SUNNYVALE, USA: As the semiconductor industry begins its transition to the next technology node, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is on track to take its position as the foundry technology leader.
On October 1 at the Global Semiconductor Alliance Emerging Opportunities Expo & Conference in Santa Clara, Calif., GLOBALFOUNDRIES (Booth 321) will provide the latest details on its technology roadmap for the 32nm/28nm generations and its innovative “Gate First” approach to building transistors based on High-K Metal Gate (HKMG) technology.
“With each new technology generation, semiconductor foundries are increasingly challenged with the economics to sustain R&D and the know-how to bring these technologies to market in high-volume,” said Len Jelinek, director and chief analyst, iSuppli. “With a heritage of rapidly ramping leading-edge technologies to high volumes at mature yields, combined with aggressive investments in capacity and technology, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is uniquely-positioned to challenge for next-generation foundry leadership.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES expects to start volume production of 32nm-SHP (Super High Performance) technology at Fab 1 in the second half of 2010. This technology will employ silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates and utilize GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ innovative “Gate First” approach to HKMG, which maximizes power efficiency and transistor scaling while minimizing die size and design complexity when compared to the alternative “Gate Last” approach. Yield progress continues with 24Mb SRAMs in double-digit natural yields on path to 50 per cent natural yields by year-end.
“When compared against the 45nm-SHP technology we’re currently running in Fab 1, we’re seeing performance improvements of up to 50 percent in the 32nm generation at the same leakage levels of the 45nm generation,” said Jim Doran, senior vice president and general manager of Fab 1 at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “When you combine this with our patented Automated Precision Manufacturing (APM) technology and exceptionally low defect densities, we believe we’ll be in the leading position among foundries to bring this technology to market in volume for our customers.”
As a new entrant to the foundry landscape, GLOBALFOUNDRIES brings a heritage of leading-edge production for high-performance processors. During the transition to the 45nm technology generation, GLOBALFOUNDRIES reached volume production at mature yield 2-3 quarters ahead of the rest of the foundry industry, while simultaneously implementing a complex new form of lithography—immersion lithography—ahead of all other semiconductor manufacturers.
For the 28nm generation, which will be offered on bulk silicon substrates, the company will be accepting customer and third party IP designs in Q1 2010 on its shuttle service for low cost prototyping, with production planned in the second half of 2010.
The 28nm technology offers the smallest SRAM cell size (0.120 µm2) currently reported in the foundry industry, and an advantage in die size relative to 28nm “Gate Last” approaches. In addition, the GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ “Gate First” approach to HKMG simplifies 28nm design implementation and IP re-use for customers using conventional poly/SiON-based technology at the 45/40nm and 32nm nodes due to similar process flows and design rules.
Customers at the 28nm node will benefit from a high-volume ramp of leading-edge technology at the 32nm node, which will put GLOBALFOUNDRIES well into its second generation of HKMG implementation when 28nm production begins.
The 28nm node will be available in two variants: The 28nm-HP (High Performance) variant will be optimized for leading-edge applications in such areas as graphics, game consoles, storage, networking and media encoding. The 28nm-SLP (Super Low Power) variant is optimized for wireless mobile applications such as baseband, application processors, and other handheld functions that require long battery lifetime.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 32nm and 28nm technologies with the “Gate First” approach to HKMG were originally developed in partnership with IBM through the company’s participation in the IBM Technology Alliance. IBM and its research partners first introduced the “Gate First” HKMG innovation in 2007 as the basis for a long-sought improvement to the transistor to deal with power leakage that emerged at the 45nm node.
Showing posts with label GlobalFoundries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GlobalFoundries. Show all posts
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
Consolidation changing the foundry landscape
USA: Change is on the horizon. Advanced Technology Investment Company LLC (ATIC) and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Chartered) have entered into a definitive agreement whereby ATIC will acquire Chartered. What does this mean?
Semico does not think that TSMC will be ‘dethroned’ as the leading foundry but it does mean that the number two spot is definitely up for grabs. Semico’s data indicates that by 2011, the combined GlobalFoundries/Chartered company will out pace UMC in terms of advanced capacity available for production.
Source: Semico Research
Semico does not think that TSMC will be ‘dethroned’ as the leading foundry but it does mean that the number two spot is definitely up for grabs. Semico’s data indicates that by 2011, the combined GlobalFoundries/Chartered company will out pace UMC in terms of advanced capacity available for production.
Source: Semico Research
Sunday, 6 September 2009
ATIC makes bid to acquire Chartered Semiconductor
SINGAPORE: Advanced Technology Investment Co. LLC (ATIC) of Abu Dhabi and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing (Chartered) of Singapore announced a definitive agreement whereby ATIC would acquire Chartered, one of the world’s top dedicated semiconductor foundries.
Offer details
The proposed acquisition will be effected by way of a scheme of arrangement under section 210 of the Companies Act of Singapore, subject to the approval of Chartered shareholders and the sanction of the High Court of Singapore. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2009.
Completion of the transaction will be subject to customary conditions, such as regulatory and shareholder approvals. Details can be found in the joint scheme announcement that has been filed with the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX), as well as in the scheme document to be sent to Chartered shareholders.
Under this scheme of arrangement, each Chartered ordinary share will be acquired by ATIC for a cash consideration of S$2.68 per share. The transaction represents an equity value of approximately S$2.5 billion (US$1.8 billion) and a total value of approximately S$5.6 billion (US$3.9 billion), including debt and convertible redeemable preference shares of approximately S$3.1 billion (US$2.2 billion) as of June 30, 2009.
The price represents a premium of 14.2 percent to its 30 trading-day volume weighted average price, 26.8 percent to its 90 trading-day volume weighted average price and 44.2 percent to its 6-month volume weighted average price on the SGX. The estimated amount of consideration for each American Depositary Share ("ADSs") is US$18.641. The actual amount per ADS that ADS holders will receive will depend on the applicable prevailing exchange rate, less the amount of applicable ADS depositary's fees, taxes and expenses.
ATIC is a technology investment company wholly owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. This acquisition is its second major investment in the semiconductor industry and follows the company’s March 2009 creation of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a US-headquartered, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company and a joint venture with AMD.
The acquisition of Chartered will be made through ATIC International Investment Co. LLC, a subsidiary of ATIC. Once the transaction is completed, ATIC will be the sole owner of Chartered.
The transaction will allow ATIC to build on the complementary platforms of Chartered and GLOBALFOUNDRIES, with Chartered’s customer relationships and capabilities in both 8-inch and 12-inch fabrication, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ advanced technology expertise, capacity profile and global footprint.
“We believe that by having access to ATIC’s long-term capital and related assets, Chartered has an opportunity to bring its skills, capabilities and leadership to the next level,” said Waleed Al Mokarrab, Chairman of ATIC. “By acquiring Chartered, ATIC is expanding its investments in the semiconductor industry which currently consist of a GLOBALFOUNDRIES leading facility in Dresden, Germany and a new, state-of-the-art facility under construction in upstate New York.”
Pending appropriate board approvals, Doug Grose, chief executive officer of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, would serve as CEO of the combined operations, with Chia Song Hwee, CEO of Chartered, serving as chief operating officer. Chia will also spearhead the integration effort.
“Chartered’s board of directors recognizes the efforts of the management team and employees on the considerable progress they have made,” said Jim Norling, chairman of the board of directors at Chartered.
“Given the importance of scale and the need for substantial, continued capital investment, and having carefully assessed all strategic options available to Chartered, we believe this transaction provides Chartered shareholders the opportunity to realize their investment. In addition, it enables Chartered to accelerate its goal of becoming a leading player in the semiconductor industry.
“We have today appointed Deutsche Bank AG, Singapore Branch as an independent financial advisor to advise shareholders on the fairness of the offer, and we will submit the proposal for a shareholder vote.”
Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte. and Citigroup Global Markets Singapore Pte. Ltd. serve as joint financial advisors to Chartered, and each provided a fairness opinion to the board of directors of Chartered in connection with the transaction.
Temasek Holdings, which currently owns approximately 62 percent of Chartered’s shares, also fully supports the acquisition and has signed an irrevocable undertaking to vote in support of the transaction.
“Chartered and GLOBALFOUNDRIES will be able to draw on each other’s strengths to enable the next generation of semiconductor innovation, utilizing the value of both companies and the intellectual capital of thousands of skilled employees,” said Ibrahim Ajami, CEO of ATIC. “Chartered and GLOBALFOUNDRIES are well positioned to meet the growing chip demand to come from billions of new mobile phones, cars, televisions, computers and other devices.”
Offer details
The proposed acquisition will be effected by way of a scheme of arrangement under section 210 of the Companies Act of Singapore, subject to the approval of Chartered shareholders and the sanction of the High Court of Singapore. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter of 2009.
Completion of the transaction will be subject to customary conditions, such as regulatory and shareholder approvals. Details can be found in the joint scheme announcement that has been filed with the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX), as well as in the scheme document to be sent to Chartered shareholders.
Under this scheme of arrangement, each Chartered ordinary share will be acquired by ATIC for a cash consideration of S$2.68 per share. The transaction represents an equity value of approximately S$2.5 billion (US$1.8 billion) and a total value of approximately S$5.6 billion (US$3.9 billion), including debt and convertible redeemable preference shares of approximately S$3.1 billion (US$2.2 billion) as of June 30, 2009.
The price represents a premium of 14.2 percent to its 30 trading-day volume weighted average price, 26.8 percent to its 90 trading-day volume weighted average price and 44.2 percent to its 6-month volume weighted average price on the SGX. The estimated amount of consideration for each American Depositary Share ("ADSs") is US$18.641. The actual amount per ADS that ADS holders will receive will depend on the applicable prevailing exchange rate, less the amount of applicable ADS depositary's fees, taxes and expenses.
ATIC is a technology investment company wholly owned by the government of Abu Dhabi. This acquisition is its second major investment in the semiconductor industry and follows the company’s March 2009 creation of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, a US-headquartered, leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company and a joint venture with AMD.
The acquisition of Chartered will be made through ATIC International Investment Co. LLC, a subsidiary of ATIC. Once the transaction is completed, ATIC will be the sole owner of Chartered.
The transaction will allow ATIC to build on the complementary platforms of Chartered and GLOBALFOUNDRIES, with Chartered’s customer relationships and capabilities in both 8-inch and 12-inch fabrication, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ advanced technology expertise, capacity profile and global footprint.
“We believe that by having access to ATIC’s long-term capital and related assets, Chartered has an opportunity to bring its skills, capabilities and leadership to the next level,” said Waleed Al Mokarrab, Chairman of ATIC. “By acquiring Chartered, ATIC is expanding its investments in the semiconductor industry which currently consist of a GLOBALFOUNDRIES leading facility in Dresden, Germany and a new, state-of-the-art facility under construction in upstate New York.”
Pending appropriate board approvals, Doug Grose, chief executive officer of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, would serve as CEO of the combined operations, with Chia Song Hwee, CEO of Chartered, serving as chief operating officer. Chia will also spearhead the integration effort.
“Chartered’s board of directors recognizes the efforts of the management team and employees on the considerable progress they have made,” said Jim Norling, chairman of the board of directors at Chartered.
“Given the importance of scale and the need for substantial, continued capital investment, and having carefully assessed all strategic options available to Chartered, we believe this transaction provides Chartered shareholders the opportunity to realize their investment. In addition, it enables Chartered to accelerate its goal of becoming a leading player in the semiconductor industry.
“We have today appointed Deutsche Bank AG, Singapore Branch as an independent financial advisor to advise shareholders on the fairness of the offer, and we will submit the proposal for a shareholder vote.”
Morgan Stanley Asia (Singapore) Pte. and Citigroup Global Markets Singapore Pte. Ltd. serve as joint financial advisors to Chartered, and each provided a fairness opinion to the board of directors of Chartered in connection with the transaction.
Temasek Holdings, which currently owns approximately 62 percent of Chartered’s shares, also fully supports the acquisition and has signed an irrevocable undertaking to vote in support of the transaction.
“Chartered and GLOBALFOUNDRIES will be able to draw on each other’s strengths to enable the next generation of semiconductor innovation, utilizing the value of both companies and the intellectual capital of thousands of skilled employees,” said Ibrahim Ajami, CEO of ATIC. “Chartered and GLOBALFOUNDRIES are well positioned to meet the growing chip demand to come from billions of new mobile phones, cars, televisions, computers and other devices.”
Friday, 4 September 2009
SEMI World Fab Forecast: Predicts 64 percent growth in fab spending
SAN JOSE, USA: SEMI’s World Fab Forecast predicts 64 percent growth in fab spending for 2010 to reach $24 billion.
A large portion (about $14 billion) is expected to come from six companies that have announced ambitious investment plans.
The major investments will come from six companies -- TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Toshiba, Samsung, Intel and Inotera. These companies will contribute more than half of the total fab capex spending expected in 2010. The increase of 64 percent appears high, but this percentage increase is against historic lows in 2009.
Christian Dieseldorff, senior analyst at SEMI, noted “Worldwide installed capacity is expected to decline by 2-3 percent in 2009 mainly due to the closure of 31 fabs. This overall capacity is expected to have a slow growth rate of only 4-5 percent in 2010, to about 21.5 million wafers per month (in 200 mm equivalents), and most spending in 2010 is expected to go towards upgrading fabs rather than expansion of installed capacity.”
The World Fab Forecast tracks planned projects resulting in any change of installed capacity.
SEMI World Fab Forecast report provides high-level summaries and graphs, in-depth analyses of capital expenditure, capacity, technology and products, down to the detail of each fab, and forecasts for the next 18 months by quarter. These tools are invaluable for understanding how 2009 and 2010 will look, and learning more about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology level, and products.
A large portion (about $14 billion) is expected to come from six companies that have announced ambitious investment plans.
The major investments will come from six companies -- TSMC, GlobalFoundries, Toshiba, Samsung, Intel and Inotera. These companies will contribute more than half of the total fab capex spending expected in 2010. The increase of 64 percent appears high, but this percentage increase is against historic lows in 2009.
Christian Dieseldorff, senior analyst at SEMI, noted “Worldwide installed capacity is expected to decline by 2-3 percent in 2009 mainly due to the closure of 31 fabs. This overall capacity is expected to have a slow growth rate of only 4-5 percent in 2010, to about 21.5 million wafers per month (in 200 mm equivalents), and most spending in 2010 is expected to go towards upgrading fabs rather than expansion of installed capacity.”
The World Fab Forecast tracks planned projects resulting in any change of installed capacity.
SEMI World Fab Forecast report provides high-level summaries and graphs, in-depth analyses of capital expenditure, capacity, technology and products, down to the detail of each fab, and forecasts for the next 18 months by quarter. These tools are invaluable for understanding how 2009 and 2010 will look, and learning more about capex for construction projects, fab equipping, technology level, and products.
Tuesday, 1 September 2009
Cadence and GlobalFoundries in multi-year technology agreement
SAN JOSE, USA: Cadence Design Systems Inc. and GLOBALFOUNDRIES Inc., a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing company, today announced that the two companies have entered into a multi-year software and services agreement for advanced semiconductor design.
As part of the agreement, GLOBALFOUNDRIES has adopted a comprehensive suite of Cadence technologies to aid in the design, verification and manufacturing of complex semiconductor devices targeting process technologies of 45 nanometers and below. In addition, GLOBALFOUNDRIES will team with the Cadence Services organization to build differentiated design-enablement capabilities to support customers at advanced process nodes.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES chose Cadence because of its strong interest in creating a broad, open design flow that enables fast, accurate and easy access to Cadence technology. The foundry has adopted the Cadence Virtuoso and Encounter design environments, as well as specialized technologies for diagnostics, IP validation and parasitic extraction, complemented by support services.
“Cadence technology and services will be important tools to help ensure that GLOBALFOUNDRIES has the enablement infrastructure necessary to support complex customer designs,” said Mojy Chian, senior vice president of design enablement at GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
“Our customers are operating at the leading edge of technology, and it is absolutely critical to offer them a standardized and seamless flow that facilitates working silicon. Cadence’s expertise in custom design is an important addition as we build a global partner ecosystem to efficiently bring the world’s most sophisticated chip designs to market.”
“Providing best-in-class solutions for tomorrow’s toughest design challenges, ahead of the curve, requires continuous innovation and tight collaboration with our customers and business partners,” said Lip-Bu Tan, Cadence president and CEO.
“Working closely with GLOBALFOUNDRIES helps ensure our leadership in low-power, advanced-node, and signoff technologies, and enables Cadence to provide industry-leading design technology and services to a wide range of designers seeking new avenues to market.”
As part of the agreement, GLOBALFOUNDRIES has adopted a comprehensive suite of Cadence technologies to aid in the design, verification and manufacturing of complex semiconductor devices targeting process technologies of 45 nanometers and below. In addition, GLOBALFOUNDRIES will team with the Cadence Services organization to build differentiated design-enablement capabilities to support customers at advanced process nodes.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES chose Cadence because of its strong interest in creating a broad, open design flow that enables fast, accurate and easy access to Cadence technology. The foundry has adopted the Cadence Virtuoso and Encounter design environments, as well as specialized technologies for diagnostics, IP validation and parasitic extraction, complemented by support services.
“Cadence technology and services will be important tools to help ensure that GLOBALFOUNDRIES has the enablement infrastructure necessary to support complex customer designs,” said Mojy Chian, senior vice president of design enablement at GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
“Our customers are operating at the leading edge of technology, and it is absolutely critical to offer them a standardized and seamless flow that facilitates working silicon. Cadence’s expertise in custom design is an important addition as we build a global partner ecosystem to efficiently bring the world’s most sophisticated chip designs to market.”
“Providing best-in-class solutions for tomorrow’s toughest design challenges, ahead of the curve, requires continuous innovation and tight collaboration with our customers and business partners,” said Lip-Bu Tan, Cadence president and CEO.
“Working closely with GLOBALFOUNDRIES helps ensure our leadership in low-power, advanced-node, and signoff technologies, and enables Cadence to provide industry-leading design technology and services to a wide range of designers seeking new avenues to market.”
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
GlobalFoundries in strategic customer engagement with STMicroelectronics
SUNNYVALE, USA: GLOBALFOUNDRIES announced a strategic customer relationship with STMicroelectronics.
One of the world’s leading suppliers of semiconductor solutions, ST will partner with GLOBALFOUNDRIES to produce products based on 40nm Low Power (LP) bulk silicon technology.
The 40nm LP process is ideal for the next generation of wireless applications, handheld devices, and consumer electronics, which require excellent performance and long battery life. First tape out and production of ST products by GLOBALFOUNDRIES is planned to start in 2010.
“When we launched GLOBALFOUNDRIES, our long-term vision was to bring a new business model to the foundry market and to become the partner of choice for the largest and most innovative semiconductor design and manufacturing companies,” said Doug Grose, Chief Executive Officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
“With the addition of an industry-leader in low-power technology like STMicroelectronics we now begin to deliver on this vision. We look forward to harnessing our full capabilities for ST to provide best-in-class service in bringing their 40nm design innovation to life in high volumes and at mature yields.”
“To ensure ample capacity for our customer/partners at the leading-edge of low-power design, ST needs an agile and high-performance manufacturing partner that can adapt to our changing needs,” said Jean-Marc Chery, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, STMicroelectronics.
“With a strong commitment to manufacturing and technology excellence at the leading-edge, we believe GLOBALFOUNDRIES is an excellent partner to collaborate on low-power design innovation in 2010 and beyond.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES production is currently centered at a state-of-the-art 300mm manufacturing campus in Dresden, Germany –- otherwise known as Fab 1. Consistently ranked as one of the top fabs in the industry, Fab 1 has a proven track record of ramping leading-edge technologies at high-volume and mature yields, most recently evidenced on a seamless ramp of 45nm process technology.
In July 2009, GLOBALFOUNDRIES also broke ground on Fab 2, a $4.2B wafer manufacturing facility in Malta, N.Y. Once complete, Fab 2 is expected to be the most advanced semiconductor foundry in the world.
One of the world’s leading suppliers of semiconductor solutions, ST will partner with GLOBALFOUNDRIES to produce products based on 40nm Low Power (LP) bulk silicon technology.
The 40nm LP process is ideal for the next generation of wireless applications, handheld devices, and consumer electronics, which require excellent performance and long battery life. First tape out and production of ST products by GLOBALFOUNDRIES is planned to start in 2010.
“When we launched GLOBALFOUNDRIES, our long-term vision was to bring a new business model to the foundry market and to become the partner of choice for the largest and most innovative semiconductor design and manufacturing companies,” said Doug Grose, Chief Executive Officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
“With the addition of an industry-leader in low-power technology like STMicroelectronics we now begin to deliver on this vision. We look forward to harnessing our full capabilities for ST to provide best-in-class service in bringing their 40nm design innovation to life in high volumes and at mature yields.”
“To ensure ample capacity for our customer/partners at the leading-edge of low-power design, ST needs an agile and high-performance manufacturing partner that can adapt to our changing needs,” said Jean-Marc Chery, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer, STMicroelectronics.
“With a strong commitment to manufacturing and technology excellence at the leading-edge, we believe GLOBALFOUNDRIES is an excellent partner to collaborate on low-power design innovation in 2010 and beyond.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES production is currently centered at a state-of-the-art 300mm manufacturing campus in Dresden, Germany –- otherwise known as Fab 1. Consistently ranked as one of the top fabs in the industry, Fab 1 has a proven track record of ramping leading-edge technologies at high-volume and mature yields, most recently evidenced on a seamless ramp of 45nm process technology.
In July 2009, GLOBALFOUNDRIES also broke ground on Fab 2, a $4.2B wafer manufacturing facility in Malta, N.Y. Once complete, Fab 2 is expected to be the most advanced semiconductor foundry in the world.
Sunday, 26 July 2009
AMD joins GlobalFoundries to break ground on Fab 2 in Upstate New York
MUMBAI, INDIA: AMD joined GLOBALFOUNDRIES and federal, state and local government leaders to mark and celebrate the official start of construction of Fab 2, a state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility at the Luther Forest Technology Campus (LFTC) in Upstate New York.
Representing the largest public-private sector industrial investment in New York State history, the project is expected to be the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world when it begins production, currently scheduled for 2012.
“Fab 2 represents the culmination of AMD’s multi-year vision to bring a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing facility to the United States. This is an important opportunity to create thousands of jobs and strengthen U.S. competiveness in the high-tech industry,” said Dirk Meyer, president and CEO, AMD.
“GLOBALFOUNDRIES is expected to be an ideal technology partner for the entire semiconductor design industry, providing cost-effective access to manufacturing capacity on an unprecedented scale. The multi-billion dollar investments in research and development and capacity expansion that GLOBALFOUNDRIES is planning, strengthen its position as a premier leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing foundry and make it the ideal AMD technology partner to help in bringing our innovative products to market.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES was created as a joint venture by AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) on March 2, 2009 and marks the culmination of AMD’s Asset Smart strategy.
Representing the largest public-private sector industrial investment in New York State history, the project is expected to be the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world when it begins production, currently scheduled for 2012.
“Fab 2 represents the culmination of AMD’s multi-year vision to bring a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing facility to the United States. This is an important opportunity to create thousands of jobs and strengthen U.S. competiveness in the high-tech industry,” said Dirk Meyer, president and CEO, AMD.
“GLOBALFOUNDRIES is expected to be an ideal technology partner for the entire semiconductor design industry, providing cost-effective access to manufacturing capacity on an unprecedented scale. The multi-billion dollar investments in research and development and capacity expansion that GLOBALFOUNDRIES is planning, strengthen its position as a premier leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing foundry and make it the ideal AMD technology partner to help in bringing our innovative products to market.”
GLOBALFOUNDRIES was created as a joint venture by AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) on March 2, 2009 and marks the culmination of AMD’s Asset Smart strategy.
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
AMD Q2 revenue flat, compared to Q1; expects Q3 to be slightly up!
SUNNYVALE, USA: AMD has reported its second quarter 2009 results. It reported revenue for the second quarter of 2009 of $1.184 billion. Second quarter 2009 revenue was flat compared to the first quarter of 2009 and decreased 13 percent compared to the second quarter of 2008.
“The AMD Product Company successfully executed its product and technology roadmaps in the first half of the year, including introducing the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor months ahead of schedule. While we increased cash, exceeded our revenue plan and reduced operating expenses in the second quarter, gross margin was disappointing,” said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO.
“New platform, microprocessor and graphics introductions planned for the second half of 2009 position us well to improve margins and meet our financial goals for the year.”
In the second quarter of 2009, AMD reported a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $330 million or $0.49 per share, which includes the net favorable impact of $86 million, or $0.13 per share, primarily from the sale of inventory written-down in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008. AMD’s operating loss was $249 million.
In the first quarter of 2009, AMD had revenue of $1.177 billion, a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $416 million and an operating loss of $298 million. In the second quarter of 2008, AMD had revenue from continuing operations of $1.362 billion, a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $1.195 billion and an operating loss of $569 million.
In the second quarter of 2009, AMD Product Company reported a non-GAAP net loss of $244 million and a non-GAAP operating loss of $205 million. In the first quarter of 2009, AMD Product Company reported a non-GAAP net loss of $189 million and a non-GAAP operating loss of $123 million3.
Second quarter 2009 AMD gross margin was 37 percent, including a positive impact of 8 percentage points due to a $98 million benefit from the sale of inventory written down in the fourth quarter of 2008.
First quarter 2009 AMD gross margin was 43 percent, including a positive impact of 5 percentage points due to a $64 million benefit from the sale of inventory written down in the fourth quarter of 2008. Second quarter 2009 AMD Product Company non-GAAP gross margin was 27 percent compared to 35 percent in the prior quarter.
Current outlook
AMD’s outlook statements are based on current expectations. The following statements are forward looking, and actual results could differ materially depending on market conditions and the factors set forth under “Cautionary Statement” below.
Considering current macroeconomic conditions, limited visibility and historical seasonal patterns, AMD expects its Product Company revenue to be up slightly for the third quarter of 2009.
Additional highlights
* Leading enterprise computing providers, including Dell, HP, IBM and Sun announced new servers based on the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor, which is a drop-in replacement for the Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor and delivers up to 34 percent more performance-per-watt in the exact same platform.
* AMD introduced the first 40nm desktop graphics processor, the first 1 GHz graphics processor and held the first public preview of working silicon and drivers supporting Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 11 technology featured in Windows 7.
* Customer adoption of AMD’s graphics products for the professional market continued, with Dell, HP and Lenovo offering workstations featuring ATI FirePro professional graphics accelerators.
* HP, Acer, BenQ, and Medion announced solutions powered by the AMD Neo and ATI Radeon family of low-power technologies, including delivering the industry’s first affordable, full-featured HD computing experiences to the increasingly popular ultrathin notebook and all-in-one desktop markets.
* AMD refreshed its Dragon platform technology for desktop PCs, including the introduction of the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor, the company’s fastest quad-core processor. The stability of AMD Phenom II processors on Dragon technology provides an ideal platform for overclocking, resulting in the industry’s first known CPU to break the 7GHz barrier.
* Adobe, ArcSoft and Cyberlink began offering optimized versions of their video editing and processing applications that use ATI Stream technology to intelligently combine the computing power of AMD’s CPUs and GPUs to greatly accelerate the time-intensive activity of video encoding.
* AMD’s vision to bring a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing facility and thousands of jobs to upstate New York is being fulfilled as GLOBALFOUNDRIES prepares to break ground on the construction of the Fab 2 project in New York. Fab 2 is expected to be the world’s most technologically-advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility, expanding AMD’s access to world-class manufacturing expertise.
“The AMD Product Company successfully executed its product and technology roadmaps in the first half of the year, including introducing the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor months ahead of schedule. While we increased cash, exceeded our revenue plan and reduced operating expenses in the second quarter, gross margin was disappointing,” said Dirk Meyer, AMD president and CEO.
“New platform, microprocessor and graphics introductions planned for the second half of 2009 position us well to improve margins and meet our financial goals for the year.”
In the second quarter of 2009, AMD reported a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $330 million or $0.49 per share, which includes the net favorable impact of $86 million, or $0.13 per share, primarily from the sale of inventory written-down in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2008. AMD’s operating loss was $249 million.
In the first quarter of 2009, AMD had revenue of $1.177 billion, a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $416 million and an operating loss of $298 million. In the second quarter of 2008, AMD had revenue from continuing operations of $1.362 billion, a net loss attributable to AMD common stockholders of $1.195 billion and an operating loss of $569 million.
In the second quarter of 2009, AMD Product Company reported a non-GAAP net loss of $244 million and a non-GAAP operating loss of $205 million. In the first quarter of 2009, AMD Product Company reported a non-GAAP net loss of $189 million and a non-GAAP operating loss of $123 million3.
Second quarter 2009 AMD gross margin was 37 percent, including a positive impact of 8 percentage points due to a $98 million benefit from the sale of inventory written down in the fourth quarter of 2008.
First quarter 2009 AMD gross margin was 43 percent, including a positive impact of 5 percentage points due to a $64 million benefit from the sale of inventory written down in the fourth quarter of 2008. Second quarter 2009 AMD Product Company non-GAAP gross margin was 27 percent compared to 35 percent in the prior quarter.
Current outlook
AMD’s outlook statements are based on current expectations. The following statements are forward looking, and actual results could differ materially depending on market conditions and the factors set forth under “Cautionary Statement” below.
Considering current macroeconomic conditions, limited visibility and historical seasonal patterns, AMD expects its Product Company revenue to be up slightly for the third quarter of 2009.
Additional highlights
* Leading enterprise computing providers, including Dell, HP, IBM and Sun announced new servers based on the Six-Core AMD Opteron processor, which is a drop-in replacement for the Quad-Core AMD Opteron processor and delivers up to 34 percent more performance-per-watt in the exact same platform.
* AMD introduced the first 40nm desktop graphics processor, the first 1 GHz graphics processor and held the first public preview of working silicon and drivers supporting Microsoft’s upcoming DirectX 11 technology featured in Windows 7.
* Customer adoption of AMD’s graphics products for the professional market continued, with Dell, HP and Lenovo offering workstations featuring ATI FirePro professional graphics accelerators.
* HP, Acer, BenQ, and Medion announced solutions powered by the AMD Neo and ATI Radeon family of low-power technologies, including delivering the industry’s first affordable, full-featured HD computing experiences to the increasingly popular ultrathin notebook and all-in-one desktop markets.
* AMD refreshed its Dragon platform technology for desktop PCs, including the introduction of the AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition processor, the company’s fastest quad-core processor. The stability of AMD Phenom II processors on Dragon technology provides an ideal platform for overclocking, resulting in the industry’s first known CPU to break the 7GHz barrier.
* Adobe, ArcSoft and Cyberlink began offering optimized versions of their video editing and processing applications that use ATI Stream technology to intelligently combine the computing power of AMD’s CPUs and GPUs to greatly accelerate the time-intensive activity of video encoding.
* AMD’s vision to bring a leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing facility and thousands of jobs to upstate New York is being fulfilled as GLOBALFOUNDRIES prepares to break ground on the construction of the Fab 2 project in New York. Fab 2 is expected to be the world’s most technologically-advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility, expanding AMD’s access to world-class manufacturing expertise.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
GlobalFoundries calls for renewed focus on 300mm manufacturing innovation
SEMICON West 2009, SAN FRANCISCO, USA: In its effort to meet the ever-increasing demands of consumer technology, the semiconductor industry has long been preoccupied with smaller transistors and larger silicon wafers.
While these are important tactics, opportunities for increasing efficiency, becoming more agile, and minimizing waste are often overlooked in manufacturing processes, according to Thomas Sonderman, vice president of manufacturing systems and technology at GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
At SEMICON West 2009, Sonderman is calling for a renewed focus on operational agility in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, particularly in light of increased pressure to move to processes based on 450 millimeter (mm) wafers.
“The rush to 450mm suggests a lack of ideas for improving fab productivity,” Sonderman said. “At GLOBALFOUNDRIES, we see a tremendous amount of headroom left in the 300mm process. We are tapping our expertise in lean manufacturing to extend the lifecycle of the industry’s current 300mm investments, and we are investing more than $4 billion in a new, state-of-the-art 300mm fab in upstate New York because we are confident in our ability to get the most out of this technology generation.”
Sonderman will be participating in the SEMICON West Foundry Summit, a two-hour panel discussion on the market strategies, technologies, capital spending, and other strategic plans of the world's major chip foundries. He cites GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ rapid transition and time to mature yield at the 45 nanometer (nm) process node as a model for operational efficiency in the industry.
During the transition to 45nm, GLOBALFOUNDRIES achieved the fastest time to mature yield of any process in its history, while simultaneously implementing a complex new form of lithography—immersion lithography—ahead of all other semiconductor manufacturers.
Immersion lithography allows for enhanced microprocessor design definition and manufacturing consistency by placing a fluid, instead of air, between the final element of the lens of a lithographic exposure tool and the wafer.
All wafer starts in Fab 1, Module 1 have now been converted to 45nm—a process that is proving to deliver few defects, low leakage, and high performance. GLOBALFOUNDRIES and AMD recently announced the launch of a six-core processor codenamed “Istanbul,” which was manufactured using the 45 nm process. “Istanbul” is the most complex processor ever designed by AMD, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ manufacturing agility allowed AMD to deliver “Istanbul” five months ahead of schedule.
“The agility and execution of our design and engineering teams combined with the leading-edge manufacturing of GLOBALFOUNDRIES made possible an early, well-executed delivery of Six-Core AMD Opteron™ processors to customers,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of the AMD Products Group. “As our silicon designs get ever more complex, it is critical to retain this close collaboration and reliable execution as we deliver the next wave of processing innovation on the x86 platform.”
A key to GLOBALFOUNDRIES operational agility is a model based on highly automated decision-making and “lean” manufacturing principles, called Automated Precision Manufacturing (APM). APM allows GLOBALFOUNDRIES to precisely tune manufacturing operations to align production with customer demand—all while minimizing waste and reducing cycle time, inventory, and ultimately costs.
APM will be taken to the next level with the construction of Fab 2—an estimated $4.2 billion project to build the world’s most advanced 300mm semiconductor foundry in Saratoga County, N.Y.
“When Fab 2 begins volume production in approximately 2012, it will be part of an integrated global network linked by the next generation of APM,” said Norm Armour, vice president and general manager of GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 2. “The next generation of APM will feature interoperable technologies across multiple fabs and the implementation of lean processes in all aspects of manufacturing, from the front end of the supply chain to the final wafers out the door of the fab.”
Armour will participate today in the annual SEMI Press Luncheon at SEMICON West, where he will present a history of the Fab 2 project and an overview of the capabilities of the new leading-edge facility, which is being designed to support 28/22nm process technologies.
While these are important tactics, opportunities for increasing efficiency, becoming more agile, and minimizing waste are often overlooked in manufacturing processes, according to Thomas Sonderman, vice president of manufacturing systems and technology at GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
At SEMICON West 2009, Sonderman is calling for a renewed focus on operational agility in the semiconductor manufacturing industry, particularly in light of increased pressure to move to processes based on 450 millimeter (mm) wafers.
“The rush to 450mm suggests a lack of ideas for improving fab productivity,” Sonderman said. “At GLOBALFOUNDRIES, we see a tremendous amount of headroom left in the 300mm process. We are tapping our expertise in lean manufacturing to extend the lifecycle of the industry’s current 300mm investments, and we are investing more than $4 billion in a new, state-of-the-art 300mm fab in upstate New York because we are confident in our ability to get the most out of this technology generation.”
Sonderman will be participating in the SEMICON West Foundry Summit, a two-hour panel discussion on the market strategies, technologies, capital spending, and other strategic plans of the world's major chip foundries. He cites GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ rapid transition and time to mature yield at the 45 nanometer (nm) process node as a model for operational efficiency in the industry.
During the transition to 45nm, GLOBALFOUNDRIES achieved the fastest time to mature yield of any process in its history, while simultaneously implementing a complex new form of lithography—immersion lithography—ahead of all other semiconductor manufacturers.
Immersion lithography allows for enhanced microprocessor design definition and manufacturing consistency by placing a fluid, instead of air, between the final element of the lens of a lithographic exposure tool and the wafer.
All wafer starts in Fab 1, Module 1 have now been converted to 45nm—a process that is proving to deliver few defects, low leakage, and high performance. GLOBALFOUNDRIES and AMD recently announced the launch of a six-core processor codenamed “Istanbul,” which was manufactured using the 45 nm process. “Istanbul” is the most complex processor ever designed by AMD, and GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ manufacturing agility allowed AMD to deliver “Istanbul” five months ahead of schedule.
“The agility and execution of our design and engineering teams combined with the leading-edge manufacturing of GLOBALFOUNDRIES made possible an early, well-executed delivery of Six-Core AMD Opteron™ processors to customers,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of the AMD Products Group. “As our silicon designs get ever more complex, it is critical to retain this close collaboration and reliable execution as we deliver the next wave of processing innovation on the x86 platform.”
A key to GLOBALFOUNDRIES operational agility is a model based on highly automated decision-making and “lean” manufacturing principles, called Automated Precision Manufacturing (APM). APM allows GLOBALFOUNDRIES to precisely tune manufacturing operations to align production with customer demand—all while minimizing waste and reducing cycle time, inventory, and ultimately costs.
APM will be taken to the next level with the construction of Fab 2—an estimated $4.2 billion project to build the world’s most advanced 300mm semiconductor foundry in Saratoga County, N.Y.
“When Fab 2 begins volume production in approximately 2012, it will be part of an integrated global network linked by the next generation of APM,” said Norm Armour, vice president and general manager of GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 2. “The next generation of APM will feature interoperable technologies across multiple fabs and the implementation of lean processes in all aspects of manufacturing, from the front end of the supply chain to the final wafers out the door of the fab.”
Armour will participate today in the annual SEMI Press Luncheon at SEMICON West, where he will present a history of the Fab 2 project and an overview of the capabilities of the new leading-edge facility, which is being designed to support 28/22nm process technologies.
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Globalfoundries appoints Head of Enterprise Quality
SUNNYVALE, USA: GLOBALFOUNDRIES announced the appointment of Ron Dickinson as vice president of enterprise quality. The appointment marks the completion of the senior management team, cementing a strong leadership base to support the long-term growth and success of GLOBALFOUNDRIES as it aims to reshape the foundry landscape.
In his role, Dickinson will enhance the customer experience by driving maximum levels of quality assurance and reliability for internal and external areas across the business.
“To become the industry’s premier global foundry company, we need to execute on an uncompromised standard of excellence when it comes to quality management,” said GLOBALFOUNDRIES CEO Doug Grose. “Ron brings nearly three decades of world-class experience to help us achieve this goal by implementing a program that consistently meets and exceeds industry-leading benchmarks in efficiency, yields, quality, and cost.”
Dickinson will develop and implement a quality strategy and underlying processes, driving continuous process improvement across the company and streamlining processes by eliminating variation and increasing productivity. He will initially be based at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, and will transition to New York in the near future to oversee the assembly of a quality organization to support Fab 2—a $4.2 billion project to build the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility.
“The establishment of GLOBALFOUNDRIES is creating a disruption in the industry with tremendous excitement around a new business model for global leading-edge foundry services,” Dickinson said. “I look forward to partnering with leaders across the company to drive productivity by developing and leveraging tools on an enterprise-wide basis. Our unyielding commitment to quality will be a key differentiator for our customers.”
Dickinson has spent nearly 30 years driving quality and operational excellence in highly competitive semiconductor manufacturing environments. Most recently, he served as director of operations and general manager for Freescale Semiconductor’s fab in East Kilbride, Scotland. There, he was responsible for implementing major performance improvements, including reducing operating costs and increasing direct labor productivity.
Prior to his tenure at Freescale, Dickinson held numerous quality and operations management roles at Chartered Semiconductor in Singapore—including running Chartered’s highest-volume wafer fab—and he had a distinguished engineering career in Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector.
Dickinson holds bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in chemistry from the University of Glasgow.
In his role, Dickinson will enhance the customer experience by driving maximum levels of quality assurance and reliability for internal and external areas across the business.
“To become the industry’s premier global foundry company, we need to execute on an uncompromised standard of excellence when it comes to quality management,” said GLOBALFOUNDRIES CEO Doug Grose. “Ron brings nearly three decades of world-class experience to help us achieve this goal by implementing a program that consistently meets and exceeds industry-leading benchmarks in efficiency, yields, quality, and cost.”
Dickinson will develop and implement a quality strategy and underlying processes, driving continuous process improvement across the company and streamlining processes by eliminating variation and increasing productivity. He will initially be based at Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany, and will transition to New York in the near future to oversee the assembly of a quality organization to support Fab 2—a $4.2 billion project to build the world’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility.
“The establishment of GLOBALFOUNDRIES is creating a disruption in the industry with tremendous excitement around a new business model for global leading-edge foundry services,” Dickinson said. “I look forward to partnering with leaders across the company to drive productivity by developing and leveraging tools on an enterprise-wide basis. Our unyielding commitment to quality will be a key differentiator for our customers.”
Dickinson has spent nearly 30 years driving quality and operational excellence in highly competitive semiconductor manufacturing environments. Most recently, he served as director of operations and general manager for Freescale Semiconductor’s fab in East Kilbride, Scotland. There, he was responsible for implementing major performance improvements, including reducing operating costs and increasing direct labor productivity.
Prior to his tenure at Freescale, Dickinson held numerous quality and operations management roles at Chartered Semiconductor in Singapore—including running Chartered’s highest-volume wafer fab—and he had a distinguished engineering career in Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector.
Dickinson holds bachelor’s and doctorate degrees in chemistry from the University of Glasgow.
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
GlobalFoundries announces new Fab 2 executive leadership team
SUNNYVALE, USA: GLOBALFOUNDRIES announced the appointment of Norm Armour as vice president and general manager and Eric Choh as vice president of operations to lead an expanding team dedicated to developing Fab 2, the company’s next semiconductor fabrication facility, or “fab,” at the Luther Forest Technology Campus in Saratoga County, New York.
Once constructed, Fab 2 is expected to be the world’s most advanced semiconductor foundry, creating more than 1,200 new direct jobs plus an additional 5,000 spin-off jobs in the region.
“Norm and Eric bring a wealth of semiconductor manufacturing experience to GLOBALFOUNDRIES and will play critical leadership roles as we build and operate the most sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world,” said Douglas Grose, chief executive officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
“With a wealth of industry expertise in fab build-out and global operations, we now have the leadership team in place to create a cluster of semiconductor manufacturing and technology innovation in upstate New York that will bring the next wave of chip innovation to the marketplace.”
As vice president and general manager of Fab 2, Norm Armour has overall responsibility for the development and execution of the Fab 2 campus. Armour will manage the site’s overall strategic direction and focus on maximizing efficiency and agility to ensure Fab 2 meets or exceeds expectations for operations and customer service for a world-class semiconductor foundry.
With over 28 years of high-volume semiconductor fabrication and process and device engineering experience, Armour brings a deep background in fab operations and leadership to GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Armour joins GLOBALFOUNDRIES from Applied Materials, where he served as vice president of fab consulting.
In that role, Armour led a team of manufacturing experts responsible for providing fab consulting services to customers in the areas of fab productivity, product yield, factory systems, and environmental services.
Prior to his work with Applied Materials, Armour served as vice president and general manager for LSI Logic’s Gresham operations, where he successfully ramped the new fab into high-volume manufacturing and achieved best-in-class factory systems and industry-leading metrics in cycle time, line yield, defect density, and ASIC/SOC die cost.
Armour also spent six years at AMD as director of operations -- first at Fab 10 and then Fab 25 in Austin, Texas -- and participated in the initial programming of AMD’s Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany (now GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 1). Armour holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Southern Methodist University in Texas and is relocating to upstate New York from his current home in California.
Eric Choh brings more than 30 years of semiconductor industry experience to his new role and joins GLOBALFOUNDRIES from AMD. Reporting to Norm Armour as vice president of operations, Choh will be in charge of the day-to-day operations, including the start-up and ramp activities, technology implementation and qualification, and production output of Fab 2.
Since joining AMD in 1993, Choh has played key leadership roles and made significant contributions to both wafer fab operations and technology development. Choh was a member of the Fab 25 start-up team in Austin, Texas and served as director of operations from start-up to full ramp at Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany.
Most recently, as vice president of Advanced Process Development, Choh was responsible for driving new process module development activities with IBM Alliance partners to support overall technology and product requirements. Choh holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota and plans to relocate to upstate New York from his current home in California.
The site development work for construction of Fab 2 began on Monday, June 15 and the official groundbreaking ceremony is being planned for July.
Once constructed, Fab 2 is expected to be the world’s most advanced semiconductor foundry, creating more than 1,200 new direct jobs plus an additional 5,000 spin-off jobs in the region.
“Norm and Eric bring a wealth of semiconductor manufacturing experience to GLOBALFOUNDRIES and will play critical leadership roles as we build and operate the most sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world,” said Douglas Grose, chief executive officer, GLOBALFOUNDRIES.
“With a wealth of industry expertise in fab build-out and global operations, we now have the leadership team in place to create a cluster of semiconductor manufacturing and technology innovation in upstate New York that will bring the next wave of chip innovation to the marketplace.”
As vice president and general manager of Fab 2, Norm Armour has overall responsibility for the development and execution of the Fab 2 campus. Armour will manage the site’s overall strategic direction and focus on maximizing efficiency and agility to ensure Fab 2 meets or exceeds expectations for operations and customer service for a world-class semiconductor foundry.
With over 28 years of high-volume semiconductor fabrication and process and device engineering experience, Armour brings a deep background in fab operations and leadership to GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Armour joins GLOBALFOUNDRIES from Applied Materials, where he served as vice president of fab consulting.
In that role, Armour led a team of manufacturing experts responsible for providing fab consulting services to customers in the areas of fab productivity, product yield, factory systems, and environmental services.
Prior to his work with Applied Materials, Armour served as vice president and general manager for LSI Logic’s Gresham operations, where he successfully ramped the new fab into high-volume manufacturing and achieved best-in-class factory systems and industry-leading metrics in cycle time, line yield, defect density, and ASIC/SOC die cost.
Armour also spent six years at AMD as director of operations -- first at Fab 10 and then Fab 25 in Austin, Texas -- and participated in the initial programming of AMD’s Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany (now GLOBALFOUNDRIES Fab 1). Armour holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Southern Methodist University in Texas and is relocating to upstate New York from his current home in California.
Eric Choh brings more than 30 years of semiconductor industry experience to his new role and joins GLOBALFOUNDRIES from AMD. Reporting to Norm Armour as vice president of operations, Choh will be in charge of the day-to-day operations, including the start-up and ramp activities, technology implementation and qualification, and production output of Fab 2.
Since joining AMD in 1993, Choh has played key leadership roles and made significant contributions to both wafer fab operations and technology development. Choh was a member of the Fab 25 start-up team in Austin, Texas and served as director of operations from start-up to full ramp at Fab 30 in Dresden, Germany.
Most recently, as vice president of Advanced Process Development, Choh was responsible for driving new process module development activities with IBM Alliance partners to support overall technology and product requirements. Choh holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota and plans to relocate to upstate New York from his current home in California.
The site development work for construction of Fab 2 began on Monday, June 15 and the official groundbreaking ceremony is being planned for July.
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
GLOBALFOUNDRIES details advanced technology for 22nm and beyond
SUNNYVALE, USA & KYOTO, JAPAN: GLOBALFOUNDRIES described an innovative technology that could overcome one of the key hurdles to advancing high-k metal gate (HKMG) transistors, bringing the industry one step closer to the next generation of mobile devices with more computing power and vastly improved battery life.
The semiconductor industry is celebrated for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to continue the trend toward smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient products. Performed in partnership with IBM through GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ participation in the IBM Technology Alliance, the new research is designed to enable the continued scaling of semiconductor components to the 22nm node and beyond.
At the 2009 Symposium on VLSI Technology in Kyoto, Japan, GLOBALFOUNDRIES reported the first demonstration of a technique that allows the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) in a high-k metal gate (HKMG) transistor to scale down to well beyond the level required for the 22nm node, while maintaining a combination of low leakage, low threshold voltages, and superior carrier mobility.
“HKMG is a critical component of GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ technology roadmap,” said Gregg Bartlett, senior vice president of technology and research and development. “This development could eventually provide customers with another tool to enhance the performance of their products, particularly in the fast-growing market for ultra-portable notebooks and smartphones with extended battery life. In conjunction with IBM and the alliance partners, we are tapping our global knowledge base to develop advanced technologies that will allow our customers to stay at the leading edge of semiconductor manufacturing.”
To maintain the switching precision of a HKMG transistor, the EOT of the high-k oxide layer must be reduced. However, reducing the EOT increases the leakage current, which can contribute to an increase in the power consumption of a microchip.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES and IBM have developed a new technique that overcomes this barrier, demonstrating for the first time that EOT scaling to well beyond the 22nm node can be achieved while maintaining the necessary combination of leakage, threshold voltages, and carrier mobility. The results were successfully demonstrated through fabrication of an n-MOSFET device with EOT of 0.55nm and a p-MOSFET with EOT of 0.7nm.
The semiconductor industry is celebrated for overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to continue the trend toward smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient products. Performed in partnership with IBM through GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ participation in the IBM Technology Alliance, the new research is designed to enable the continued scaling of semiconductor components to the 22nm node and beyond.
At the 2009 Symposium on VLSI Technology in Kyoto, Japan, GLOBALFOUNDRIES reported the first demonstration of a technique that allows the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) in a high-k metal gate (HKMG) transistor to scale down to well beyond the level required for the 22nm node, while maintaining a combination of low leakage, low threshold voltages, and superior carrier mobility.
“HKMG is a critical component of GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ technology roadmap,” said Gregg Bartlett, senior vice president of technology and research and development. “This development could eventually provide customers with another tool to enhance the performance of their products, particularly in the fast-growing market for ultra-portable notebooks and smartphones with extended battery life. In conjunction with IBM and the alliance partners, we are tapping our global knowledge base to develop advanced technologies that will allow our customers to stay at the leading edge of semiconductor manufacturing.”
To maintain the switching precision of a HKMG transistor, the EOT of the high-k oxide layer must be reduced. However, reducing the EOT increases the leakage current, which can contribute to an increase in the power consumption of a microchip.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES and IBM have developed a new technique that overcomes this barrier, demonstrating for the first time that EOT scaling to well beyond the 22nm node can be achieved while maintaining the necessary combination of leakage, threshold voltages, and carrier mobility. The results were successfully demonstrated through fabrication of an n-MOSFET device with EOT of 0.55nm and a p-MOSFET with EOT of 0.7nm.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
AMD welcomes GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ commitment to build semicon facility
SUNNYVALE, USA: AMD expressed support for the formal commitment by GLOBALFOUNDRIES to the State of New York for the construction of the Fab 2 project at the Luther Forest Technology Campus (LFTC).
Once completed, the project is expected to create more than 6,400 direct and indirect jobs in the region. The project represents the largest public-private sector industrial investment in New York State history and upon completion will be the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world.
“AMD decided in 2006 to bring a state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility to upstate New York because we knew that the region is an ideal location to produce the most advanced semiconductor products,” said Dirk Meyer, president and CEO, AMD.
“Today’s formal commitment by our joint venture GLOBALFOUNDRIES fulfills AMD’s vision. We look forward to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the United States as a result of the culmination of a vision that we have shared with the people of New York,” he added.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a semiconductor manufacturing company by a joint venture between AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) on March 2, 2009.
Once completed, the project is expected to create more than 6,400 direct and indirect jobs in the region. The project represents the largest public-private sector industrial investment in New York State history and upon completion will be the most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility in the world.
“AMD decided in 2006 to bring a state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facility to upstate New York because we knew that the region is an ideal location to produce the most advanced semiconductor products,” said Dirk Meyer, president and CEO, AMD.
“Today’s formal commitment by our joint venture GLOBALFOUNDRIES fulfills AMD’s vision. We look forward to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the United States as a result of the culmination of a vision that we have shared with the people of New York,” he added.
GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a semiconductor manufacturing company by a joint venture between AMD and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) on March 2, 2009.
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
T-RAM, GLOBALFOUNDRIES to develop application of T-RAM’s thyristor-RAM embedded memory
MILPITAS, USA: T-RAM Semiconductor Inc. (T-RAM) and GLOBALFOUNDRIES have entered into a joint development agreement targeted toward the application of T-RAM’s thyristor-RAM embedded memory to advanced technology nodes.
Gregg Bartlett, Senior Vice President of Technology and R&D at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, said: “We are pleased to be jointly developing T-RAM memory for 32nm and 22nm technologies. T-RAM’s embedded memory technology shows a great deal of potential for use in low-power, high-performance dense cache applications for advanced technology nodes.”
Sam Nakib, President and CEO of T-RAM, added: “We are excited about working with GLOBALFOUNDRIES on the next generation embedded memory technology. T-RAM has successfully completed extensive development of the Thyristor-RAM technology and has delivered a fully manufacturable and robust memory solution with proven yield, reliability, and low-cost of integration in earlier technology nodes.
"We believe that GLOBALFOUNDRIES and their customers’ products provide a great opportunity to further develop and show-case T-RAM’s significant performance and economic advantages. T-RAM’s revolutionary Thyristor-RAM memory technology provides the highest combination of density and performance among all embedded memory technology candidates, and avoids the fundamental scalability challenges that face 6T-SRAM and other FET-based memory cells.”
Gregg Bartlett, Senior Vice President of Technology and R&D at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, said: “We are pleased to be jointly developing T-RAM memory for 32nm and 22nm technologies. T-RAM’s embedded memory technology shows a great deal of potential for use in low-power, high-performance dense cache applications for advanced technology nodes.”
Sam Nakib, President and CEO of T-RAM, added: “We are excited about working with GLOBALFOUNDRIES on the next generation embedded memory technology. T-RAM has successfully completed extensive development of the Thyristor-RAM technology and has delivered a fully manufacturable and robust memory solution with proven yield, reliability, and low-cost of integration in earlier technology nodes.
"We believe that GLOBALFOUNDRIES and their customers’ products provide a great opportunity to further develop and show-case T-RAM’s significant performance and economic advantages. T-RAM’s revolutionary Thyristor-RAM memory technology provides the highest combination of density and performance among all embedded memory technology candidates, and avoids the fundamental scalability challenges that face 6T-SRAM and other FET-based memory cells.”
Monday, 27 April 2009
GLOBALFOUNDRIES appoints new technology leader
SUNNYVALE, USA: GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the new leading-edge semiconductor foundry company formed by a joint venture between AMD and Advanced Technology Investment Co. (ATIC), announced the appointment of Gregg Bartlett as senior vice president of technology and research and development.
The move underscores GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ commitment to driving innovation in advanced process technology and providing chip designers with the resources to enhance the performance and efficiency of their products.
Bartlett comes to GLOBALFOUNDRIES with 25 years of experience in technical and management positions at Freescale Semiconductor and its predecessor, Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector. He succeeds Craig Sander, the R&D leader during the initial launch of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Sander will now be handling a number of special projects, reporting directly to company CEO Doug Grose.
“Gregg brings a wealth of experience in both the collaborative development of advanced technology and its application to a variety of products,” said Grose, chief executive officer of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “He also understands what it takes to transition from an internal supply chain to an independent, customer-focused company. Under Gregg’s stewardship, GLOBALFOUNDRIES will work to extend its technology leadership, raising the bar for the entire foundry industry and continuing to push semiconductor technology at the leading edge.”
Bartlett will relocate from Austin to upstate New York, where he will oversee GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ collaborative R&D activities with the IBM Alliance for industry-leading low-power and high-performance semiconductor process technology.
“The semiconductor industry is poised to greatly increase its reliance on foundries,” Bartlett said. “Yet this business model will succeed only if independent foundries can innovate and develop the most advanced technologies. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is just the catalyst to make this happen. For someone passionate about technology and bringing the right people together to move it forward, I can’t think of a better place to be.”
Bartlett most recently served as vice president of design technology at Freescale Semiconductor. His tenure emphasized collaborative R&D efforts, including representation of Freescale in the IBM Alliance and the Crolles 2 Alliance in Europe. He is the board chairman for the Semiconductor Research Corporation and a member of the Semiconductor Industry Association’s Technology Steering Committee, among others. Bartlett holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Kansas State University.
The move underscores GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ commitment to driving innovation in advanced process technology and providing chip designers with the resources to enhance the performance and efficiency of their products.
Bartlett comes to GLOBALFOUNDRIES with 25 years of experience in technical and management positions at Freescale Semiconductor and its predecessor, Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector. He succeeds Craig Sander, the R&D leader during the initial launch of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. Sander will now be handling a number of special projects, reporting directly to company CEO Doug Grose.
“Gregg brings a wealth of experience in both the collaborative development of advanced technology and its application to a variety of products,” said Grose, chief executive officer of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “He also understands what it takes to transition from an internal supply chain to an independent, customer-focused company. Under Gregg’s stewardship, GLOBALFOUNDRIES will work to extend its technology leadership, raising the bar for the entire foundry industry and continuing to push semiconductor technology at the leading edge.”
Bartlett will relocate from Austin to upstate New York, where he will oversee GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ collaborative R&D activities with the IBM Alliance for industry-leading low-power and high-performance semiconductor process technology.
“The semiconductor industry is poised to greatly increase its reliance on foundries,” Bartlett said. “Yet this business model will succeed only if independent foundries can innovate and develop the most advanced technologies. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is just the catalyst to make this happen. For someone passionate about technology and bringing the right people together to move it forward, I can’t think of a better place to be.”
Bartlett most recently served as vice president of design technology at Freescale Semiconductor. His tenure emphasized collaborative R&D efforts, including representation of Freescale in the IBM Alliance and the Crolles 2 Alliance in Europe. He is the board chairman for the Semiconductor Research Corporation and a member of the Semiconductor Industry Association’s Technology Steering Committee, among others. Bartlett holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from Kansas State University.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009
AMD's response on cross-license deal with Intel!
Folks, as promised, here's the response from AMD on the ongoing cross-license affair with Intel.
I posed the same set of questions I had for Intel, and AMD's spokesperson, Michael Silverman, very kindly sent me the replies.
Is this affair helping anyone?
So, if AMD and Intel were stick to their lines, will it help anyone?
Silverman said that AMD would be happy to make the entire agreement public if Intel drops its insistence on secrecy concerning its exclusionary business practices under the guise of confidentiality it has imposed on evidence in the US civil antitrust case. There is no commercial reason to have those documents under seal; it is simply a means for Intel to try to conceal its illegal behavior.
Now, AMD wants Intel to lift a demand that evidence submitted in its US antitrust suit against the chip maker be kept confidential. If it is a demand, why is it being raised?
According to the AMD spokesperson: "It is clear that global antitrust regulators are zeroing in on their illegal monopoly, with rulings against the company in Japan and Korea, and a Statement of Objections issued in Europe. Intel has so far failed to convince any regulatory body that has studied evidence obtained from Intel and its own customers that its business practices are lawful."
In exactly what specific manner, according to AMD, has Intel's actions violated the cross-license agreement?
AMD's response on this count is that the AMD-Intel cross-license agreement is a two-way agreement, the benefits of which go to both companies. "Intel leverages innovative AMD IP critical for its product designs under the cross license. This includes AMD patents related to 64-bit architecture extensions, integrated memory controller, multi-core architecture, etc.). The cross-license is very much a two-way street. In fact, we informed Intel that their attempt to terminate AMD’s license itself constitutes a breach of the cross-license agreement, which, if uncured, gives AMD the right to terminate Intel’s license."
Again, an Intel spokesman had said it was willing to make the agreement made public, but said AMD prevented this from happening. What's the mystery?
Silverman said: "It was actually AMD that made the redacted version of the cross-license agreement public to begin with -– not Intel, so we reject this notion out-of-hand. AMD would be happy to make the entire agreement public if Intel drops its insistence on secrecy concerning its exclusionary business practices under the guise of confidentiality it has imposed on evidence in the US civil antitrust case. There is no commercial reason to have those documents under seal; it is simply a means for Intel to try to conceal its illegal behavior."
How is all this helping the industry?
Finally, how is this dueling over the license helping the global semiconductor industry? I don't see it helping anything at all!
Silverman added that Intel has manufactured this diversion as an attempt to distract attention from the increasing number of antitrust rulings against it around the world. "With a ruling from the European Commission and a US trial date looming, and investigations by the US FTC and NY Attorney General, the clock is ticking on Intel’s illegal practices -- and yet with its dominant monopoly position it still tries to stifle competitors.
"We believe that, ultimately, Intel will either decide on its own or be forced to cease abusing its monopoly power and allow natural market forces to occur. This would speed the pace of innovation, lower prices, and improve the lives of consumers everywhere."
Shake hands, guys
Right, this blog post is an attempt from my side to help Intel and AMD settle their differences, instead of consistently pointing fingers at each other. I personally have nothing to gain out of this, except a few readers who may wish to read this. It would really be great if these two very admirable companies could bury the hatchet and work out some sort of an agreement.
Intel has already expressed a desire to sit down and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license. I hope this happens, soon!
Following this, I hope I am, at some stage, able to conduct an event, where I can discuss global trends, with both AMD and Intel on the dias, along with many others from the global semiconductor industry.
My request to both AMD and Intel: please take off those gloves and shake hands! :)
I posed the same set of questions I had for Intel, and AMD's spokesperson, Michael Silverman, very kindly sent me the replies.
Is this affair helping anyone?
So, if AMD and Intel were stick to their lines, will it help anyone?
Silverman said that AMD would be happy to make the entire agreement public if Intel drops its insistence on secrecy concerning its exclusionary business practices under the guise of confidentiality it has imposed on evidence in the US civil antitrust case. There is no commercial reason to have those documents under seal; it is simply a means for Intel to try to conceal its illegal behavior.
Now, AMD wants Intel to lift a demand that evidence submitted in its US antitrust suit against the chip maker be kept confidential. If it is a demand, why is it being raised?
According to the AMD spokesperson: "It is clear that global antitrust regulators are zeroing in on their illegal monopoly, with rulings against the company in Japan and Korea, and a Statement of Objections issued in Europe. Intel has so far failed to convince any regulatory body that has studied evidence obtained from Intel and its own customers that its business practices are lawful."
In exactly what specific manner, according to AMD, has Intel's actions violated the cross-license agreement?
AMD's response on this count is that the AMD-Intel cross-license agreement is a two-way agreement, the benefits of which go to both companies. "Intel leverages innovative AMD IP critical for its product designs under the cross license. This includes AMD patents related to 64-bit architecture extensions, integrated memory controller, multi-core architecture, etc.). The cross-license is very much a two-way street. In fact, we informed Intel that their attempt to terminate AMD’s license itself constitutes a breach of the cross-license agreement, which, if uncured, gives AMD the right to terminate Intel’s license."
Again, an Intel spokesman had said it was willing to make the agreement made public, but said AMD prevented this from happening. What's the mystery?
Silverman said: "It was actually AMD that made the redacted version of the cross-license agreement public to begin with -– not Intel, so we reject this notion out-of-hand. AMD would be happy to make the entire agreement public if Intel drops its insistence on secrecy concerning its exclusionary business practices under the guise of confidentiality it has imposed on evidence in the US civil antitrust case. There is no commercial reason to have those documents under seal; it is simply a means for Intel to try to conceal its illegal behavior."
How is all this helping the industry?
Finally, how is this dueling over the license helping the global semiconductor industry? I don't see it helping anything at all!
Silverman added that Intel has manufactured this diversion as an attempt to distract attention from the increasing number of antitrust rulings against it around the world. "With a ruling from the European Commission and a US trial date looming, and investigations by the US FTC and NY Attorney General, the clock is ticking on Intel’s illegal practices -- and yet with its dominant monopoly position it still tries to stifle competitors.
"We believe that, ultimately, Intel will either decide on its own or be forced to cease abusing its monopoly power and allow natural market forces to occur. This would speed the pace of innovation, lower prices, and improve the lives of consumers everywhere."
Shake hands, guys
Right, this blog post is an attempt from my side to help Intel and AMD settle their differences, instead of consistently pointing fingers at each other. I personally have nothing to gain out of this, except a few readers who may wish to read this. It would really be great if these two very admirable companies could bury the hatchet and work out some sort of an agreement.
Intel has already expressed a desire to sit down and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license. I hope this happens, soon!
Following this, I hope I am, at some stage, able to conduct an event, where I can discuss global trends, with both AMD and Intel on the dias, along with many others from the global semiconductor industry.
My request to both AMD and Intel: please take off those gloves and shake hands! :)
Monday, 23 March 2009
Intel keen on discussing license with GlobalFoundries!
Friends, I am very pleased to report that Intel has expressed a desire to sit down and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license! Now, it is up to AMD to take up Intel's offer and sort this out, once and for all!
This is possibly the best news coming out as far as the Intel-AMD cross-license affair is concerned. Isn't it?
I did promise that I'll bring you the responses from Intel and AMD. Intel's spokesperson very kindly replied to all of my queries!
Right, I had asked both that if AMD and Intel stick to their lines, Let's Make the Cross-license Deal Public... Will this help anyone?
According to Intel, it will help the public, the press and investors have a clearer understanding of the terms of the cross-license and in particular, why Intel believes AMD is in breach of that agreement.
I also asked them, rather bluntly, how their fracas was really helping the global semiconductor industry! To this point, Intel replied: "Our view is that AMD has a license agreement with Intel. Cross-licensing has long been a cornerstone of this industry. However, given the value of the IP assets at stake, we must continue to protect our IP and we do not believe that AMD can transfer those assets to a third party without the consent of Intel. We would be happy to sit down and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license. However, we cannot do so until AMD and GlobalFoundries acknowledge our rights under the agreement."
Protective order
Now, AMD wants Intel to lift a demand that the evidence submitted in its US antitrust suit against the chip maker be kept confidential. What is this all about? If it is a demand, why is it being raised?
According to Intel, this is a red herring! "That case has nothing to do with this contract. AMD knows very well that the information in the US antitrust case is confidential under a protective order signed by the Court. AMD was part of the process of drafting that protective order and knows very well that Intel cannot change it nor can AMD."
Why is it also being said that Intel's actions have violated the cross-license agreement? The Intel spokesperson said that AMD's theory is that Intel has breached the agreement by implementing the dispute resolution process outlined in the cross-license agreement. That is not what the agreement says. If AMD is right, then there is no dispute resolution process, which is not the case.
An Intel spokesman had earlier said that the company was willing to make the agreement made public, but said AMD prevented this from happening. I asked Intel to clear its side.
Bound by agreement
Here's Intel’s response: "In 2001 or 2002, AMD published a redacted (partial) agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Portions of the agreement are related directly to this dispute, and Intel has suggested multiple times that the entire agreement be published to provide the clarity outlined above. AMD has refused. Intel is bound by that agreement and can’t unilaterally make the rest of the agreement public."
Quite interesting responses from Intel! Now, I await AMD's replies.
At the end of the day, all differences should be kept aside, especially during this recession. I am sure, both of these wonderful companies can come to some sort of an agreement and find a way forward for the overall good of the global semiconductor industry.
I know this is not an easy matter, rather, it is quite complicated. However, I feel there's a way out of each and every problem!
Intel has now extended its request to GlobalFoundries, and AMD, to sit across the table and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license. It is sincerely hoped that the two companies can come to some sort of arrangement. There's no point in making claims and counter-claims through the media, or any other way!
This is possibly the best news coming out as far as the Intel-AMD cross-license affair is concerned. Isn't it?
I did promise that I'll bring you the responses from Intel and AMD. Intel's spokesperson very kindly replied to all of my queries!
Right, I had asked both that if AMD and Intel stick to their lines, Let's Make the Cross-license Deal Public... Will this help anyone?
According to Intel, it will help the public, the press and investors have a clearer understanding of the terms of the cross-license and in particular, why Intel believes AMD is in breach of that agreement.
I also asked them, rather bluntly, how their fracas was really helping the global semiconductor industry! To this point, Intel replied: "Our view is that AMD has a license agreement with Intel. Cross-licensing has long been a cornerstone of this industry. However, given the value of the IP assets at stake, we must continue to protect our IP and we do not believe that AMD can transfer those assets to a third party without the consent of Intel. We would be happy to sit down and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license. However, we cannot do so until AMD and GlobalFoundries acknowledge our rights under the agreement."
Protective order
Now, AMD wants Intel to lift a demand that the evidence submitted in its US antitrust suit against the chip maker be kept confidential. What is this all about? If it is a demand, why is it being raised?
According to Intel, this is a red herring! "That case has nothing to do with this contract. AMD knows very well that the information in the US antitrust case is confidential under a protective order signed by the Court. AMD was part of the process of drafting that protective order and knows very well that Intel cannot change it nor can AMD."
Why is it also being said that Intel's actions have violated the cross-license agreement? The Intel spokesperson said that AMD's theory is that Intel has breached the agreement by implementing the dispute resolution process outlined in the cross-license agreement. That is not what the agreement says. If AMD is right, then there is no dispute resolution process, which is not the case.
An Intel spokesman had earlier said that the company was willing to make the agreement made public, but said AMD prevented this from happening. I asked Intel to clear its side.
Bound by agreement
Here's Intel’s response: "In 2001 or 2002, AMD published a redacted (partial) agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Portions of the agreement are related directly to this dispute, and Intel has suggested multiple times that the entire agreement be published to provide the clarity outlined above. AMD has refused. Intel is bound by that agreement and can’t unilaterally make the rest of the agreement public."
Quite interesting responses from Intel! Now, I await AMD's replies.
At the end of the day, all differences should be kept aside, especially during this recession. I am sure, both of these wonderful companies can come to some sort of an agreement and find a way forward for the overall good of the global semiconductor industry.
I know this is not an easy matter, rather, it is quite complicated. However, I feel there's a way out of each and every problem!
Intel has now extended its request to GlobalFoundries, and AMD, to sit across the table and negotiate with GlobalFoundries about a license. It is sincerely hoped that the two companies can come to some sort of arrangement. There's no point in making claims and counter-claims through the media, or any other way!
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