Europe has unveiled an end-to-end manufacturing flow for security-critical semiconductors to reduce its reliance on foreign chip suppliers.
The new 300mm wafer production facility is based at GlobalFoundries’ Dresden site in Germany, with the chips produced there specifically targeted at aerospace, defence and critical infrastructure sectors. It marks the first time that these technologies will be produced at scale in Europe.
Global semiconductor contract manufacturing firm GlobalFoundries has teamed up with Dutch semiconductor startup Qualinx to produce its security-sensitive Qualinx QLX3xx, a family of ultra-low-power global navigation satellite system systems-on-chip. Developed for positioning, navigation and timing applications, potential uses include military platforms, critical communications networks and ultra-low-power connected edge devices.
“This first secure product demonstrates that a fully European manufacturing path – from mask services to wafer production – is already a reality...