Globalfoundries already finding potential customers in Japan and Taiwan: Q&A with CEO Doug Grose
Claire Sung, Taipei; Jessie Shen, DIGITIMES [Wednesday 25 March 2009]
Globalfoundries, the spin-off of AMD's former manufacturing operations, is working to build its customer base in Taiwan and Japan, according to company CEO Doug Grose. Grose, who visited Taiwan on March 24, said in an interview with Digitimes that Globalfoundries will initially focus on 45nm production, and schedules to transition to the 32nm- and 22nm-class nodes by 2012.
Q: Can you talk about the motivations of Globalfoundries' capacity expansion plans for 2009 in light of the current economy?
A: Globalfoundries believes now is a good time to build our order volumes as well as hunt for new talent. We are stepping up progress on developing a strong business infrastructure and are gearing up for the next semiconductor cycle which will follow the reversal of the current economic downturn. Wafer manufacturing services is a business that should see constant expansion over the long term since IDMs are likely to gradually pull-back from investment in advanced process technologies.
For 2009, Globalfoundries has scheduled to implement second phase capacity expansion at our Module 2 facilities (formerly Fab 38) in Dresden, Germany. We also plan to break ground on the 12-inch fab at the Luther Forest Technology Campus (LFTC) in Saratoga County, New York, in the middle of the year. Meanwhile, constructing a new fab in the Asia Pacific could also be an option. Our goal is to enter 32nm production by the end of 2009, with a combined capacity of 50,000 wafers per month.
Q: In addition to major contributions from AMD, are you also seeking other clients?
A: We are paying particular attention to potential customers in Japan and Taiwan.
We are focused on technologies for the 45nm node and beyond, and are developing both SOI technology and Bulk CMOS technology. The strength of Globalfoundries' process nodes can be seen in low-power (LP), general-purpose (GP) and high-power (HP) platforms. Our target to meet time-to-market goals and mass production is aimed at tying up with large-size IDMs and IC design houses. We are currently negotiating with some potential customers.
Q: How do you see the Intel-TSMC strategic partnership on Atom-core system-on-chip (SoC) designs affecting Globalfoundries?
A: We are a close collaborator with ARM and intend to remain neutral and open to individual applications and various customers who have their own expertise.
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