GlobalFoundries Sells Off Photomask Assets to Toppan
by Anton Shilov on August 15, 2019 3:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Semiconductors
- GlobalFoundries
- Toppan
Following its decision to focus on specialized process technologies last August, GlobalFoundries has been consolidating its assets as well as selling off businesses and facilities that are not essential for its current strategy. To that end, this week the company announced that it had entered into an agreement to sell off its Fab 9’s photomask operations and IP to Toppan Photomasks. The latter will, in turn, provide photomask production services to GlobalFoundries in the coming years.
Under the terms of the agreement, Toppan Photomasks, a division of Toppan Printing Co., will acquire certain assets of GlobalFoundries’ photomask facility in Burlington, Vermont. The tools and technologies from the Fab 9 will be transferred to Advanced Mask Technology Center (AMTC), a joint venture between Toppan Photomasks and GlobalFoundries in Dresden, Germany; Toppan’s facility in Round Rock, Texas; and other locations the company owns worldwide.
Transfer of the photomask production equipment will enable GlobalFoundries to consolidate its Fab 9 floor space and potentially expand capacity available for production using specialized RF process technologies on 200-mm wafers. The contract maker of semiconductors claims that the transfer of photomask operations from the fab will have no impact on jobs and it will not fire any personnel.
In addition, the two companies announced a multi-year supply agreement in which Toppan will provide photomasks and related services to GlobalFoundries in the USA. Meanwhile, the chipmaker will continue to use AMTC in Dresden. In fact, the latter will gain capacity because of the new tools and will stenghten its positions in Europe.
Related Reading:
- Marvell to Acquire Avera Semiconductor from GlobalFoundries
- GlobalFoundries to Sell 300mm New York Fab to ON Semiconductor
- GlobalFoundries to Sell 200-mm Fab 3E to Vanguard, Exits MEMS Business
- AMD Amends Wafer Supply Agreement with GlobalFoundries: 7nm Freed, 12nm+ Targets Set Through 2021
- GlobalFoundries and Chinese Authorities Reconsider Plans
- GlobalFoundries Stops All 7nm Development: Opts To Focus on Specialized Processes
- Source: GlobalFoundries
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
20 Comments
View All Comments
DanNeely - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
Am I overly cynical for thinking that "The contract maker of semiconductors claims that the transfer of photomask operations from the fab will have no impact on jobs and it will not fire any personnel." means that while GF won't be firing anyone directly, the staff xfered to Toppan will either: Have their seniority reset to 0 making them more cheaply and easily sackable in the near future. Have their pay/benefits slashed to encourage them to quit, completely avoiding any severance expenses. Or both.Cullinaire - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
All your comment tells new is that you are prime senior management material. Take that as you will. :dyelped - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
That must be one of the funniest comments I read in a while.FunBunny2 - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
He's clearly a McKinsey graduate.DanNeely - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
Nothing even close, but I've read way to many articles about the sort of damage those sort of pointyhairs can do.I've also seen the xfer and slash pay/benefits thing in action at a prior employer who shoved the technical staff of a few projects that had labor costs above what the customer was willing to accept onto a low cost subsidiary. The plan blew up in the satisfactory fashion that everyone other than the idiots who came up with the idea foresaw: About half the designated victims declined the offer and were laid off with all their accumulated severance instead. The other half only agreed because they didn't want to risk not finding new jobs before their severance ran out; but all ended up leaving in a few months. At that point the projects were all dead in the water with no workers on them at all.
DanNeely - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
PS if I was from McKinsey it wouldn't be my cynicism suggesting the idea, but my supreme self-assurance about how doing so would be a brilliant idea with a bonus big enough to buy me a new yacht attached.s.yu - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
Everything is "Advanced", AMD heritage huh ;)Phynaz - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
AMD heritage: selling off everything you own until there is nothing left.Alexvrb - Thursday, August 15, 2019 - link
Shilly McShillerson!Phynaz - Friday, August 16, 2019 - link
Dumbass