Globalfoundries vs TSMC competition heating up

The silicon foundry rivals are separately expanding their process offerings and services for customers, but they have different strategies to knock each other off from their respective perches.

For example, Globalfoundries has a high-k/metal-gate only offering for the gate stack at 28-nm. In contrast, TSMC is offering both a high-k/metal-gate and polysilicon gate-stack options at the node. TSMC is pushing hard for 450-mm fabs. Globalfoundries and other members of IBM Corp.’s ''fab club’’ have been less vocal about 450-mm.

Globalfoundries, TSMC, and, of course, Intel Corp., also have slightly different strategies in lithography, which is a big factor in scaling to bring products to market. At the SPIE event this week, Intel elaborated on its lithography strategy. Intel sees extreme ultraviolet (EUV) as its primary option for next-generation lithography (NGL). Maskless remains an option at Intel.