Want to see GFS full AI Analyst Report?
GlobalFoundries Inc (GFS) Risk Analysis
Risk Overview Q4, 2023
Risk Change Over Time
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Our majority shareholder, Mubadala, will continue to have substantial control of the business, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control, and otherwise affect the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares.
Mubadala beneficially owns, in the aggregate, approximately 84.82% of our outstanding ordinary shares. See "Item 7. Major Shareholder and Related Party Transactions." In addition, we have entered into a shareholder's agreement with Mubadala, which will entitle Mubadala, subject to the level of Mubadala's beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares, to certain consent rights and director nomination rights and, from time to time, we contract with Mubadala to provide management and operations support, including the services of our Chief Operating Officer. As a result, Mubadala will continue to have significant influence over the management and affairs of our company, as well as the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions, including any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets and the issuance or redemption of equity interests in certain circumstances. The interests of Mubadala may not always coincide with, and in some cases may conflict with, our interests and the interests of our other shareholders. For instance, Mubadala could attempt to delay or prevent a change in control of our company even if such change in control would benefit our other shareholders, or attempt to force or accelerate a change in control even if such change in control would not benefit our other shareholders. Additionally, Mubadala could sell their shares at a discount. Any of the above could deprive our other shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their ordinary shares. This concentration of ownership may also affect the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares due to investors' perceptions that conflicts of interest may exist or arise, and because Mubadala may sell, or investors may perceive that Mubadala is likely to sell, a significant amount of our ordinary shares.
- Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 2We are in the process of implementing a strategic collaboration with ST Microelectronics ("ST") pursuant to which ST and the Company are building and fitting out a new, jointly-operated fab in Crolles, France. Failure to successfully implement and manage the strategic collaboration may adversely affect our results of operation, financial conditions, business and prospects.
In August 2022, we entered into a Commercial and Cooperation Agreement with ST for the build-out and joint operation of a new 300mm semiconductor manufacturing facility. This facility is targeted to ramp up to 620,000 300mm wafers per year production at full build-out. In June 2023, the Company announced the conclusion of the agreement for the jointly operated semiconductor manufacturing facility, which would benefit from significant financial support from the state of France. Implementing this strategic collaboration is a complex and lengthy process that requires, among other things, both parties receiving substantial government funding that is dependent on meeting various milestones, both parties paying their respective share of agreed capital investments, and both parties cooperating on the joint operation of the facility. We may, at any time, have disagreements with ST or have interests or goals that are inconsistent with ST's goals, which may result in conflicting views as to plan and timing of the build-out and the operation of the facility, which disagreements or conflicts may not be resolved in our favor. Because ST will own the building for the manufacturing facility, we inherently have a lesser degree of control over business operations, thereby increasing the financial, legal, operational, and/or compliance risks to us. We may not be able to oversee all aspects of the build-out and operation, which may lead to a potential inability to implement adequate internal controls covering the collaboration. Additionally, we will depend on ST to commit sufficient resources to the project, over which we will have no control. The collaboration requires us to partially rely on the financial condition of ST and could be adversely affected by any significant change in its financial conditions. The collaboration is also subject to the risk that we or ST may not meet the milestones required to obtain the substantial government funding that is needed to make the project a success. We may not be successful in our efforts to build and operate this new facility, and we may not achieve the anticipated benefits that we expected to achieve. Further, we may decide not to move forward with the joint operation of the facility depending on any of the above-mentioned factors and/or due to current market dynamics. As a result, any existing investments, including in purchases of equipment or payments for construction, may result in losses. If any of the above risks come to fruition, we may be delayed or may be unsuccessful in our efforts to implement this collaboration or jointly operate the facility, or we may incur losses on the project, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and our financial condition.
- Corporate Activity and Growth - Risk 3We may make strategic transactions, and such transactions may introduce significant risks and uncertainties, including risks related to integrating the acquired companies, assets or businesses.
We have in the past sought, and may in the future seek, to acquire or invest in businesses, joint ventures and technologies that we believe could complement or expand our capacity, enhance our technology offerings or otherwise offer growth opportunities. These transactions, particularly acquisitions, may be subject to regulatory approvals, including approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") and approvals from antitrust authorities. With regard to CFIUS, our transactions may be more likely to require CFIUS review given the expansion of CFIUS jurisdiction to critical technologies as well as the increased public scrutiny on the industry due to the CHIPS and Science Act. Failure to obtain CFIUS approval, as applicable, and other required regulatory approvals may delay or otherwise limit our ability to make strategic transactions. In addition to domestic regulatory focus, semiconductor technology has been the focus of international regulatory review. China has been particularly focused on transactions in the technology industry and has rejected some proposed transactions. The changing nature of government reviews may impact the ability for inorganic growth of our business. Our integration efforts may periodically expose deficiencies in the controls and procedures relating to cybersecurity and the compliance with data privacy and protection laws, regulations and standards of an acquired company or business that were not identified in our due diligence undertaken prior to consummating the acquisition. Additionally, we may encounter difficulties assimilating or integrating the businesses, technologies, products, personnel or operations of any acquired companies, particularly if the key personnel of an acquired company cannot be retained, or we have difficulty preserving the customers of any acquired business. These transactions could also result in dilutive issuances of equity securities or the incurrence of debt, which could adversely affect our results of operations. We have also in the past sought, and may in the future seek, to divest ourselves of businesses, dispose of assets, cease investments, or wind down joint ventures or manufacturing alliances. Current market conditions may increase the difficulty and costs of finding buyers and may cause us to obtain less-favorable transaction terms. Winding down joint ventures or manufacturing alliances may cause us to be subject to penalties, unrecoverable initial investments, and other losses. In addition, in the case of the divestiture of manufacturing facilities, we may be obligated to rely on buyers' wafer production in order to fulfil existing customer commitments in the short run. These efforts may divert the attention of management and cause us to incur various expenses in identifying, investigating and pursuing suitable opportunities, whether or not the transactions are completed, and may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. Any such transactions that we are able to complete may not result in the synergies, efficiencies or other benefits we expected to achieve, which could result in substantial impairment charges and other losses. Any of the foregoing factors could materially and adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition, business and prospects.
Risk Highlights Q4, 2023
Risk Word Cloud
Risk Factors Full Breakdown - Total Risks 66
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 1Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide for indemnification of officers and directors at our expense, which may result in a major cost to us and hurt the interests of our shareholders because corporate resources may be expended for the benefit of officers and/or directors.
Our Memorandum and Articles of Association and applicable law of the Cayman Islands provide for the indemnification of our directors and officers, under certain circumstances, against any liability, action, proceeding, claim, demand, costs, damages or expenses, including legal expenses, whatsoever which they or any of them may incur as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out their functions in connection with our company, other than such liability (if any) that they may incur by reason of their own actual fraud, dishonesty, willful neglect or willful default. We will also bear the expenses of such litigation for any of our directors or officers, upon such person's undertaking to repay any amounts paid, advanced, or reimbursed by us if it is ultimately determined that any such person shall not have been entitled to indemnification. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures by us that we will be unable to recoup. We have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, indemnification for liabilities arising under federal securities laws is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act, and is, therefore, unenforceable.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 2Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forum for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands will, to the fullest extent permitted by the law, have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our Memorandum and Articles of Association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder's shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former directors, officers or other employees to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Cayman Companies Act or our Memorandum and Articles of Association, and (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the "Internal Affairs Doctrine" (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause or causes of action arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), or Exchange Act, including all causes of action asserted against any defendant named in such complaint. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder's cost and limit the shareholder's ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies' charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our Memorandum and Articles of Association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 3Anti-takeover provisions in our organizational documents and Cayman Islands law may discourage or prevent a change of control, even if an acquisition would be beneficial to our shareholders, which could depress the price of our ordinary shares and prevent attempts by our shareholders to replace or remove our current management.
Our Memorandum and Articles of Association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our Board of Directors is divided into three classes with staggered, three-year terms. Our Board of Directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue preferred shares without shareholder approval. We are also subject to certain provisions under Cayman Islands law that could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our ordinary shares.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 4Future sales or distributions of our shares by Mubadala could depress the price of our ordinary shares.
Sales by Mubadala in the public market or other distributions of substantial amounts of our ordinary shares, or the filing of a registration statement relating to a substantial amount of our ordinary shares, could depress our ordinary share price. We have entered into agreements with Mubadala that provide a framework for our ongoing relationship, including a Shareholder's Agreement and Registration Rights Agreement. Under the Registration Rights Agreement, Mubadala has the right, subject to certain conditions, to require us to file registration statements covering its shares or to include its shares in other registration statements that we may file. By exercising its registration rights and selling a large number of shares, Mubadala could cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 5As a foreign private issuer and a controlled company, we are not subject to certain corporate governance rules applicable to U.S.-listed companies.
As a foreign private issuer that has listed our ordinary shares on Nasdaq, we rely on a provision in the Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards that allows us to follow Cayman Islands law with regard to certain aspects of corporate governance. This allows us to follow certain corporate governance practices that differ in significant respects from the corporate governance requirements applicable to U.S. companies listed on Nasdaq. For example, we are exempt from Nasdaq regulations that require a listed U.S. company to: - have a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors;- require non-management directors to meet on a regular basis without management present;- have an independent compensation committee;- have an independent nominating committee; and - seek shareholder approval for the implementation of certain equity compensation plans and issuances of ordinary shares. As a foreign private issuer, we are permitted to follow home country practice in lieu of the above requirements. Our Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee ("Audit Committee") is required to comply with the provisions of Rule 10A-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), which is applicable to U.S. companies listed on Nasdaq. Accordingly, we have a fully independent Audit Committee.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 6Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Our directors and officers presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business opportunity to such entity, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Accordingly, they presently or in the future may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential business opportunity may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our Memorandum and Articles of Association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other; and (iii) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have a duty to communicate or offer any such corporate opportunity to us, nor shall such individuals be liable to us for a breach of fiduciary duty solely by reason of the fact that such party pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for himself or herself, directs such corporate opportunity to another person, or does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to us. For a complete discussion of our executive officers' and directors' business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see "Item 6. Directors, Senior Management and Employees" and "Item 7. Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions." The Cayman Islands Economic Substance Act may affect our operations. The Cayman Islands has recently enacted the International Tax Co-operation (Economic Substance) Act, or the Cayman Economic Substance Act. The Cayman Economic Substance Act generally requires legal entities domiciled or registered in the Cayman Islands which conduct certain geographically mobile activities to have demonstrable substance in the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Economic Substance Act was introduced by the Cayman Islands to ensure that it meets its commitments to the European Union, as well as its obligations under the OECD's global Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiatives. We are required to comply with the Cayman Economic Substance Act. As we are a Cayman Islands company, compliance obligations include filing annual notifications for us, which need to state whether we are carrying out any relevant activities and, if so, whether we have satisfied economic substance tests to the extent required under the Cayman Economic Substance Act. As it is a relatively new regime, it is anticipated that the Cayman Economic Substance Act will evolve and be subject to further clarification and amendments. We may need to allocate additional resources to keep updated with these developments, and may have to make changes to our operations in order to comply with all requirements under the Cayman Economic Substance Act. Failure to satisfy these requirements may subject us to penalties under the Cayman Economic Substance Act. The Cayman Islands Tax Information Authority shall impose a penalty of CI$10,000 (or US$12,500) on a relevant entity for failing to satisfy the economic substance test or CI$100,000 (or US$125,000) if such failures are not remedied in the subsequent financial year after the initial notice of failure. Following failure after two consecutive years the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands may make an order requiring the relevant entity to take specified action to satisfy the economic substance test or ordering it that it is defunct or be struck off. Pursuant to the Companies Act, any property vested in or belonging to a company which has been struck off shall vest in the Cayman Islands government. During 2022, the Company received a notice of failure to satisfy the economic substance test for the 2020 financial year, and a penalty of CI$10,000 (or US$12,500). During 2023, the Company received a second notice of failure to satisfy the economic substance test for the 2020 financial year, and a further penalty of CI$10,000 (or US$12,500). The Company has paid the foregoing monetary penalties and taken appropriate remedial steps in 2022 and 2023 to satisfy the economic substance test.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 7We are a Cayman Islands company and, because judicial precedent regarding the rights of shareholders is more limited under Cayman Islands law than that under U.S. law, you may have less protection for your shareholder rights than you would under U.S. law.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the "Memorandum and Articles of Association"), as amended and restated from time to time, the Cayman Islands Companies Act (as amended) (the "Cayman Companies Act") and the common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as that from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly defined as they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less prescriptive body of securities laws than the United States. In addition, some U.S. states, such as Delaware, have more fulsome and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law than the Cayman Islands. As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as shareholders of a corporation incorporated in a jurisdiction in the United States.
- Share Price & Shareholder Rights - Risk 8ChangedOur majority shareholder, Mubadala, will continue to have substantial control of the business, which could limit your ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including a change of control, and otherwise affect the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares.
Mubadala beneficially owns, in the aggregate, approximately 84.82% of our outstanding ordinary shares. See "Item 7. Major Shareholder and Related Party Transactions." In addition, we have entered into a shareholder's agreement with Mubadala, which will entitle Mubadala, subject to the level of Mubadala's beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares, to certain consent rights and director nomination rights and, from time to time, we contract with Mubadala to provide management and operations support, including the services of our Chief Operating Officer. As a result, Mubadala will continue to have significant influence over the management and affairs of our company, as well as the ability to control the outcome of matters submitted to our shareholders for approval, including the election of directors and the approval of significant corporate transactions, including any merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets and the issuance or redemption of equity interests in certain circumstances. The interests of Mubadala may not always coincide with, and in some cases may conflict with, our interests and the interests of our other shareholders. For instance, Mubadala could attempt to delay or prevent a change in control of our company even if such change in control would benefit our other shareholders, or attempt to force or accelerate a change in control even if such change in control would not benefit our other shareholders. Additionally, Mubadala could sell their shares at a discount. Any of the above could deprive our other shareholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their ordinary shares. This concentration of ownership may also affect the prevailing market price of our ordinary shares due to investors' perceptions that conflicts of interest may exist or arise, and because Mubadala may sell, or investors may perceive that Mubadala is likely to sell, a significant amount of our ordinary shares.
See a full breakdown of risk according to category and subcategory. The list starts with the category with the most risk. Click on subcategories to read relevant extracts from the most recent report.