UAE-backed GlobalFoundries expands partnership with Apple

US-based semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries, owned by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign fund Mubadala Investment Company, and Apple have deepened their partnership as part of the global tech giant's pledge to invest in US manufacturing.

The announcement comes after Apple on Wednesday said it intends to invest an additional $100 billion in the US, bringing its total investment commitment to $600 billion in the next four years.

In its pledge, Apple also announced the American Manufacturing Programme to boost its supply chain and help move advanced manufacturing to the US. GlobalFoundries is among the first partners in the programme that also include Texas Instruments, Samsung and Broadcom.

“This is part of our $600 billion commitment to the US over the next four years, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future of American innovation,” Apple chief operating officer Sabih Khan said in a statement.

Apple's investment announcement came after President Donald Trump had threatened to impose tariffs on the company for manufacturing its flagship iPhones outside the US.

During a call with analysts after reporting earnings last week, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said a “vast majority” of its iPhones are made in India. Mr Trump doubled India's tariff rate to 50 per cent earlier on Wednesday.

GlobalFoundries investments

GlobalFoundries said its partnership with Apple will allow it to speed up investment at its facility in Malta, New York state.

“This is a testament to GF’s technology differentiation, coupled with our unique secure and onshore capabilities, and the trust Apple has placed in GF to deliver and build the advanced chips that power its next-generation smart mobile technologies,” GlobalFoundries chief executive Tim Breen said in a statement.

The UAE-backed company in June also teamed up with Apple, SpaceX, AMD, Qualcomm, NXP and General Motors as part of its plans to invest $16 billion to expand its semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging in New York and Vermont.

GlobalFoundries said that investment commitment, which came after the US President's visit to the UAE, was the result of collaboration with the Trump administration and support from leading technology companies.

The company on Wednesday said its partnership with Apple, as well as its $16 billion planned investment, is supported by the Trump administration's efforts to prioritise US leadership in artificial intelligence, including manufacturing semiconductors domestically.

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

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