IBM芯片业务：GlobalFoundries愿买，美国愿卖么？

GlobalFoundries 或是手握大量资金的产油国阿布达比(Abu Dhabi)，近期内有没有可能买下IBM的芯片研发业务？如果可能，价格点又会落在哪里？ 在一份由 Future Horizons Ltd. 和 Decision SA 以欧洲发展 450mm 晶圆制造的未来为主题，提交给欧盟委员会的报告中， Future Horizons 写道，“我们假设，若 GlboalFoundries 打算并购 IBM 的半导体部门，那么， Hynix/美光(Micron)便会买下其它较小型的内存公司。” 不过，这个想法──即让阿布达比所有的GlobalFoundries去买下在美国拥有技术领导地位的业务，非常具争议性。 当被问及为何Future Horizons认为这会是一个有效的假设时，Future Horizons分析师Mike Bryant表示，根据他听到的传闻，目前可靠度够高的消息来源正在考虑这样做的可能后果。 从某些角度来看，此举确实言之有理。它符合IBM逐渐撤离硬件而朝软件和顾问业务转移的策略趋势，同时， GlobalFoundries 看起来也能自然地继承IBM在纽约的芯片业务。 事实上，IBM通用平台联盟(Common Platform Alliance)的家长式领导风格，在与合作伙伴 GlobalFoundries 和三星电子(Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)等伙伴协同作业时，已经显得越来越不合时宜。 时间拉回十多年前，为了发展芯片技术， IBM 建立了研发成本共享的模式。 IBM 至今仍是一家位在纽约East Fishkill的芯片制造商，对先进半导体研发贡献卓著，积极参与各个半导体相关组织。IBM早在上世纪90nm节点世代，就已实现了包括绝缘层上覆硅 (SOI)在内的多种制程技术创新。该公司还定期在IEDM上公开展示最新研发成果。 然而，IBM并未在市场上销售芯片，该公司与半导体伙伴密切合作，并将PC业务出售给联想(Lenovo)，这是IBM策略转型的几个重要步骤。 那么，为何IBM还必须为制程研发、超紫外光(EUV)微影技术和 450mm 晶圆支付庞大研发费用呢？ 以下是几个观察重点： 随着GlobalFoundries启用纽约Malta的Fab 8厂，加上其在芯片制造领域的悠久历史，要整合大量的IBM 研究员、研发资源、专利和位在纽约East Fishkill的300mm晶圆厂看来也颇合理。 其中一个症结可能会是价格。 中国的联想集团在2005年以17.5亿美元买下IBM的PC业务。不过，IBM的芯片业务和半导体研究部门会值多少？10亿美元会太多吗？20亿美元够不够？ 另外两个症结点，可能来自于美国国家安全和民族自豪感。 透过其投资决策与来自政府机关的支持，IBM已经协助振兴美国东北部，特别是纽约。该公司促成了GlobalFoundries、Sematech和全球 450联盟(Global 450 Consortium)等企业和机构落脚纽约。去年九月，IBM在纽约一项为期五年、挹注资金达44亿美元的先进芯片开发计划中，便贡献了36亿美元。 IBM的股东必须做出正确抉择，因为IBM正处在一个与美国策略目标高度相关的位置──无论是经济或先进芯片制造的相关策略方面。若IBM的芯片业务真的落到Abu Dhabi手中，则一切就都是未知数了。 本文授权编译自EE Times，版权所有，谢绝转载 编译： Joy Teng 本文下一页：参考英文原文：Will GlobalFoundries buy IBM's chip business?，by Peter Clarke

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{pagination} Will GlobalFoundries buy IBM's chip business? Peter Clarke Will GlobalFoundries Inc. or some other manifestation of the oil-rich state of Abu Dhabi, be buying the chip R&D and business interests of IBM any time soon? And what would be the price? Future Horizons Ltd. (Sevenoaks, England) has said it included the comment "We assume GlobalFoundries will purchase IBM’s semiconductor division and that Hynix/Micron will buy up the remaining smaller memory firms," in the conclusions of a report prepared by Future Horizons and Decision SA for the European Commission on the future of 450-mm wafer processing in Europe. The idea that GlobalFoundries – a foundry owned by an Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth vehicle – could buy significant chunk of American technology leadership is likely to be controversial. When asked why he thought the move was a valid assumption, Future Horizons analyst Mike Bryant, said he had heard rumors that discussions are taking place from enough reliable sources to consider the outcome likely. And the move would make sense in some ways. It is in-line with IBM's strategic retreat away from hardware and towards software and consultancy and GlobalFoundries looks like a natural inheritor of IBM chip interests in New York state. Indeed IBM's role as the paternalistic overseer of the Common Platform Alliance on process technology, alongside collaborators GlobalFoundries and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., looks increasingly anachronistic. It was over a decade ago that IBM established the model of sharing R&D costs to develop chip technology. IBM is still a manufacturer of chips at East Fishkill, New York, and contributes a great deal of advanced research to various semiconductor-related consortia and initiatives it is involved in. Since it started on the 90-nm node more than a decade ago it has fostered out a number of manufacturing processes and innovations including SOI. It has also been a regular source of presentations at leading conferences such as IEDM. But IBM does not sell chips on the open market and since it began its semiconductor collaborations it has sold off its PC business to Lenovo, as a key part of its strategic transformation. So why does IBM need to pay for research into manufacturing processes, extreme ultraviolet lithography, and 450-mm diameter wafers? Two or three sticking points With GlobalFoundries bringing up its Fab 8 in Malta, New York, and their long mutual history, it would make a great deal of sense to bundle up a lot of IBM's researchers, R&D, patents and its 300-mm wafer fab at East Fishkill and hand them over. One sticking point might be the price. China's Lenovo paid about $1.75 billion for IBM's PC business back in 2005. But at how much would you value IBM's chip business and semiconductor research? Is $1 billion too much? Is $2 billion not enough? Two other sticking points might be U.S. national security and national pride. Through its investment decisions and with public authority support IBM has helped revitalize the northeast of the United States and New York State in particular. It has helped to bring GlobalFoundries, Sematech, and the Global 450 Consortium to come and work in New York. Only last September IBM pledged to contribute $3.6 billion to a $4.4 billion five-year spend on the future of chipmaking, backed by the state of New York. While IBM must do the right thing by shareholders, it is in a position to co-operate with United States' strategic objectives, be they economic or related to the strategic ability to manufacture leading-edge chips. If IBM's chip business fell under the control of Abu Dhabi that would no longer be certain.