Within its manufacturing plant in New York, GlobalFoundries (GF) announced intentions to establish a new center for advanced packaging and testing of key chips manufactured in the United States.
In order to meet the increasing demand for GF’s silicon photonics and other vital chips required for vital end markets like artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, aerospace and defense, and communications, the first-of-its-kind center, which is funded by investments from the State of New York and the U.S. Department of Commerce, intends to enable semiconductors to be securely manufactured, processed, packaged, and tested entirely onshore in the United States.
As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, silicon photonics, 3D, and heterogeneously integrated (HI) chips are being used more frequently to satisfy datacenter and edge device power, bandwidth, and density requirements.
Additionally, silicon photonics devices are positioned to meet the power and performance requirements of critical infrastructure applications such as radar, communications, and automobiles.
GF’s New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center is anticipated to provide the following in order to satisfy this rising demand:
- Advanced testing, assembly, and packaging for GF’s unique silicon photonics platform, which combines electrical and optical components on a single chip to achieve performance and power savings.
- New production capabilities for the advanced packaging, wafer-to-wafer bonding, assembly, and testing of 3D and HI chips using GF’s 12LP+, 22FDX®, and other leading platforms;
- Full turnkey advanced packaging, bump, assembly, and testing for aerospace and defense customers under GF’s Trusted Foundry accreditation, ensuring chips used in sensitive national security systems never leave the U.S. during production.
In order to give customers a comprehensive U.S.-based solution for chips manufactured at GF’s New York manufacturing facility, the New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center seeks to increase GF’s advanced packaging capabilities, which involve converting chips into discrete packages prepared for end-product use.
Asia currently produces the most sophisticated packaging in the semiconductor industry.
It is anticipated that GF will invest $575 million on the New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center altogether, with an additional $186 million going toward research and development over the course of the next ten or more years. Over the next five years, it is anticipated that these efforts will result in the creation of about 100 new full-time GF employment in New York.
In addition to the previously announced $550 million in support for GF from the New York State Green CHIPS program, the state of New York will provide an additional $20 million to the new center.
In addition to the previously announced GF award under the CHIPS and Science Act, the U.S. Department of Commerce will directly fund the center up to $75 million.
GF employs approximately 2,500 people at its Malta, New York, fab and has invested more than $16 billion in the facility since it opened in 2011. GF’s New York fab has Trusted Foundry accreditation and manufactures secure chips in partnership with the U.S. government.
Key Comments
“We’re proud to partner at the state and federal level on this new center, which is a direct response to our customers asking for more geodiversity in their supply chains and additional support with advanced packaging solutions for GF silicon photonics, Trusted, and 3D/HI offerings,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “The New York Advanced Packaging and Photonics Center will be unique in our industry and will play a vital role in the continued growth of the Empire State’s world-class semiconductor manufacturing and innovation ecosystem.”