Globalfoundries is striving to be among the major contract chipmakers of Qualcomm and Apple, vying for 14nm chip orders from the two vendors, according to industry sources.

Globalfoundries has successfully obtained 14nm chip orders from AMD, previously the parent company of the foundry, said the sources. AMD also has 20nm and 28nm chips made at Globalfoundries.

Qualcomm has placed 14nm chip orders with Samsung Electronics, and has also contracted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using the Taiwan foundry's 16nm FinFET process to make its mobile chips, the sources indicated.

TSMC reportedly fabricates all of Apple's A8 chips using its 20nm process technology, but has failed to grab the entire orders for the upcoming A9. Previous reports cited industry sources as claiming that TSMC and Samsung would share the production of Apple's A9 chips using their respective 1Xnm FinFET process technologies.

TSMC tends to maintain its prices causing it to lose a portion of Apple's A9 chip orders, according to sources with the IC design sector. Unlike TSMC, both Samsung and Globalfoundries could drop their prices for 14nm FinFET node technology in order to win orders, the sources commented.