Samsung and SK Hynix may be interested in buying GloblaFoundries

Building upon last week's rumor from DigiTimes about a potential sale of GlobalFoundries, Business Korea heard speculation that companies like Samsung and SK Hynix may be potential buyers. Chinese firms like SMIC are unlikely suitors due to geopolitical concerns:

At present, ATIC, a state-run enterprise of the United Arab Emirates, is the largest shareholder in Global Foundries with a shareholding of 90 percent. “Global Foundries is unlikely to be bought by a Chinese company such as SMIC in that the U.S. government is keeping China in check in various industries,” said an industry insider, adding, “The most potential candidates include South Korean companies such as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, and Samsung Electronics can increase its share in the market to 23 percent at once if it takes over Global Foundries.”

The site says GlobalFoundries is the third largest foundry in the world, with a marketshare of 8.4 percent. TMC is the largest with a marketshare of about 50 percent, and Samsung ranks second. GlobalFoundries became an independent company a decade ago as part of the divestiture of AMD's manufacturing arm. The foundry struggled to attract clients and has fallen behind TSMC and Samsung in the race to shrink its production technology.