Journalist: As the world's second largest wafer producer, why did Global Foundries choose to establish a facility in Chengdu?

Sanjay: There are two major reasons. First, China is a very large market, and we want to build our production base here. Second, Chengdu has well-built infrastructure, skilled labor force and many advanced technology companies.

Journalist: In what areas will Global Foundries conduct cooperation with Chengdu?

Sanjay: There are also some other semiconductor companies and suppliers in the city. We are co-developing an ecosystem with Chengdu based on 22FDX, which involves different kinds of IPs, and EDA and design service companies. Global Foundries and the Chengdu city government will co-implement an action plan about building an integrated circuit ecosystem in the city, with an overall investment of over US$10 billion.

As far as I know, some customers in China intend to purchase our 22FDX chips. We will develop more customers and sell our chips on the global market, not just on the Chengdu market.

Journalist: What are the advantages of the 12-inch wafer? What areas can it be applied to?

Sanjay: With the most advanced technology, the 12-inch wafer, with a better control system, is at a low cost and highly automated. It can be widely applied to various areas, including the mobile terminal, the Internet of Things, smart devices, automotive electrical systems and 5G wireless network infrastructure. By now, the company has not planned to build similar or more advanced facilities in other cities around the world.

Journalist: Does Global Foundries have any plans for the next step?

Sanjay: In addition to the 22FDX project, the company is developing more advanced projects. Our concept is to bring technologies which adapt to Chinese customers' needs to the country. Currently, we are focusing on developing the 22 nm FD-SOI technology, and there is a boom of building the Internet of Things and Smarty City worldwide. With the establishment of the Chengdu plant, we will as always offer support for the sustainable development in these important markets.