有不少分析師以及IBM的前員工、現(xiàn)任員工都認(rèn)為，該公司應(yīng)該要賣掉晶圓廠、退出芯片生產(chǎn)業(yè)務(wù)，并說(shuō)GlobalFoundries是最有可能的買主。到底IBM該何去何從？在接下來(lái)的系列文章中，筆者將分三個(gè)部分來(lái)探討這個(gè)話題；第一部份是來(lái)自員工的看法。 一 位在IBM集團(tuán)擔(dān)任主管的資深員工表示，該公司芯片業(yè)務(wù)仍具策略性，而且──至少在目前──仍然健全；不過(guò)他不愿對(duì)稍早前媒體報(bào)導(dǎo)IBM有意出售晶圓廠的 消息直接提供評(píng)論。雖然IBM到底該不該繼續(xù)扮演芯片制造業(yè)者這個(gè)角色，在公司內(nèi)部與外部仍爭(zhēng)議不斷，有一件事是公認(rèn)的：數(shù)十年來(lái)，IBM一直是半導(dǎo)體領(lǐng)域的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，投入先進(jìn)技術(shù)開(kāi)發(fā)并推動(dòng)產(chǎn)業(yè)向前邁進(jìn)。

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有 人認(rèn)為，IBM盡管有技術(shù)實(shí)力，還是應(yīng)該要朝無(wú)晶圓廠模式發(fā)展；這些意見(jiàn)指出，該公司這幾年對(duì)旗下兩座晶圓廠投資不足，芯片業(yè)務(wù)已經(jīng)有好一段時(shí)間與IBM 的經(jīng)營(yíng)模式不合。IBM的Power服務(wù)器業(yè)務(wù)一直是該公司自己生產(chǎn)芯片的主要?jiǎng)訖C(jī)，但該業(yè)務(wù)去年表現(xiàn)低迷，該公司也坦承難以恢復(fù)；業(yè)務(wù)衰退主因來(lái)自于在 市場(chǎng)上敗給了AMD專為視頻游戲機(jī)打造ASIC的高產(chǎn)量、高利潤(rùn)生意。

IBM年度芯片業(yè)務(wù)收入對(duì)比（單位：10億）
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至于在人的方面，IBM芯片部門的員工表示，他們已經(jīng) 因?yàn)榻?jīng)歷多次裁員而飽受驚嚇，也許賣掉芯片部門能讓他們擺脫生活在恐懼中的陰霾。“裁員一波波發(fā)生，各種傳言到處飛──我已經(jīng)歷過(guò)太多次；”一位在去年7 月被裁的IBM前員工表示：“在一個(gè)人們總是擔(dān)憂未來(lái)的環(huán)境工作實(shí)在太苦，一點(diǎn)意思都沒(méi)有?！? 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 第2頁(yè)：于是，有人決定離開(kāi)… 第3頁(yè)：分析師怎么說(shuō)？

相關(guān)閱讀：
• 晶圓代工業(yè)出現(xiàn)史上最長(zhǎng)排隊(duì)潮
• 無(wú)視出售芯片業(yè)務(wù)傳言，IBM升級(jí)RF芯片制程技術(shù)
• IBM開(kāi)放POWER8系統(tǒng)授權(quán)，欲做大數(shù)據(jù)界的ARMp2uesmc

{pagination} 于是，有人決定離開(kāi)… 要求匿名的一位IBM現(xiàn)任員工回憶，有個(gè)前同事在2013年干脆請(qǐng)了一個(gè)禮拜的無(wú)薪事假專心寫履歷，然后跳槽去高通(Qualcomm)：“我們有不少人被高通挖角。”一位前IBM員工則說(shuō)，有一些 IBM人后來(lái)跳槽去英特爾(Intel)，支持該公司剛起步的晶圓代工業(yè)務(wù)；還有另一位則指出，很多前同事現(xiàn)在為AMD與飛思卡爾(Freescale) 工作。 最近GlobalFoundries表示，該公司已經(jīng)聘請(qǐng)了200名具經(jīng)驗(yàn)的工程師與經(jīng)理人，以支持從 2014年5月至12月的Fab 8量產(chǎn)時(shí)程。另一位在去年7月被裁的IBM前員工抱怨，IBM并沒(méi)有投資好讓晶圓廠跟上時(shí)代，而且在與員工溝通經(jīng)營(yíng)計(jì)劃方面表現(xiàn)差勁：“他們真的一點(diǎn)也不 像過(guò)去那樣坦率；”他指出，Burlington晶圓廠被當(dāng)成以最少投資獲取最大利益的搖錢樹(shù)。 另一位IBM前員工則指出： “他們就是不投資晶圓廠，以至于到了非得賣掉它們或是退出該業(yè)務(wù)的地步；”還有別的前IBM人說(shuō)，打擊員工士氣的更大問(wèn)題是該公司已經(jīng)跟不上時(shí)代：“他們還抱著1950年代的終身雇傭與院士制度不放，希望員工為企業(yè)鞠躬盡瘁；我不認(rèn)為現(xiàn)在的人愿意簽這種工作契約，他們會(huì)把他們最好的東西拿走然后出去靠自己?！? 曾率領(lǐng)華生(Watson)超級(jí)計(jì)算機(jī)團(tuán)隊(duì)的人工智能專家David Ferrucci，就在 2013年被挖角，離開(kāi)IBM加入對(duì)沖基金B(yǎng)ridgewater Associates，為該公司開(kāi)發(fā)客制化的人工智能算法。

IBM年度芯片業(yè)務(wù)收入與全球排名，包括內(nèi)部消耗與外售芯片（單位：10億）
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本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 第3頁(yè)：分析師怎么說(shuō)？

相關(guān)閱讀：
• 晶圓代工業(yè)出現(xiàn)史上最長(zhǎng)排隊(duì)潮
• 無(wú)視出售芯片業(yè)務(wù)傳言，IBM升級(jí)RF芯片制程技術(shù)
• IBM開(kāi)放POWER8系統(tǒng)授權(quán)，欲做大數(shù)據(jù)界的ARMp2uesmc

{pagination} 分析師怎么說(shuō)？ VLSI Research首席執(zhí)行官G. Dan Hutcheson表示，IBM員工士氣低落，從1990年代該公司在半導(dǎo)體領(lǐng)域的企圖心越來(lái)越小就已經(jīng)開(kāi)始；那個(gè)時(shí)候，有一位IBM資深員工因?yàn)楸怀呆滛~，還把金魚丟到某座晶圓廠排放的有毒廢水中。他表示，2月份IBM考慮出售晶圓廠的消息，引發(fā)了員工的焦慮：“交易能越快完成，或者是相關(guān)訊息越透明 化，才是真正對(duì)他們有幫助的?！? 另一位分析師Nathan Brookwood則表示，IBM想出售East Fishkill與Burlington晶圓廠，與過(guò)去出售硬盤機(jī)、筆記本電腦、x86服務(wù)器等硬件產(chǎn)品業(yè)務(wù)的理由類似。IBM過(guò)去需要自有晶圓廠生產(chǎn)大 型主機(jī)與中級(jí)計(jì)算機(jī)的客制化處理器，因此在1970年代開(kāi)始芯片制造業(yè)務(wù)；現(xiàn)在則有大型晶圓代工廠能為一個(gè)大多是無(wú)晶圓廠芯片設(shè)計(jì)業(yè)者的產(chǎn)業(yè)，提供各種制程 技術(shù)。 Brookwood認(rèn)為：“今年可能是他們出售晶圓廠的時(shí)機(jī)，而且買主最有可能是GlobalFoundries；可 能在年底之前，East Fishkill晶圓廠就會(huì)賣給GlobalFoundries。”他指出，IBM與GlobalFoundries等數(shù)家通用平臺(tái)聯(lián)盟(Common Platform Allianc)成員，共同研發(fā)了許多代制程技術(shù)，這其實(shí)也是為IBM加入其他許多半導(dǎo)體同行成為無(wú)晶圓廠業(yè)者鋪路。 “現(xiàn)在產(chǎn)業(yè)界幸存的半導(dǎo)體公司，沒(méi)有一家不是朝某種程度的無(wú)晶圓廠模式走；”VLSI Research的Hutcheson表示，這些日子以來(lái)：“IBM已經(jīng)沒(méi)有可以填滿整個(gè)晶圓廠產(chǎn)能的需求。” IC Insights資深分析師Rob Lineback表示，IBM可能出售晶圓廠的這個(gè)話題已經(jīng)傳了10年以上：“我想這是一個(gè)實(shí)際行動(dòng)的好時(shí)機(jī)；”他也認(rèn)為GlobalFoundries 會(huì)是East Fishkill晶圓廠的可能買主，并指出IBM在2013年出售的芯片總價(jià)值約為20.3億美元，較2012年的23.4億美元衰退了13%；該公司 2013年財(cái)報(bào)顯示，年度外部芯片銷售額為14.63億美元，該數(shù)字在2012年為15.72億美元，在2006年為29.30億美元。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Judith Cheng 參考英文原文：IBM at the Crossroads: Employees Talk，by Rick Merritt

相關(guān)閱讀：
• 晶圓代工業(yè)出現(xiàn)史上最長(zhǎng)排隊(duì)潮
• 無(wú)視出售芯片業(yè)務(wù)傳言，IBM升級(jí)RF芯片制程技術(shù)
• IBM開(kāi)放POWER8系統(tǒng)授權(quán)，欲做大數(shù)據(jù)界的ARMp2uesmc

{pagination} In the Shadow of Layoffs In this first of a three-part series we talk to analysts and current and former IBM employees about the company's future as a chipmaker. SAN JOSE, Calif. — IBM should sell its semiconductor plants and get out of the chip-making business, say a handful of analysts and current and former IBM employees, pointing to GlobalFoundries as the best potential buyer. IBM at the Crossroads 3-part series Part 1: Employees Talk Part 2: IBM Responds Part 3: How IBM Got to This Point A senior executive in charge of the IBM group told us chip operations remain strategic and -- at least for the moment -- intact. He would not, however, comment directly on reports in February that the company is exploring a sale of one or both of its fabs. While IBM's role as a chipmaker is debated inside and outside the company, all sides agree on one thing: For decades the company has been a leader in semiconductors, developing technologies that gave it an edge and pushed the industry forward. Despite its technical prowess, IBM should go fabless, some argue, claiming the company has under-invested in its two fabs for several years. The chip business hasn't fit IBM's corporate business model for years, they say. IBM's Power server business has served as one of the main motivations for making chips, but it hit a slump last year that the company has admitted it cannot reverse. The decline came on the heels of the loss to AMD of its high-volume, high-margin business making ASICs for videogame consoles. On a human level, employees in IBM's chip division say they are shell-shocked by multiple rounds of layoffs. They see a sale as a possible resolution after living under a cloud for years. "Layoffs came in waves and there are rumors they are still coming -- I lived through so many of them," says a former IBMer laid off in July 2013. "It's a tough environment where people are always nervous about what's coming next. It's not fun anymore." Next Page: Some decide to leave Some decide to leave A current employee recalls how one colleague used a forced unpaid week off in 2013 to work on his resumé and ultimately left for Qualcomm. "We've lost a lot of people to Qualcomm," says the IBM veteran who asked not to be named. A former employee reports some IBMers have gone to support Intel's growing foundry business; another said many former colleagues are now at AMD and Freescale. GlobalFoundries recently said it has hired on a temporary basis "200 experienced engineers and managers to support its current Fab 8 ramp" in upstate New York from May to December 2014. Another former employee laid off in July shared two common complaints: IBM has not spent the money to keep its fabs up to date; and it has done a poor job communicating its plans to staff. "They really are not transparent down to the trenches as they used to be," he told us. The Burlington fab "has been treated as a cash cow with minimal investments and maximal extraction." "They just haven't invested [in the fabs] to the point where now they have to sell them or exit the business," another former employee says. The bigger problem with morale is that IBM is out of step with the times, another former employee argues. "They still have a 1950s model of lifetime employment and fellowships where you give all the fruits of your brain to the corporation. I don't think today's guys will sign up for that -- they will take their best stuff and go out on their own," he says, noting one recent example. David Ferrucci, an artificial intelligence expert who led the Watson team, left the company in late 2013 to join hedge fund Bridgewater Associates where presumably he is developing custom AI algorithms. Next Page: Analysts' views Analysts' views Low morale goes back to the 1990s when IBM started scaling back its semiconductor ambitions, says G. Dan Hutcheson, chief executive of VLSI Research. At that time, one senior employee put goldfish in water detoxification tanks at one of the plants after he got a pink slip. Reports in February that IBM is exploring options for selling the fabs have turned up the heat on employee angst. "The faster they can get the transaction done or at least be more transparent about it will be really helpful to them," says Hutcheson. Selling fabs in East Fishkill, N.Y., and Burlington, Vt., would be similar to past sales of other commodity hardware businesses such as hard disk drives, notebooks, and x86 servers, says analyst Nathan Brookwood. IBM needed its own fabs to make custom processors for its mainframes and midrange computers when it got its start in chip making in the 1970s. Today big chip foundries support an increasingly wide range of processes for an industry of mainly fabless chip designers, says Brookwood. "This could be the year they sell the [fabs], and the most likely buyers is GlobalFoundries. I think we will see East Fishkill sold to GlobalFoundries, probably before the end of year." IBM co-developed multiple generations of process technology with GlobalFoundries and others as part of its Common Platform Alliance. The effort set the stage for IBM to join most of the rest of the semiconductor industry in being fabless, Brookwood told us. "There is no company left that hasn't gone fabless in one way or another," says Hutcheson of VLSI Research. These days "IBM doesn't have the demand to fill an entire fab." The possibility of IBM selling one or both its fabs has been "a topic of debate and news coverage for more than 10 years," says Rob Lineback, a senior analyst at market watcher IC Insights. "I think now is a good time to make that move," he says, noting GlobalFoundries as a likely partner for East Fishkill that had "representatives seen in Burlington looking at the manufacturing complex in recent months." IBM sold $2.03 billion worth of chips in 2013, compared to $2.34 billion in 2012, a 13% drop, according to IC Insights. IBM's 2013 annual report said it had external chip sales of $1.463 billion, down from $1.572 billion in 2012 and $2.930 billion in 2006, Lineback says.