Globalfoundries hopes to score 14nm orders from Qualcomm and Apple

DigiTimes writes GlobalFoundries is vying for 14nm chip orders from Apple and Qualcomm to expand its business. The report mentions TSMC is likely to maintain its pricing while Samsung and GlobalFoundries could drop their prices for 14nm FinFET production to capture marketshare.

TSMC is by far world's largest IC foundry, in 2013 the company pulled in sales of $19.85 billion, more than the combined revenue of all other top 10 foundries.

Globalfoundries has successfully obtained 14nm chip orders from AMD, previously the parent company of the foundry, said the sources. AMD also has 20nm and 28nm chips made at Globalfoundries.

Qualcomm has placed 14nm chip orders with Samsung Electronics, and has also contracted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using the Taiwan foundry's 16nm FinFET process to make its mobile chips, the sources indicated.

TSMC reportedly fabricates all of Apple's A8 chips using its 20nm process technology, but has failed to grab the entire orders for the upcoming A9. Previous reports cited industry sources as claiming that TSMC and Samsung would share the production of Apple's A9 chips using their respective 1Xnm FinFET process technologies.