Talk:Advanced Technology Investment Company

Proposed changes
I am an ATIC employee and see that our Wikipedia page has a number of significant factual inaccuracies and does little to represent the work of our company within Abu Dhabi.

I've pulled together the below recommendations based on objective third party sources and would very much appreciate if an editor could review the below and refine content appropriately. Apologies as it's lengthy but, again, there's a lot of content missing at present.

Harrisonrice (talk) 08:04, 8 September 2013 (UTC)

Advanced Technology Investment Company (ATIC) is an investment company in the high-technology sector,[1] owned by Mubadala Development Company. ATIC has signaled interest in investing in high-technology companies and centers in Europe, the U.S. and Asia.[2]

(add) ATIC wholly owns GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the world’s second largest semiconductor foundry company by revenue, with 8 fabrication facilities spanning Singapore, Dresden and Malta, New York. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/atic-chip-producer-takes-big-steps-in-us http://globalfoundries.com/manufacturing/300mm.aspx http://globalfoundries.com/manufacturing/200mm.aspx

(add) ATIC also works to build what they describe as a technology ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, funding over AED 100 million in local R&D activities and supporting Human Capital initiatives that have thus far reached over 1,000 UAE Nationals. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/atic-launches-centre-of-excellence http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/abu-dhabi-eyes-growth-through-innovation http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/economics/investing-in-emirati-talent-to-build-a-knowledge-economy

History & Growth

ATIC was established in 2008. Through a joint venture, ATIC and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) created the world's third largest independent foundry GlobalFoundries in early 2009.[3] In late 2009, ATIC acquired Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing of Singapore, the world's second largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry.[4][5] In January 2010, GlobalFoundries officially integrated operations with Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, and since that time have functioned as one company under the GlobalFoundries brand.[6] (add) Since the integration of Chartered, GLOBALFOUNDRIES has grown to become the world’s second largest foundry company by revenue, and has a employee footprint of over 13,000 worldwide. In August 2010, ATIC joined with other investors to fund Texas-based Calxeda, a start-up company which will eventually provide ARM-based computers for the server market.[7] ATIC simultaneously “worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to develop a masters program in microelectronics at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi.”[8][9] Also in 2010, ATIC joined a university research partnership with the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) to conduct research in the Abu Dhabi region.[10] In 2011, ATIC announced investments of $5.5 billion to expand manufacturing in Singapore, Dresden, Germany, and Saratoga County in New York state.[11][12] ATIC also announced a $6–$8 billion computer chip factory in Abu Dhabi in development for completion in 2012.[13]

(add) While the initial Abu Dhabi was placed on hold due to larger economic circumstances, ATIC continues to pursue plans to build a fabrication facility within the Emirate. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/globalfoundries-in-profit-by-2015

(Add section) R&D Towards building a globally-competitive technology R&D ecosystem within Abu Dhabi, ATIC has invested more than Dh100 million in research grants and funds since 2009. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/abu-dhabi-eyes-growth-through-innovation

Research Grants ATIC partners with the Semiconductor Research Corporation, a leading university-research consortium, to drive local research towards minimum energy electronic systems. This year, ATIC is supporting research initiatives spanning Khalifa University, UAE University, American University of Sharjah, Masdar Institute and New York University Abu Dhabi.

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/energy-is-the-key-to-technology-but-where-will-we-find-it

ACE4S In May, 2013, ATIC and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) launched the ATIC-SRC Centre of Excellence for Energy Efficient Electronic Systems (ACE4S), to be hosted jointly in Abu Dhabi by Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, and Masdar Institute of Science and Technology. ATIC is investing Dh17.5 million in the project, an amount matched by Masdar Institute and Khalifa University. The total budget for the centERis Dh35m spread over the next three years. The center will focus on research in four key areas: energy harvesting, power management, sensor technologies and wireless communications networks. Within the first three years, ACE4S will seek to produce prototypes for healthcare applications as well as knowledge and research relevant to safety and security, aerospace, water quality and the environment. According to Sami Issa, Executive Director at ATIC, “The goal is to create a center of excellence that is renowned on a global scale ... and establish an R&D [research and development] infrastructure in Abu Dhabi so that it can compete globally. The way to get to that innovation is by creating an innovation center like this” http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/atic-launches-centre-of-excellence

Twin Labs ATIC the state of Saxony, Germany have invested $4.8 million in twinned laboratories that research 3-D stacking of integrated circuits. The ‘Twin Labs' project sees one lab hosted at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi and the other based at the Technische Universität Dresden. The labs, which host 10-12 graduate and PhD students, focus on research around three-dimensional chip stacking, a potentially faster and more energy efficient semiconductor technology. The Abu Dhabi lab investigates the minimum-energy/low-power features of 3D-integrated microelectronics in a variety of computing, communication, storage and sensing design contexts, while the Saxony facility works on the interconnect aspects of 3D integration, especially the crucial role of TSV in the back-end-of-the-line structure of 3D-stacked chips. The goal is to develop modules (design blocks) for high-rate interfaces between multiple chips in a semiconductor chip-stack. ATIC and Saxony will invest $2.4m in the plan over two years, which builds on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between the two in 2010, to partner on technology development. http://www.itp.net/588634-atic-and-saxony-to-open-twin-semiconductor-labs#.Uhr3wRumgnE http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1266549 Human Capital

To prepare for the development of a high-tech cluster and a GLOBALFOUNDRIES manufacturing facility in Abu Dhabi, ATIC and other local entities have developed a range of human capital initiatives, from primary and secondary school education to vocational training and graduate studies. Each program aims to motivate Abu Dhabi's young population to pursue careers in science and technology and to give them the knowledge and skills to do so. ATIC’s human capital programs have reached nearly 1,000 Emiratis to date.

http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/economics/investing-in-emirati-talent-to-build-a-knowledge-economy

Al Nokhba

Beginning in 2009, ATIC partnered with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to create the Al Nokhba ("the elite") program, which helps undergraduate and master's level science and engineering students pursue careers in the semiconductor industry. This program initially selected 20 students studying science or technology at local universities for a summer internship program at GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ Dresden fabrication facility. It provided a rare opportunity for these interns to gain experience with applied sciences and manufacturing. In 2010, the program grew to 60 students -- half men and half women -- and was expanded to include the Al Nokhba scholarship, which funds undergraduate or graduate studies for students in the Al Nokhba program.

This effort has already produced results. One former Al Nokhba student has invented a new way of integrating microchips into prosthetic limbs, giving the disabled increased mobility. Another graduate, now working at GLOBALFOUNDRIES full-time, has invented a microchip-powered device that airports may distribute to the elderly or those with known illnesses. In an article published in The National, Khaled Al Shamlan, ATIC's executive director of strategy and operations, observed that "the drive of the young talent in the Al Nokhba program, their hard work and active engagement in the learning process, as well as the genius displayed by those who have gone on to innovate after graduation, is the exact embodiment of what we hope to achieve through our human capital program."

Tech Quest

To increase the pool of students studying science at the undergraduate and graduate levels, ATIC introduced Techquest in 2012. This program targets eighth- and ninth-grade Emirati students and is designed to expose them to potential careers in science and technology. "Our program presents a remarkable opportunity to spark an interest in science amongst this nation's future technology leaders," Hanan Harhara, manager of human capital at ATIC, noted in a press release. "We are presenting a snapshot of the different subjects and career options related to [science, technology, engineering and math] through insightful lectures, hands-on workshops, collaborative group activities and fun field trips." http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/arabic/article.cfm?articleid=2910 — Preceding unsigned comment added by Harrisonrice (talk • contribs) 08:04, 08 September 2013 (UTC)


 * Thank you for stating your conflict of interest up front. The above is a lot to assimilate. If we could take this one step at a time and sort of triage it, let's leave aside Abu Dhabi and the matter of adding content for the moment. I'm concerned that you've identified "significant factual inaccuracies" in the article. If you could state those succinctly and clearly, that would be the best place to start. The easiest way is to use a "replace x with y" format where you copy the passages (preferably only a sentence or two long) you want to replace and then follow each with the proposed new text. Rivertorch (talk) 05:26, 4 October 2013 (UTC)


 * Thank you for your attention on this - the core factual inaccuracies relate to the following from the original article:

1.) "ATIC has signaled interest in investing in high-technology companies and centers in Europe, the U.S. and Asia."

In reality, we've been investing for some time (which is somewhat reflected in the rest of the article). Removing this statement and replacing it with the following would accurately describe our investments:

(add) ATIC wholly owns GLOBALFOUNDRIES, the world’s second largest semiconductor foundry company by revenue, with 8 fabrication facilities spanning Singapore, Dresden and Malta, New York. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/atic-chip-producer-takes-big-steps-in-us http://globalfoundries.com/manufacturing/300mm.aspx http://globalfoundries.com/manufacturing/200mm.aspx

(add) ATIC also works to build what they describe as a technology ecosystem in Abu Dhabi, funding over AED 100 million in local R&D activities and supporting Human Capital initiatives that have thus far reached over 1,000 UAE Nationals. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/atic-launches-centre-of-excellence http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/abu-dhabi-eyes-growth-through-innovation http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/economics/investing-in-emirati-talent-to-build-a-knowledge-economy

2.) "ATIC also announced a $6–$8 billion computer chip factory in Abu Dhabi in development for completion in 2012.[13]"

This is true, but misses a few years of very relevant updates, a factually inaccurate representation of the current state. Adding the following would correct this and make the content more timely:

(add) While the initial Abu Dhabi facility was placed on hold due to larger economic circumstances, ATIC continues to pursue plans to build a fabrication facility within the Emirate. http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/technology/globalfoundries-in-profit-by-2015

3.) In terms of Abu Dhabi, the content omitted means the current Wikipedia page does not factually reflect a significant portion of the organization's work. It is a lot to assimilate, but would be a good addition over time as it's actually quite relevant in the context of Abu Dhabi's broader economic diversification. Harrisonrice (talk) 12:11, 13 October 2013 (UTC)