http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2015/10/while-tsmc-is-seen-as-a-leading-a10-chip-supplier-keep-an-eye-on-globalfoundries-future-moves.html

Apologies if posted earlier. Imagine Global Foundries with access to IBM's IP and possibly POET/PET to enter into the sandbox with a bag of shiny new toys.

A new report emerging today interestingly gives us a heads up that GlobalFoundries wasn't happy about how things turned out with the A9 processor business working with Samsung.

The new report interestingly notes that "GlobalFoundries plans to develop 10nm process technology in-house instead of relying on licensing from Samsung."

In April 2014, GlobalFoundries and Samsung jointly announced their collaboration to deliver production capacity for 14nm FinFET process technology, which was developed by Samsung and licensed to GlobalFoundries. GlobalFoundries and Samsung had teamed up to successfully grab 14nm chip orders from Apple.

But now the partnership between GlobalFoundries and Samsung has begun to lose its competitive advantage, the sources said. Though the pair beat TSMC in the 14/16nm FinFET race, TSMC has quickly improved the yield rate of their 16nm FinFET and is ramping up the process production quickly. That's why TSMC has won a nice chunk of Apple's A9 processor business contrary to past rumors.

For GlobalFoundries, paying Samsung licensing fees will be more expensive than using IBM's IPs to develop its own technology, the sources suggested. Besides, GlobalFoundries recently completed its acquisition of IBM's microelectronics business.

The addition of engineering workforce from IBM's chip-manufacturing unit will surely make a positive contribution to GlobalFoundries' development of 10nm and more advanced process technologies in-house, the sources said.