DOCSLIB.ORG

2020 Corporate Responsibility Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2020 Corporate Responsibility Report TABLE OF CONTENTS 01 COMPANY PROFILE 08 COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND SUPPORT 02 CEO STATEMENT 09 SUSTAINABLE GF STAKEHOLDERS 03 MANUFACTURING AND CSR PRIORITIES RESPONSIBLE 10 04 GOVERNANCE SOURCING EMPLOYEE SAFETY 05 11 ABOUT THIS REPORT AND WELL-BEING SITE PROFILES TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS 12 06 Dresden, Singapore, Malta, FOR HUMANITY Burlington, East Fishkill 07 RESPECTFUL WORKPLACE – 13 GRI INDEX ENGAGEMENT, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION GLOBALFOUNDRIES | CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2020 BACK | MENU | NEXT 2 01 COMPANY PROFILE Semiconductor technology is not only central GF provides a unique combination of design While execution excellence remains our to our global economy, it’s at the heart of enablement, development and fabrication first operational priority, we are more than everything—laptop computers, noise-cancelling services for a range of high-growth markets. a manufacturer. We are the catalyst for earbuds, smartphones, data centers, and the With a manufacturing footprint spanning three growth in the industries we serve. With high-speed networks and multimedia tools that continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to one of the most diversified populations of enable video conferencing to help businesses meet the dynamic needs of customers across leading-edge scientists and technologists in and schools stay connected. As technology the globe. We partner with some of the world’s the semiconductor manufacturing industry, transformation continues to accelerate, it is most innovative companies to develop and we make possible the technologies and abundantly clear that the world’s reliance on produce the semiconductors that support the systems that transform industries. We are semiconductors will only further increase. world’s most vital needs. dedicated to being the best possible partner for our customers, delivering the expertise At GLOBALFOUNDRIES, we deliver the At GF, we are committed globally to ethical and insights to help position them as the differentiated feature-rich solutions that enable and responsible business practices, the leaders in their markets. Our target markets our customers to develop these innovative well-being of our employees, and supply chain include Automotive, Industrial and Multi- products. and environmental stewardship. Corporate market, Mobile and Wireless Infrastructure, Responsibility is fundamental to our culture Computing and Wired Infrastructure, and and our value proposition to our customers, the Aerospace and Defense. communities in which we live and do business, and our full range of global stakeholders. GLOBALFOUNDRIES | CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2020 BACK | MENU | NEXT 3 01 COMPANY PROFILE Today, GF operates manufacturing facilities in 2019 marked the tenth anniversary of the founding of GF. As we enter our second decade, Dresden, Germany; Malta and East Fishkill, New the company has grown and evolved to become the world’s leading specialty foundry. During York; Burlington, Vermont; and Singapore. All 2019, we made significant progress in our strategy to optimize our global manufacturing of our manufacturing facilities have the highest footprint and to address the growing demand for differentiated solutions. level of quality certification and are dedicated to the GF “zero excursion, zero defect” mission. ° In April 2019, we announced the launch ° In December 2019, we transferred own- of our strategic partnership with ON ership of Fab 3E in Tampines, Singapore GF’s corporate offices are in Santa Clara, Semiconductor, through which GF will to Vanguard International Semiconductor California (Silicon Valley) with a global network transfer ownership of our Fab 10 facility in (VIS), while maintaining fab operations at of R&D, design enablement, and customer East Fishkill, NY to ON at the end of 2022. our campus in Woodlands, Singapore. support operations (please refer to the map ° In November 2019, we completed the ° In December 2019, GF acquired the PDK “Company Locations”). sale of Avera Semi, LLC, our former ASIC (Process Design Kit) engineering team (Application-specific Integrated Circuit) from Smartcom Bulgaria AD in Sofia, subsidiary to Marvell Semiconductor. Bulgaria, expanding GF’s worldwide Design Enablement capacity. GLOBALFOUNDRIES | CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2020 BACK | MENU | NEXT 4 01 COMPANY PROFILE In 2019 and into early 2020, GF has been recognized for exceptional CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and EHS (Environmental, Health and Safety) performance with the following awards: • Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) • 2019 Saxony Environmental Alliance’s • 2019 Vermont Governor’s Excellence Award Validated Assessment Program (VAP) Certificate of Recognition in Worksite Wellness – Silver level Audit Platinum Recognition ° GF Fab 1 was awarded a Certificate of ° GF Fab 9 received Vermont Governor’s recog- ° GF Singapore achieved the maximum Recognition for environmental management nition for 2018 activities focusing on promoting score of 200 in its 2019 VAP Closure measures that go beyond regulatory compliance. the health and wellness of our employees Audit, joining ranks with GF Fab 9, and our involvement with wellness in the which also achieved a Platinum • Singapore 2019 National Fire Safety community. Recognition for a 200 point score Competition – Silver Award in its 2018 VAP Audit. ° GF Singapore won a Silver Award in the • 2019 National Pollution Prevention 2019 Industrial Fire Safety Competition of Roundtable • 2019 Dresden Chamber of Commerce the Singapore National Fire Safety and Civil ° GF was awarded NPPR’s “P2 Champion Award” Award for Apprenticeship Excellence Emergency Preparedness Council. in 2019 in recognition of an outstanding impact ° GF Fab 1 was honored by the Dresden on implementing pollution prevention. Chamber of Commerce as an excellent • 2019 New York Capital Region’s Healthiest apprenticing company. GF Dresden was Employers Award • 2019 Green Mountain Water Environment also proud that one of our apprentices ° GF Fab 8 was among 25 companies who were Association Award was recognized as the best microtech- honored by the Albany Business Review at the ° Fab 9 Wastewater Treatment Facility received nology apprentice graduate in the state 2019 Capital Region’s Healthiest Employers the Outstanding Industrial Facility Award for of Saxony. awards event. demonstrated commitment to clean water and pollution prevention. GLOBALFOUNDRIES | CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2020 BACK | MENU | NEXT 5 01 COMPANY LOCATIONS Dresden Burlington, VT Beijing Evry Munich Seoul Malta, NY Santa Clara, CA East Fishkill, NY Sofia Shanghai Yokohama Raleigh, NC San Diego, CA Kyoto Hsinchu Austin, TX Bangalore Headquarters Singapore Manufacturing & Technology Centers Research & Development Design Enablement, Sales & Administrative Offices GLOBALFOUNDRIES | CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2020 BACK | MENU | NEXT 6 02 CEO STATEMENT the safety and wellbeing of our worldwide team, I have the privilege to serve as the CEO their families and communities; and delivering on of this dynamic global organization and our commitments to our customers. With these I have long recognized that achieving priorities in mind, GF has taken extraordinary results requires people to be engaged and steps to safeguard both its workforce and its committed, to have a feeling of belonging global manufacturing operations. to something bigger than oneself. This requires establishing the right culture. Dr. Thomas Caulfield GF’s semiconductor technology is vital to a Culture does not happen by accident—it CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER broad range of industries including healthcare, is an outcome. It starts with behaviors that Since our inception in 2009, GLOBALFOUNDRIES communications, infrastructure and security. over time create a climate in an organiza- (GF) has had a strong global commitment to social Over the last decade, we have played an outsized tion and eventually become part of the cul- and environmental responsibility. Our dedication to role in enabling the digital transformation. As a ture of an organization. Through constant upholding the highest standards of ethical business result of the COVID-19 pandemic, society has focus, reinforcement and vigilance, we seek conduct is embodied by our Worldwide Standards: relied on the digital world in an unprecedented to create a ONEGF culture of Corporate GLOBALFOUNDRIES Code of Conduct. Today, as way—to fight a contagion, to run our companies Responsibility—reflecting and supporting the world’s leading specialty foundry, GF plays a remotely, to keep the economy afloat, to educate our commitment to safety, inclusivity, unique and vital role in the global supply chain for our children—in a sense, to enable almost every ethics, and environmental protection to our semiconductors—the essential enabling technol- part of our lives. GF’s mission to innovate and employees, communities and customers. ogy for the modern world. Throughout the COVID- partner with our customers to deliver technology 19 pandemic, GF has managed our operations with and solutions for humanity has never been more an unwavering focus on two guiding principles: pressing or important to the world. GLOBALFOUNDRIES | CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY REPORT 2020 BACK | MENU | NEXT 7 02 CEO STATEMENT The challenges currently facing the world are Best-in-Class Safety Performance GF was also swift to leverage GlobalGives, formidable—the ongoing global pandemic, economic We exceeded our goals to reduce 2019 our corporate philanthropy/employee disruption, the growing need for more gender equity rates
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Advanced Packaging Solutions
    Advanced Packaging Solutions Highlights Providing silicon-scaling • Advanced packaging capabilities in solutions for tomorrow’s applications 2.5D, 3D, WLP and Silicon Photonics GLOBALFOUNDRIES post-fab services provide complementary and extended • Power, performance, cost and solutions with complete supply chain management including bump, probe, form-factor optimized solutions packaging and final test. The flexible supply chain model is tailored to your • Industry leader in smart interposers needs with services ranging from bump and probe only to a more comprehen- sive spectrum of services including package design, assembly and test. • In-house bump and wafer probe capabilities In addition to in-house bump and probe capabilities, we provide packaging • Advanced memory integration services in collaboration with a network of established OSAT partners, includ- with stacked memories ing 2D packages as well as 2.5D and 3D advanced package technologies. Test development and capabilities include RF, analog, embedded memory, • Ownership and process maturity for HVM and mmWave applications, with wide array of tester platforms for wafer sort operations. • Advanced silicon node CPI and qualification Packaging Requirements • RF system-in-package and Package types are selected based on performance requirements and optimized mmWave packaging capability for market segments including IoT, RF, Automotive, Mobile, High-end • Partnerships and strong relationships Computing, Networking and Storage. with leading-edge OSATs • Flexible supply chain and Mobile IoT RF Automotive Computing Networking Storage collaborative business models QFN FBGA WLCSP FOWLP SiP fcCSP FCBGA 2.5D 3D Si-PH Advanced Packaging Solutions Packaging Technologies TSV Si Interposer Availability GF Si nodes are qualified in a wide range of package Full Reticle 26x33mm2 technologies including 2D wirebond designs, flip Stitched Interposer >1300 mm2 chip, WLCSP and FOWLP configurations, as well 10:1 Aspect Ratio TSV 10um Dia./ 100um Depth as 2.5D, 3D and Si-Photonics.
    [Show full text]
  • (NASDAQ: ASML) Recommendation: Long I Current Stock Price
    ASML Holding NV (NASDAQ: ASML) Recommendation: Long I Current stock price: $651 I 5-year target price: $245 / $1,039 / $1,371 (Bear / Base / Bull) All financial and valuation information is presented in Euro Shradha Mani I sm4843 I [email protected] I April 22, 2021 ASML is a market leader (almost a monopoly) in lithography equipment, an advanced, precision technology which is essential to the manufacture of semiconductor chips. In turn, semiconductors power our phones, computers, automobiles and are basically the foundation of technology as we know it today. Thus, the semiconductor industry (customers of ASML) is poised for strong secular growth. “We provide our customers with everything they need – hardware, software and services – to mass produce patterns on silicon, allowing them to increase the value and lower the cost of a chip.” ASML’s essential position in the semiconductor ecosystem, and its product lines are described below1: . Lithography systems that print the tiny features that form the basis of a microchip with precision. These systems can be new or refurbished. o Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography Systems o Deep Ultraviolet Lithography Systems . Metrology and Inspection Systems measure the quality of patterns on chips and help locate and analyze chip defects . Computational Lithography algorithms optimize the manufacturing process to minimize defects . Customer Support and Service What does ASML do i.e. how does it earn revenue and who are the company’s customers ? Revenue disaggregation 2018 2019 2020 Extreme UV lithography
    [Show full text]
  • Product Engineer Program Apply Now the Product/Test Engineers at Texas Instruments Are Powered by a Passion for Continual Improvement
    Product Engineer Program Apply Now The Product/Test Engineers at Texas Instruments are powered by a passion for continual improvement. Our solutions make a real difference, and yours will, too. We make the semiconductor product design process easier and faster, which helps our customers succeed in today's fast-paced marketplace. Opportunities are available in North America and Asia. About the job In this role, you will work on the development and implementation of strategies that achieve profitability targets on assigned TI product lines through a variety of new product development, cost reduction, capacity expansion and yield enhancement projects. You will serve as the primary point of contact for all operational aspects related to your assigned product portfolio, resolve customer quality and application issues, and facilitate cross- functional teams for problem solving. You will also take a leadership role to establish relationships with key contacts in TI wafer fabrication and assembly manufacturing sites to ensure strong communication and effective problem solving. About the program In this empowering, two-year rotation program, you will be on an accelerated development track that’s focused on the product development cycle. As a program participant, you will rotate through four six-month assignments centered on improving product efficiency and quality, which contributes directly to the company’s bottom line. Here, you will have the opportunity to establish solid customer relationships and make deep and meaningful connections. You will also have the chance to be mentored and develop strong collaboration skills through cross-functional group interaction and international travel. Program participants begin with a two-week orientation.
    [Show full text]
  • From Sand to Circuits
    From sand to circuits By continually advancing silicon technology and moving the industry forward, we help empower people to do more. To enhance their knowledge. To strengthen their connections. To change the world. How Intel makes integrated circuit chips www.intel.com www.intel.com/museum Copyright © 2005Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, Celeron, i386, i486, Intel Xeon, Itanium, and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. *Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others. 0605/TSM/LAI/HP/XK 308301-001US From sand to circuits Revolutionary They are small, about the size of a fingernail. Yet tiny silicon chips like the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor that you see here are changing the way people live, work, and play. This Intel® Pentium® 4 processor contains more than 50 million transistors. Today, silicon chips are everywhere — powering the Internet, enabling a revolution in mobile computing, automating factories, enhancing cell phones, and enriching home entertainment. Silicon is at the heart of an ever expanding, increasingly connected digital world. The task of making chips like these is no small feat. Intel’s manufacturing technology — the most advanced in the world — builds individual circuit lines 1,000 times thinner than a human hair on these slivers of silicon. The most sophisticated chip, a microprocessor, can contain hundreds of millions or even billions of transistors interconnected by fine wires made of copper. Each transistor acts as an on/off switch, controlling the flow of electricity through the chip to send, receive, and process information in a fraction of a second.
    [Show full text]
  • Spring 2017 Industry Study Industry Report Electronics
    Spring 2017 Industry Study Industry Report Electronics The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy National Defense University Fort McNair, Washington, DC 20319-5062 i ELECTRONICS 2017 ABSTRACT: While currently assessed as mature and healthy, the global semiconductor industry is facing a strategic inflection point. This inflection will shape a future for the industry that is significantly different than the past. Although outlook for that future remains favorable, numerous challenges place that future at risk. Challenges found in Chinese competition, skilled workforce shortages, commercial semiconductor market shifts, unique DoD electronics needs, and ongoing requirements for rapid innovation threaten the stability of the market, the U.S. competitive advantage, and U.S. economic and national security. Future success in the industry hinges upon policies which address these challenges and enable U.S. companies to embrace future opportunities. LTC Khalid Alothman, Saudi Arabian Army CDR Terri L. Gabriel, U.S. Navy LTC Kevin F. Hanrahan, U.S. Army COL Jeffrey Howell, U.S. Army Mr. Benjamin Lam, U.S. Dept. of State Mr. Steven Mapes, Office of the Secretary of Defense Lt Col Adrian Meyer, Air National Guard COL Michael Samson, Philippine Army Col James E. Smith, U.S. Air Force Mr. Keith Smithson, Dept. of Energy COL William Smoot, U.S. Army Mr. Sim Walker, Dept. of the Army Lt Col Aaron Weiner, U.S. Air Force Ms. Denise L. Williams, Office of the Secretary of Defense Dr. Stephen Basile, Faculty Mr. Michael Dixon, Department of State, Faculty Col Thomas A. Santoro, Jr., U.S. Air Force, Faculty ii Industry Study Outreach and Field Studies On Campus Presenters BAE Systems, Inc., Arlington, VA Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Heading Towards Big Data Building a Better Data Warehouse for More Data, More Speed, and More Users
    Heading Towards Big Data Building A Better Data Warehouse For More Data, More Speed, And More Users Raymond Gardiner Goss [email protected] Kousikan Veeramuthu [email protected] Manufacturing Technology GLOBALFOUNDRIES Malta, NY, USA Abstract—As a new company, GLOBALFOUNDRIES is determine the caller’s income level and specify to which agent aggressively agile and looking at ways to not just mimic existing to route the call or the switch would timeout. When switches semiconductor manufacturing data management but to leverage were overwhelmed with data, they would drop packets and new technologies and advances in data management without algorithms had to infer states based on most probable current sacrificing performance or scalability. Being a global technology state. Other industries, such as social media, are challenged company that relies on the understanding of data, it is important to centralize the visibility and control of this information, bringing more by unstructured data and need tools to help turn text it to the engineers and customers as they need it. messages and photos into useful information for search engines and marketing purposes. The challenge in the semiconductor Currently, the factories are employing the best practices and world is with the size of the data. Speed becomes a secondary data architectures combined with business intelligence analysis problem because so many sources are needed to be joined and reporting tools. However, the expected growth in data over together in a timely manner. Large recipes, complex output the next several years and the need to deliver more complex data integration for analysis will easily stress the traditional tools from the test floor combined now with more Interface-A trace beyond the limits of the traditional data infrastructure.
    [Show full text]
  • Boa Motion to Dismiss
    Case 21-10036-CSS Doc 211-4 Filed 02/15/21 Page 425 of 891 Disposition of the Stapled Securities Gain on sale of Stapled Securities by a Non-U.S. Stapled Securityholder will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation unless (i) the Non-U.S. Stapled Securityholder’s investment in the Stapled Securities is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if provided by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base the Non-U.S. Stapled Securityholder maintains in the United States) and a properly completed Form W-8ECI has not been provided, (ii) the Non-U.S. Stapled Securityholder is present in the United State for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the sale and other specified conditions are met, or (iii) the Non-U.S. Stapled Securityholder is subject to U.S. federal income tax pursuant to the provisions of the U.S. tax law applicable to U.S. expatriates. If gain on the sale of Stapled Securities would be subject to U.S. federal income taxation, the Stapled Securityholder would generally recognise any gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realised and the Stapled Securityholder’s adjusted basis in its Stapled Securities that are sold or exchanged. This gain or loss would be capital gain or loss, and would be long-term capital gain or loss if the Stapled Securityholder’s holding period in its Stapled Securities exceeds one year. In addition, a corporate Non-U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Wafer Fabrication: Factory Performance and Analysis Series: the Springer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science, Vol
    L.F. Atherton, R.W. Atherton Wafer Fabrication: Factory Performance and Analysis Series: The Springer International Series in Engineering and Computer Science, Vol. 339 This book is concerned with wafer fabrication and the factories that manufacture microprocessors and other integrated circuits. With the invention of the transistor in 1947, the world as we knew it changed. The transistor led to the microprocessor, and the microprocessor, the guts of the modern computer, has created an epoch of virtually unlimited information processing. The electronics and computer revolution has brought about, for better or worse, a new way of life. This revolution could not have occurred without wafer fabrication, and its associated processing technologies. A microprocessor is fabricated via a lengthy, highly-complex sequence of chemical processes. The success of modern chip manufacturing is a miracle of technology and a tribute to the hundreds of engineers who have contributed to its development. This book will delineate the magnitude of the accomplishment, and present methods to analyze and predict the performance of the factories that make the chips. The set of topics covered juxtaposes several disciplines of engineering. A primary subject is the chemical engineering aspects of the electronics industry, an industry typically thought to be strictly 1996, XX, 468 p. an electrical engineer's playground. The book also delves into issues of manufacturing, operations performance, economics, and the dynamics of material movement, topics often considered the domain of industrial engineering and operations research. Hopefully, Printed book we have provided in this work a comprehensive treatment of both the technology and the factories of wafer fabrication.
    [Show full text]
  • RF CMOS: Integrated on a Chip FE ANALOG Modules: ANALOG
    TowerJazz (TSEM) Investor and Analyst Day November 16, 2016 | New York Safe Harbor This presentation contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. For example, statements regarding expected (i) customer demand, (ii) utilization and cross utilization of our Fabs, (iii) growth in our end markets, (iv) market and technology trends, and (v) growth in revenues, cash flow, margins and net profits are all forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied by such forward-looking statements due to various risks and uncertainties applicable to TowerJazz’s business as described in the reports filed by Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (“Tower”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and the Israel Securities Authority (“ISA”), including the risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in Tower’s most recent filings on Forms 20-F and 6-K. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do, what impact they will have on the results of operations or financial condition of TowerJazz. TowerJazz is providing this information as of the date of this presentation and expressly disclaims any obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements or other information contained in this document as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
    [Show full text]
  • Advanced Micro Devices (AMD)
    Strategic Report for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Tad Stebbins Andrew Dialynas Rosalie Simkins April 14, 2010 Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................ 3 Company Overview .............................................................................................4 Company History..................................................................................................4 Business Model..................................................................................................... 7 Market Overview and Trends ...............................................................................8 Competitive Analysis ........................................................................................ 10 Internal Rivalry................................................................................................... 10 Barriers to Entry and Exit .................................................................................. 13 Supplier Power.................................................................................................... 14 Buyer Power........................................................................................................ 15 Substitutes and Complements............................................................................ 16 Financial Analysis ............................................................................................. 18 Overview ............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 14Nm Finfet Technology
    14LPP 14nm FinFET Technology Highlights Enabling Connected Intelligence • 14nm FinFET technology GLOBALFOUNDRIES 14LPP 14nm FinFET process technology platform is + Manufactured in state-of-the-art ideal for high-performance, power-efficient SoCs in demanding, high-volume facilities in Saratoga County, New York applications. + Volume production in Computing, 3D FinFET transistor technology provides best-in-class performance and Networking, Mobile and Server power with significant cost advantages from 14nm area scaling. 14LPP applications technology can provide up to 55% higher device performance and 60% • Ideal for high-performance, lower total power compared to 28nm technologies. power-efficient SoC applications + Cloud / Data Center servers Lg Gate length shrink enables + CPU and GPU performance scaling + High-end mobile processors + Automotive ADAS FET is turned on its edge + Wired and wireless networking + IoT edge computing • Lower supply voltage • Comprehensive design ecosystem • Reduced off-state leakage + Full foundation and complex • Faster switching speed IP libraries – high drive current + PDK and reference flows supported by major EDA and IP partners + Robust DFM solutions Target Applications and Solutions • Complete services and Mobile Apps Processor High Performance Compute & Networking supply chain support 60% power reduction 60% power reduction 2x # cores + Regularly scheduled MPWs 80% higher performance, >2.2GHz >3GHz maximum performance + Advanced packaging and test solutions, including 2.5/3D products 45% area reduction
    [Show full text]
  • PART I: People & Strategy
    By Ken Luskin [email protected] October 28, 2014 PART I: People & Strategy The Brilliance of Steve Jobs was in building a team of geniuses Virtually everyone in the world knows that Steve Jobs was the driving force behind the success of Apple. Unfortunately, few of them understand that without the team of technical gurus Jobs assembled, his visions would not have become reality. Without a Microprocessor Brain, the iPhone would not exist Inside every “smart” computing device is a microprocessor, considered the brains of the device. When Jobs was creating what is now known as the iPhone, he needed a special microprocessor, which could make it through the day without draining the battery. Jobs first approached Intel, the company that was supplying the microprocessors for the entire MAC line. Intel was not interested in supplying a relatively low cost mobile chip, because the bean counters and FAB guys had no vision. So, Jobs built a team of top mobile microproprocessor engineers, licensed the ARM architecture, and created a chip that became the brains of the iPhone and iPad. Apple buys P.A. Semiconductor in 2008 to keep Apple’s microprocessors on the cutting edge With this acquisition Apple received a group of highly innovative engineers, including ex AMD employee Jim Keller. From a VentureBeat article: “Keller spearheaded the development of Apple’s custom mobile processors — including the A4 in the iPhone 4, the A5 in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, and the A5X in the new iPad — all of which have managed to keep Apple’s mobile devices on the cutting edge.
    [Show full text]