Thursday, July 30, 2009

Globalfoundries as an Emerging Competitor?

The announcement that ST will sign on as Globalfoundries' first major outside (i.e. non-AMD) customer (link) could be seen as a sign that the Big Four pureplays (TSMC, UMC, SMIC and Chartered) are headed towards an even more competitive foundry market. The speculation that ST is turning to Globalfoundries because ST was disappointed with TSMC's problems with 40nm technology reinforces the image of Globalfoundries as a serious competitor. I suspect the hype around the ST signing will prove to be just that and Globalfoundries will remain more of a niche player.

No comments: