Globalfoundries said Monday (Jan. 6) that Sanjay Jha, former CEO of Motorola Mobility Inc., has been appointed CEO of the U.S.-based chip foundry.
Ajit Manocha, who served as an advisor to Globalfoundries' parent company, Abu Dhabi-based Advanced Technology Investment Co. (ATIC), will return to that role and will work closely with Jha during the transition, Globalfoundries (Santa Clara, Calif.) said.
Prior to being named CEO of Motorola in 2008, Jha had a successful career at fabless chip vendor Qualcomm Inc., rising to the role of chief operating officer.
Jha will be charged with leading Globalfoundries' build out and ramp of its Fab 8 leading-edge facility in Malta, N.Y., supporting customers at the 14-nm node, Globalfoundries said. The Reuters news service reported last week that Globalfoundries spend up to $10 billion at its wafer fab site in Malta to help bring up 20- and 14-nm manufacturing capacity.
"Sanjay is one of the most respected leaders in the technology industry and has a proven track record of consistently delivering shareholder value," said Ibrahim Ajami, vice chairman of Globalfoundries' board, in a statement. "His industry background and experience as a foundry customer will position Globalfoundries for continued growth."
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to lead a company with such a strong track record in an industry that I know and love," Jha said.
Manocha was initially named interim CEO of Globalfoundries in June 2011 in the wake of manufacturing yield issues that strained Globalfoundries' relationship with its primary customer, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). Manocha was given the CEO role on a permanent basis in October 2011.
"Ajit has played an instrumental role in making Globalfoundries the second largest foundry in the world, delivering on customer relationships, technology leadership and operational excellence," Ajami said.
In addition to spending money to upgrade the Malta fab, Globalfoundries said it would also continue its upgrade of facilities in Singapore and Germany.
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