AMD spun out its factories — GlobalFoundries turned them into a global specialty foundry
GlobalFoundries was created in 2009 when AMD separated its manufacturing operations into a new company backed by Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Investment Company.
The new foundry inherited AMD fabs in Germany and a customer relationship with AMD while pursuing outside semiconductor designers.
The early business looks very different from the company visible today. Following the milestones in order shows which decisions changed GlobalFoundries’s direction and which capabilities remained constant.
Chartered Semiconductor made the foundry global
GlobalFoundries acquired Singapore-based Chartered Semiconductor in 2010, adding major manufacturing capacity and customer relationships outside AMD.
The transaction mattered because it changed the shape of GlobalFoundries rather than simply adding revenue. It brought additional technology, customers, geographic reach or operating capability into the group and influenced the next stage of its strategy.
IBM Microelectronics added fabs, patents and process expertise
GlobalFoundries acquired IBM’s semiconductor manufacturing business in 2015, including facilities in New York and Vermont and important technology assets.
The transaction mattered because it changed the shape of GlobalFoundries rather than simply adding revenue. It brought additional technology, customers, geographic reach or operating capability into the group and influenced the next stage of its strategy.
The company stepped away from the leading-edge race
In 2018 GlobalFoundries halted development of its 7nm process, choosing to concentrate investment on differentiated and specialty technologies rather than compete directly with the most advanced TSMC and Samsung nodes.
This was an important turning point because it expanded what GlobalFoundries could offer or the markets it could address. The effect becomes clearer when viewed as part of the longer sequence of changes that followed.
The 2021 IPO funded capacity for mature and specialty chips
GlobalFoundries returned to public markets in 2021 while governments and customers placed greater value on geographically diverse semiconductor manufacturing.
For GlobalFoundries, access to public markets was more than a branding milestone. It increased financial transparency and created another route to fund expansion, acquisitions or long-term product development.
Leaving the leading edge created a different foundry strategy
As of 18 September 2026, globalFoundries now focuses on specialty processes used across automotive, communications, industrial and connected devices. Its strategic identity comes from manufacturing technologies that do not always require the smallest transistor node but do require reliability, RF or embedded features.
For readers following the brand today, the history explains why newer announcements often connect back to technology or business decisions made much earlier.
For TechnologyBlog.co.za, this page is intended to serve as the company-history cornerstone for future GlobalFoundries coverage, so product and company-news articles can link back to one factual brand background instead of repeating the full origin story.
Historical facts were checked against GlobalFoundries corporate history and public filings. Information reflects public material available on 18 September 2026. Official company identity cross-checked against https://gf.com.
