The funding which will support the company’s facility at Essex Junction, Vermont, will help to move GF closer to large-scale production of GaN chips.
With the ability to handle high voltages and temperatures, GaN chip technology is essential for enabling higher performance and greater energy efficiency across a range of RF and high-power control applications including automobiles, datacentre, IoT, aerospace and defence.
With the funding award, GF said that it would be adding new tools, equipment and prototyping capabilities to its market-leading GaN IP portfolio and reliability testing as the company moves closer to full-scale manufacturing of its 200mm GaN chips in Vermont.
“GF is proud of its leadership in GaN chip technology, which is positioned to make game-changing advances across multiple end-markets and enable new generations of devices with more energy-efficient RF performance and faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries,” said Nicholas Sergeant, vice president of IoT and aerospace and defence at GF. “We appreciate the US government’s partnership and ongoing support of our GaN program. Realising 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.”
The new funding, awarded by the US Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), 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 utilisation. In concert with key partners, this approach fortifies defence systems, empowering resilience and responsiveness,” said Dr. Nicholas Martin, Director at Defense Microelectronics Activity.
In total, including the new award, GF has received more than $80 million 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, with longstanding leadership in 200mm semiconductor manufacturing. In July 2024, 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 advance GF’s research, development and leadership in GaN chip manufacturing.
