of our partners around the world.”
To meet the long-term needs of the industry, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is proceeding
with plans to expand its Dresden, Germany, manufacturing lines by bringing a
second 300mm manufacturing facility with bulk silicon capabilities online in
late 2009. The Dresden cluster will be re-named Fab 1 with Module 1 initially
focused on production of high-performance 45nm Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) technology,
and Module 2 transitioning to 32nm bulk silicon capabilities.
In addition to Fab 1, the company also plans to begin construction on a new
state-of-the-art 32nm and smaller features, $4.2B manufacturing facility at
the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Saratoga County, NY, in 2009. This new
facility will be named Fab 2 and is expected to create approximately 1,400 new
direct jobs and more than 5,000 indirect jobs in the region. Once operational,
Fab 2 will be the only independently-managed, advanced semiconductor manufacturing
foundry in the United States, bucking the trend of manufacturing industries
leaving the U.S.
“GLOBALFOUNDRIES introduces a new dynamic to our industry by bringing
much needed choice and competition to the market for leading-edge foundry services,”
said Hector Ruiz, Chairman of the Board, GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “In Dresden,
Germany, we plan to deliver on our commitment to expand our industry-leading
manufacturing cluster with a second facility for bulk silicon. In New York we
plan to build a state-of-the-art wafer foundry, that once complete will be the
most advanced of its kind in the world, creating new jobs and solidifying the
region as a cluster for semiconductor innovation.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES is jointly owned by AMD, an industry leading provider of processing
solutions and ATIC, an investment company focused on advanced technology opportunities.
“Despite the current economic climate, this is an industry with tremendous
opportunities for long-term growth and innovation,” said Waleed Al Mokarrab,
Chairman, ATIC. “Through its global footprint, world-class technology
know-how and access to state-of-the-art research and development, we believe
GLOBALFOUNDRIES is well-positioned to challenge for market leadership in this
competitive industry.”
AMD will continue to play a critical role in GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ future
success as its shareholder and also as its first and largest customer.
“With the launch of a new global player in leading-edge manufacturing
and AMD’s transformation into a processing design leader, we are creating
two synergistic companies poised to bring significant innovation and impact
to the global technology industry,” said Dirk Meyer, president and CEO
of AMD. “GLOBALFOUNDRIES is the only partner with the capabilities to
extend AMD’s heritage of manufacturing excellence and scale capacity to
benefit the whole industry. This is a game-changing event, and we are excited
about the possibilities.”