GlobalFoundries nabs STMicro as customer

AMD's manufacturing spinoff GlobalFoundries has secured its first external customer, the company announced Wednesday.

STMicroelectronics has appointed the company to produce products based on 40-nanometer LP (low power) bulk silicon technology, GlobalFoundries said in a statement. First tapeout and production will commence next year, the chip manufacturer added.

"When we launched GlobalFoundries, our long-term vision was to bring a new business model to the foundry market and to become the partner of choice for the largest and most innovative semiconductor design and manufacturing companies," GlobalFoundries CEO Doug Grose said in the statement. "With the addition of an industry-leader in low-power technology like STMicroelectronics, we now begin to deliver on this vision."

According to GlobalFoundries, the 40nm LP process is suited for next-generation wireless applications, handheld devices and consumer electronics, which pose demands on performance and battery life.

GlobalFoundries currently manufactures chips out of its Dresden, Germany facility known as Fab 1. It recently broke ground on Fab 2, a US$4.2 billion site in Malta, New York. The new facility is expected to be completed by July 2011, with full-scale manufacturing scheduled for 2012.