Chip-maker Intel is reportedly exploring a deal to acquire GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor company its rival AMD spun off a decade ago, for nearly $30 billion.
According to a report in The Wall Street Journal citing sources, “It isn’t guaranteed one (the deal) will come together, and GlobalFoundries could proceed with a planned initial public offering”.
Both GlobalFoundries and Intel (which have a market value of nearly $225 billion) have denied any such talks.
“We will decline to comment on rumor and speculation,” an Intel spokesperson told The Verge.
GlobalFoundries is owned by US-based Mubadala Investment Co, an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government.
Intel in March announced to invest $20 billion for two new manufacturing facilities in the US, along with plans to outsource more of its chip production to third-party foundries.
New Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger also unveiled a new branch of the company called Intel Foundry Services to become a major provider of foundry capacity in the US and Europe to serve customers globally.
The two new fabs (or factories) will be built in Arizona, located at the company’s Ocotillo campus. These fabs will support the increasing requirements of Intel’s current products and customers and provide committed capacity for foundry customers.
The Intel CEO expects Intel’s engagement with third-party foundries to grow and to include manufacturing for a range of modular tiles on advanced process technologies, including products at the core of Intel’s computing offerings for both client and data center segments beginning in 2023.
