In 2022, the US Congress passed the US CHIPS and Science Act to “revitalize domestic manufacturing, create good-paying American jobs, strengthen American supply chains, and accelerate the industries of the future,” according to the current administration. An underlying purpose was also to secure the development of intellectual property and technology supply for US National Security, also known as aerospace and defense applications.
This also highlighted the importance and challenge of being a “Trusted Foundry,” which GlobalFoundries is currently the only commercial high-volume foundry with this designation.According to the accrediting Defense Microelectronics Activity division of the DoD, the Trusted Foundry, also referred to as Trusted Supplier, program “covers a broad range of technologies and is intended to support both new and legacy applications, both classified and unclassified.
The Trusted Foundry program includes a broad list of suppliers across the semiconductor ecosystem from research and design to the tools and equipment to manufacturing and assembly. Currently, there are 82 accredited Trusted Suppliers as part of the Trusted Foundry program.Historically, the defense community utilized dedicated classified facilities. However, this has significant technical, operational, and financial limitations. Semiconductor manufacturing fabs are very costly.
The U.S. Trusted Supplier accreditation can apply to companies located in Five Eyes nations, which are the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Other nations and regions in the world have or are considering requirements for regional security, and with GlobalFoundries security processes and running fabs in the U.S., EU, and Singapore, makes GlobalFoundries a top candidate for partnering with other nations for regional certifications and investments abroad.