Globalfoundries (GF) has announced expansion plans for its most advanced manufacturing facility in upstate New York over the coming years. These plans include immediate investments to address the global chip shortage at its existing Fab 8 facility as well as construction of a new fab on the same campus that will double the site's capacity.
The announcement was made as the company convened leaders from government and industry to progress the national discussion around solving U.S. semiconductor supply chain challenges. GF CEO Tom Caulfield was joined by US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, US secretary of commerce Gina M Raimondo, former Pentagon officials, and executives from leading companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain.
GF said it will invest US$1 billion to immediately add an additional 150,000 wafers per year within its existing fab to help address the global chip shortage. Following that, GF plans to construct a new fab that will create more than 1,000 new direct high-tech jobs and thousands more indirect jobs including high-paying construction jobs for the region. Following the successful investment model of Fab 8, GF said it is planning to fund the new facility through private-public partnerships including customers, federal and state investments. This new capacity will serve the growing demand for secure, feature-rich chips needed by high-growth markets including automotive, 5G connectivity and the Internet of Things (IoT). The facility will also support national security requirements for a secure supply chain.
These investments to expand GF's US manufacturing footprint are part of the company's broader global expansion plans that include the recently announced new fab in Singapore and US$1 billion planned investment to expand in Germany, all to meet the growing demand from customers worldwide.
"Our expansion and job creation in Malta requires a new economic model, based on the bold public-private partnerships being championed in Washington by visionary leaders Senator Schumer and Secretary Raimondo, as well as close collaboration with our customers," said GF CEO Tom Caulfield. "Our industry is expected to grow more in the next decade than it did in the past 50 years and GF is stepping up to do its part as we work together to address the growing demand for technology innovation for the betterment of humanity. We are honored to be joined by government and automotive leaders, national security experts, and our valued customers to continue the critical discussions needed to create a reliable supply of American-made chips to support the US economy and national security."
GF said it employs more than 15,000 worldwide with 7,000 people across the US, and nearly 3,000 at its headquarters in Malta, New York. GF has invested more than US$15 billion in its Fab 8 facility over the last decade to support innovation and increase manufacturing capacity. As an accredited supplier of advanced semiconductors to the US government, GF delivers secure and reliable semiconductor solutions at Fab 8, which is compliant with the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
