Recent comments from Advanced Micro Devices about controlling manufacturing costs have led to speculation that the company may divest its chip fabrication plants, but some analysts say that wouldn't make sense for AMD.

The comments led to speculation that AMD would either sell its fabs or spin off its manufacturing unit to improve profitability and reduce expenses related to chip manufacturing. Fabs require massive capital investment that requires a lot of ongoing cash, while AMD is not in a cash-flush position.

By spinning off fabrication plants, AMD would be at the mercy of third-party manufacturing facilities that could affect the production and supply of chips, analysts said. AMD could also lose control of chip design and development by separating the research and manufacturing of chips.

Spinning off the fabs could also raise the cost of manufacturing chips, which could hurt AMD in the pricing competition against Intel, analysts said.

Some analysts said unloading the manufacturing business has an upside. AMD's manufacturing assets were paid by loans, which is a big financial load on the company, said Dean McCarron, an analyst with Mercury Research. Unloading the manufacturing business would transfer the debt to the new company and free up AMD to pursue the processor business.

AMD has two fabs -- Fab 36 and Fab 38 -- in Dresden, Germany, that manufacture integrated chips. The company is planning a new fab in New York, due to be ready next year. The company also outsources the production of graphics chips and chipsets to companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corp.

Speculation about AMD's potential spin-off of its fabrication plants surfaced after recent comments by AMD's CEO Hector Ruiz that the company would deploy its manufacturing assets more cost effectively and cut down on capital expenditure to deliver better margins.

The company is trying to reverse six consecutive quarters of losses in part by reducing manufacturing costs through what it calls an "asset smart" strategy. The company hopes to deliver additional details of the strategy "in the very near future," Ruiz said in a speech to shareholders on Thursday that was Web cast.

AMD did not respond to calls for comment about how it plans to manage its manufacturing assets.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.

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