The news, which follows the recent passage of the US Chips and Science Act, secures wafer supply and commitments to support US-based manufacturing through capacity expansion at GF’s most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility, in Malta, New York.
The announcement was made in Washington at a CEO Summit co- hosted by GF, Ford, and Applied Materials, and included CEOs and senior leaders from across the semiconductor supply chain from tool and wafer manufacturers to key suppliers to end users of chips manufactured in the US.
GF has been manufacturing Qualcomm Technologies’ chips for many years, reaching across its global footprint. In 2021, Qualcomm Global Trading (QGT), a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, was one of GF’s first customers to secure their supply with a long-term agreement covering multiple geographies and technologies.
That agreement secured 22FDX capacity at GF’s Dresden facility and will now include capacity at GF’s recently announced facility in Crolles, France, making QGT an anchor customer in GF’s leading European proprietary technology. QGT has also secured capacity in GF’s market leading 8SW radio-frequency silicon-on-insulator (RFSOI) technologies for Sub 6GHz 5G front-end module (FEM) which will be primarily manufactured in GF’s Singapore facilities, where site expansion plans are well underway with full ramp expected in early 2023.
The announcement specifically extends QGT’s US based collaboration with GF in FinFET for 5G transceivers, Wi-Fi, Automotive and IoT connectivity.
"With accelerating demand for 5G, Automotive and IoT applications, a robust supply chain is critical for ensuring innovation in these areas remains uninterrupted," said Dr. Roawen Chen, Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain and Operations Officer, Qualcomm Technologies. "Our continued collaboration with GF helps us to expand the next generation of wireless innovation as we move toward a world where everyone and everything can be intelligently connected."
“GF’s global manufacturing footprint enables us to partner with our customers to meet their capacity needs, where they need it,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “Our collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies delivers differentiation and innovation in mobile and IoT spanning three continents, and this long-term agreement extension provides Qualcomm Technologies with additional U.S. based manufacturing for a more resilient supply chain.”
With the global demand for semiconductors is growing rapidly, GF is responding through a series of strategic long-term agreements with existing and new customers, while simultaneously expanding global capacity to meet customer demand in partnership with federal and local governments.
