In ceremonies held in Tres Cantos, 10 miles north of Madrid, on Monday, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia, Telefonica chairman Luis Solana and AT&T chairman James Olson inaugurated Spain’s first semiconductor design and manufacturing facility: the plant is owned and operated by the AT&T Microelectronica de Espana joint venture of AT&T and Telefonica, and will design and manufacture special-purpose integrated circuits for use in switching equipment and other computer and communications products for the European market; the joint venture has taken two years to reach this point, and production will start in the first quarter of next year; AT&T holds 80% and Compania Telefonica National de Espana the remaining 20% of the venture.
