GLOBALFOUNDRIES Pivoting away from Bleeding Edge Technologies

By SemiWiki

August 28, 2018

It’s no secret that I have been a big fan of GLOBALFOUNDRIES since they came about in March of 2009. We even included them in our first book “Fabless: The Transformation of the Semiconductor Industry” right next to TSMC. I am also a big fan of pivoting which is the term we use here in Silicon Valley to describe some of the most innovative technology turnarounds. Apple going mobile is one of my favorite pivots, Nvidia is also a pivot master, Intel not so much. As a foundry connoisseur I knew most of the challenges GF would face but the challenges were much greater than even I expected, absolutely.

TSMC has always been a fierce competitor but the Apple partnership makes them unbeatable in my opinion. The new "node per year” cadence that Apple requires to launch new products every September has turned out to be a devastating pivot for the other foundries. Not only does it keep Apple ahead with bleeding edge silicon, it helps TSMC introduce new process technology ecosystems at a dizzying pace.

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