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AMD to Announce Manufacturing Fabs Spin Off in Two Weeks В– Analyst.

AMD Expected to Disclose Details of В“Asset SmartВ” Strategy in September

[09/03/2008 03:18 PM]
by Anton Shilov

Advanced Micro Devices, the world’s second largest maker of x86 microprocessors and one of a few developers of semiconductors with its own leading-edge manufacturing facilities, is projected to reveal details of its “asset smart” strategy already this month. An analyst believes that the plan would include spinning off the manufacturing facilities of AMD and an investment from a middle-East group into a new company.

The best kept and the most discussed secret of Advanced Micro Devices in the recent couple of years is AMD’s so-called “asset smart” strategy. The company has been telling analysts and investors that the strategy will be deployed in future, but did not reveal any details about the initiative. However, it is widely believed that the core of the strategy is spinning off the manufacturing fabs – Fab 36 and Fab 38 – into a separate company, which would reduce AMD’s capital expenditures on advanced equipment and development of fabrication processes.

John Lau, an analyst with Jefferies & Co., reportedly wrote in an investment note that his checks with “computer industry sources indicate that AMD could announce its reorganization plan in two weeks”, reports Austin American Statesman. According to Mr. Lau, the factories in Dresden, Germany “may be spun off into a separate company”, which will make chips for AMD as well as third-parties. According to the analyst, “a Middle East investment group may acquire a large position in the new foundry and fund its purchase with cash”, although, no actual details were given, it should be kept in mind that United Arab Emirates-based Mubadala Investment acquired 8.1% stake in AMD.

In case a new investors partly acquires a stake the new manufacturing company from AMD, the troubled designer of central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs), the chip developer will be able to partly pay its debts that are more than $5 billion. Nevertheless, it is not clear whether all current investors of the Sunnyvale, California-based company will agree with manufacturing assets spin off into a new company.

Officials from AMD do not make any comments regarding reports about the “asset smart” strategy. Nonetheless, if the information from Jefferies & Co. is correct, then everything will be official even earlier than September ends.