Lockheed, GlobalFoundries form secure chip manufacturing team

Two global giants in the defense and computer chip making industry have entered into a partnership for securing the U.S. supply of semiconductors for military systems.

Among several items of collaboration, Lockheed Martin and GlobalFoundries will work together on creating a new chiplet ecosystem that stacks and stitches multiple chips together with the goals of faster production and lower costs of manufacturing.

The companies will also apply GlobalFoundries' technology and manufacturing practices toward efforts at increasing the stability and resiliency of microelectronics and their supply chains, they said Monday.

Lockheed and GlobalFoundries formed the team in light of the CHIPS and Science Act, a law enacted in 2022 that allocated $52 billion in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. after decades of that work being largely done in other countries.

A more resilient and state-of-the-art chip supply has been a focal point of Jim Taiclet's agenda as chief executive and chairman of Lockheed, which already counted a partnership with Intel as among several efforts to ramp up U.S. chip manufacturing.

Computer chip supply chains were far from the only ones affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but were the most prominent given semiconductors' importance to the global economy.

“Lockheed Martin is focused on delivering cutting-edge 21st century security capabilities that advance deterrence and keep our customers ahead of emerging threats. This begins with securely manufactured semiconductors, Taiclet said in a release. "We look forward to working with GlobalFoundries to help increase access to domestically produced microelectronics – a true national security imperative.”

Founded in 2009 as a spinoff of AMD, GlobalFoundries was regarded as the world's third largest semiconductor manufacturer as of the second quarter's end and is deemed a "Trusted Foundry" for the U.S. government.

That trusted status means GlobalFoundries' manufacturing facilities in the states of New York and Vermont have government accreditation to produce chips that can then go onto sensitive military systems.

"Today's announcement is another example of GF's commitment to innovation, our global manufacturing footprint, and enabling a more resilient semiconductor supply chain in the U.S. and abroad," added GlobalFoundries' CEO Dr. Thomas Caulfield.