Britain’s BAE Systems and U.S. semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries [GFS] on Thursday said they have agreed to collaborate on research and development in advanced chip technologies to strengthen the supply chain for semiconductors.
The non-exclusive strategic agreement will involve planning and collaborating on advanced semiconductor packaging and integration, gallium nitride on silicon chips, silicon photonics, and advanced technology process development.
“Our leadership in microelectronics for critical defense systems is predicated on a reliable and secure supply chain and the availability of trusted, uncompromised semiconductors,” Terry Crimmins, president of BAE’s Electronic Systems sector, said in a statement. “This new collaboration with GlobalFoundries, with its expertise in secure chip manufacturing, is imperative for BAE Systems to advance the overmatch thresholds of technologies, stay ahead of the increasingly complex defense environment, and enable creative solutions to mitigate the growing challenges to both the integrity of microelectronics and their associated supply chains.”
The collaboration between BAE and GF follows a strategic agreement a year ago between Lockheed Martin [GF] and the chip maker that is also focused on strengthening the U.S. industrial base for semiconductors (Defense Daily, June 12, 2023). The two companies are working to develop a chiplet ecosystem to accelerate and boost affordable production. Chiplets are computer chips that are packaged more closely together as part of a module that goes into a computer processor.
New York-based GF operates manufacturing facilities that are accredited and authorized by the U.S. government to produce secure chips in sensitive national security systems.
BAE uses GF’s custom radiation-hardened chips for sensitive space applications.