News: Microelectronics
5 December 2024
GlobalFoundries’ gains $9.5m more in US funding for Vermont 200mm GaN-on-Si chip production
New York-headquartered GlobalFoundries (GF, the only US-based pure-play foundry with a global manufacturing footprint including facilities in the USA, Europe and Singapore) has received an additional $9.5m in federal funding from the US government to advance the manufacturing of its gallium nitride (GaN)-on-silicon at its fabrication plant in Essex Junction, Vermont.
GF will continue to add new tools, equipment and prototyping capabilities to its GaN IP portfolio and reliability testing as it moves closer to full-scale manufacturing of its 200mm GaN chips in Vermont. GF says it aims to create a fast and efficient path for customers to realize innovative designs and products that leverage the unique efficiency and power management benefits of GaN chip technology.
“Realizing full-scale GaN chip manufacturing will be a catalyst for innovation, for both our commercial and government partners, and will add resilience and strengthen the semiconductor supply chain,” says Nicholas Sergeant, vice president of IoT and aerospace & defense.
Awarded by the US Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), the new funding represents the latest federal investment to support GF’s GaN program in Vermont.
“This strategic investment in critical technologies strengthens our domestic ecosystem and national security, and ensures these assets are readily available and secure for DoD utilization,” says Dr Nicholas Martin, director at Defense Microelectronics Activity. “In concert with key partners, this approach fortifies defense systems, empowering resilience and responsiveness.”
In total, including the new award, GF has received more than $80m since 2020 from the US government to support research, development and advancements to pave the way to full-scale GaN chip manufacturing.
Vermont is a US-accredited Trusted Foundry and the global hub of GF’s GaN program. In July, GF acquired Tagore Technology’s Gallium Nitride Power portfolio and created the GF Kolkata Power Center in Kolkata, India. The center is closely aligned with and supports GF’s facility in Vermont, and is helping to advance GF’s research and development in GaN chip manufacturing.
GlobalFoundries’ $1.5bn US CHIPS Act funding confirmed by Department of Commerce
