US-based AMD to set up engineering design centre in India

[UpInArms]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world_business/view/81404/1/.html

BANGALORE, India : The world's number two chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) said it is setting up an engineering design centre in India's technology hub of Bangalore, its first outside the United States.

AMD India Engineering Centre Pte Ltd will employ about 50 chip design and development engineers by year's end and increase that to 120 next year, said Gopal Krishna, general manager of the centre.

"The centre is expected to be open in July and the stand alone facility will occupy approximately 38,000 square feet (3,530 square meters).

AMD plans to invest five million dollars initially over the next three years," Krishna told reporters.

...more...

[TahitiNut]

1. AMD has been off-shoring jobs for decades.

As a semiconductor company, they're intensely interested in placing plants where the environmental laws are lax. The semiconductor industry, originators of massive Superfund Cleanup sites, employ some of the most toxic chemicals in any industry. AMD is one of the most corrupt of these companies.

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

2. I didn't think Germany had lax enviromental laws

Thats where AMD has its second largest fab outside of Austin.

[TahitiNut]

3. AMD also has operations in Malaysia and other Pacific Rim ...

... locations and has for over 20 years. They off-shored to Penang, Malaysia in 1973. They've been in the Philipines for nearly as long. As far as Germany is concerned, Siemans has had a large economic influence on ("stake in") AMD since its founding. Other major manufacturing facilities exist in Thailand, Singapore, and China. The fabs in Austin and Dresden are the 'leading edge' fabs. ("Production is the last phase of research.") Off-shore facilities are the more manpower-laden.

(If the only information one goes by is the P/R from AMD, one is sadly misinformed.)

For just a few (very buried) clues, try reading their 10K's. Here's just a little example:

"We are named as a responsible party on Superfund clean-up orders for three sites in Sunnyvale, California that are on the National Priorities List. Since 1981, we have discovered hazardous material releases to the groundwater from former underground tanks and proceeded to investigate and conduct remediation at these three sites. The chemicals released into the groundwater were commonly used in the semiconductor industry in the United States in the wafer fabrication process prior to 1979.

<...>

In 1998, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) identified us as one of hundreds of Superfund “potentially responsible parties” as a result of disposal of waste at a regulated landfill in Santa Barbara County, California that was later abandoned by its owners and designated as a Superfund site by the EPA. We have reached a settlement with EPA and completed payment. However, the public notification, judicial review and issuance of a consent decree remain pending. The amount of the settlement did not have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations."

They have a long history of dealing with their environmental pollution with more investments in legal/political "help" than in actual cleanup. There's other information that's never yet seen the light of day.