AMD buys into Fujitsu plant

LOCAL NEWSPAPER The Oregonian reported that AMD will take a 50 per cent stake in a Fujitsu plant in Gresham, Oregon.

That is likely to bring a sigh of relief to Fujitsu employees at the fab, who had feared for their jobs after the Japanese outfit said yesterday that it was to lay off 16,400 staff worldwide.

There are 900 employees in Gresham, and the fab produces flash memory. AMD and Fujitsu are involved in a joint venture to produce flash.

According to the newspaper, AMD may take a more active role in managing the fab too.

Currently, the fab is working at under half capacity but flash memory will be one of the first semiconductor types to recover when the IT sector regains momentum.

There had been suggestions only a few weeks back that AMD might take over the Gresham plant, but that was denied by representatives at the firm. µ