Globalfoundries' $3 billion plan to feed appetite for chips



Globalfoundries, the Abu Dhabi-owned microchip company, plans to pump $3 billion into its manufacturing plants this year.

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The majority of the investment will be spent on new tools, research and development at the firm's microprocessor plants in New York, Singapore and Germany.

Only a fraction of the money will be spent in Abu Dhabi, following a delay to plans to build a Globalfoundries factory in the UAE capital.

"Globalfoundries plans to invest roughly $3 billion in 2012 to meet customer and technology demand," Ajit Manocha, the chief executive of Globalfoundries, told The National.

It is believed that much of this expenditure will be at the Globalfoundries new microprocessor-fabrication plant - or fab - in New York state.

But only a small portion of the Globalfoundries investment this year will go towards planning a fab in Abu Dhabi.

Construction on the plant was scheduled to begin this year, but Globalfoundries said last November the work has been postponed.

Mr Manocha did not provide an update on when construction on the Abu Dhabi plant may begin.

Abu Dhabi's Advanced Technology Investment Company (Atic) owns more than 90 per cent of Globalfoundries.

Atic is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development, a strategic investment company owned by the Abu Dhabi Government.

bflanagan@thenational.ae

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