Global Foundries and Qualcomm tie up

AMD'S FAB SPINOFF Global Foundries and Qualcomm have entered into a collaboration agreement that will see them work on leading edge technologies.

From the outset Global Foundries will give Qualcomm access to its 45nm through 28nm low power technologies in the hope of producing more advanced process nodes, the firms explained.

"As our customers increasingly demand more performance, lower power, functionality and portability in their mobile experiences, the need for a strong manufacturing and technology foundation is more important than ever before," said Jim Clifford, senior vice president and general manager of operations, Qualcomm. "With its manufacturing capacity and technology roadmap, Globalfoundries is well positioned to help us enable the next generation of wireless innovation."

The real fruits of the deal are expected to be found in wireless technologies and handheld smartbook devices the firms added. Douglas Grose, CEO of Global Foundries explained, "By bringing the benefits of a leading-edge IDM model to the foundry world, we provide customers with the fastest option to get advanced products to market in volume and at mature yield. We're pleased to have an opportunity to collaborate with a market leader like Qualcomm as they enable new classes of wireless products and technologies for the future."

The companies also intend to explore other areas for collaboration such as die-package interaction and 3D packaging technologies. µ