AMD Gives Up Ownership Of Foundry Spin-Off GlobalFoundries

[Related: AMD Reports $177 Million Loss For Q4 ]

AMD CEO Rory Read had previously attributed the chip maker’s sluggish go-to-market rates for its 32- and 45-nm technologies to “significant” manufacturing setbacks at GlobalFoundries. In his announcement Sunday, however, Read said that AMD “has been pleased” with the foundry’s recent ability to meet its delivery requirements and, like Manocha, stressed a continued commitment to the company.

GlobalFoundries said shipments of AMD’s 32-nm processors increased by more than 80 percent from the third quarter to the fourth quarter and said it’s the only foundry business to have shipped hundreds of thousands of 32-nm High K Metal Gate wafers in 2011. Last month, the company announced plans to invest $3 billion in capital spending to expand its facilities in Singapore, Germany and New York, along with a new parternership with IBM.

AMD expects to record a one-time charge of $703 million in the first quarter of 2012, accounting for the $425 million it will pay out to GlobalFoundries.