Globalfoundries, a contract maker of semiconductors controlled by Advanced Technology Investment Company and Advanced Micro Devices, said that it would receive $3.5 billion in revenues in 2010. Such level of earnings will make Globalfoundries nearly as big as United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC), the world's second biggest contract maker of chips.

Industry analysts expect UMC's 2010 revenues to be in the range of $3.92 billion, which means that Globalfoundries will not be significantly behind its slightly larger rival. Still, both will remain considerably behind market leader Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), whose sales will likely exceed $10 billion.

Song-Hwee Chia, chief operating officer of Globalfoundries, said at a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan, that Globalfoundries has spent $2.7 billion in capex, reports DigiTimes web-site. The foundry originally set its full-year capex at $2.5-2.7 billion.

Globalfoundries also intends to expand monthly capacity at Fab 7 in Singapore to 50 000 of 300mm equivalent wafers in mid-2011 from 42 000 at present. Capacity at Fab 1 in Germany will be boosted to 45 000 300mm wafers a month around the end of 2011 and reach 80 000 units in 2012, compared to the current level of 30 000 units. After the Globalfoundries' upgrades become effective, the company would be able to produce 400 thousand 300mm wafers in 2012, up from 150 thousand wafers in early 2010.

Tags: Globalfoundries, Semiconductor, Business, TSMC, UMC