CAPITAL REGION — On Aug. 27 GlobalFoundries, located in Malta, announced plans to “reshape it’s technology portfolio, and intensify focus on a growing demand for differentiated offerings” according to a press release.
On Aug. 28 GlobalFoundries notified the state’s Department of Labor that it will lay off 424 employees and that the expected date of the first separation of employees is Nov. 28 of this year. Typically a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) must be filed with the state and requires businesses to give early warning of closing and layoffs. According to the WARN GlobalFoundries filed, the reason for dislocation is noted as “shifting their technology development focus from advanced research to differentiated technologies.”
An additional 31 employees will be laid off at SUNY Polytechnic Institute research center in Albany, making total lay offs 455.
“Demand for semiconductors has never been higher, and clients are asking us to play an ever-increasing role in enabling tomorrow’s technology innovations,” Tom Caulfield said in a prepared statement. Caulfield is the CEO of GlobalFoundries and was appointed in March of this year.
“The vast majority of today’s fabless customers are looking to get more value out of each technology generation to leverage the substantial investments required to design into each technology node. Essentially, these nodes are transitioning to design platforms serving multiple waves of applications, giving each node greater longevity. This industry dynamic has resulted in fewer fabless clients designing into the outer limits of Moore’s Law. We are shifting our resources and focus by doubling down on our investments in differentiated technologies across our entire portfolio that are most relevant to our clients in growing market segments,” he added.
According to the press release “Lifting the burden of investing at the leading edge will allow GF to make more targeted investments in technologies that really matter to the majority of chip designers in fast-growing markets such as RF, IoT, 5G, industrial and automotive,” said Samuel Wang in a prepared statement. Wang is the research vice president at Gartner, a research company located in Stamford, CT.
“While the leading edge gets most of the headlines, fewer customers can afford the transition to 7nm and finer geometries. 14nm and above technologies will continue to be the important demand driver for the foundry business for many years to come. There is significant room for innovation on these nodes to fuel the next wave of technology.”
Steve Grasso, Senior Counsel at GlobalFoundries said, “we aren’t providing any further details on the regional impact. However, a significant number of our top technologists will be redeployed on our differentiated offerings, which include the 14/12nm derivatives that are made here in Malta.”
Gary Patton, Chief Technology Officer at GlobalFoundries is slated to deliver the opening keynote address at the inaugural GSA Silicon Summit – East, that will be held on Oct. 9 in Saratoga Springs. The event will promote collaboration and regional growth opportunities to advance semiconductor technology and business. Patton is responsible for GlobalFoundries’ semiconductor technology roadmap, operations and execution. His address will discuss “Market Drivers for Moore and Beyond Moore Semiconductor Technologies.”
