Rapid growth: A robotic arm transferring a wafer in GlobalFoundries’ fabrication plant in Singapore. The acquisition of AMF makes GlobalFoundries the world’s largest foundry by revenue. — Reuters
SINGAPORE: GlobalFoundries (GF), one of the world’s top contract chipmakers, has acquired Singapore’s Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), in a boost to the republic’s role in the artificial intelligence-driven data centre and communications boom.
The move will strengthen Singapore’s position as a trusted, advanced semiconductor manufacturing and innovation hub, and a critical node in the global chip supply chain, said the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star), which spun off AMF in 2017.
It will make GF the world’s largest foundry by revenue for silicon photonics technology.
GF and A*Star – which did not disclose the financial details of the acquisition – also entered into a research partnership agreement to advance silicon photonics technologies.
The breakthrough technology integrates optical and electronic components onto a single silicon chip, using light – or photons – instead of electrical signals to achieve ultra-fast and energy-efficient data transfer. This is critical for handling the massive datasets required by artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
“GF’s acquisition marks the next phase of AMF’s journey, scaling to bring world-class silicon photonics innovations developed in Singapore to global markets,” A*Star said.
The US chip giant plans to establish a silicon photonics research and development centre of excellence in Singapore.
The centre will partner with A*Star to advance GF’s innovation roadmap by focusing on next-generation materials for ultra-fast data transfer at 400Gbps speed, the company said.
The collaboration will enhance the company’s photonics platform to provide high-performance, secure data transfer solutions to its customers worldwide, GF added.
AMF, which says it is the world’s first dedicated silicon photonics foundry, has also developed a portfolio of global customers.
Its chief executive Jagadish C.V. said: “With complementary technology portfolios, we are proud to join forces with a trusted manufacturer with global reach, and together, look forward to advancing silicon photonics technology for a broader range of markets and customers.”
Apart from data centres, telecom networks and high-performance computing, photonics chips are also used in sensing devices such as Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar ) systems for autonomous driving and robotics. They are also used in medical imaging and quantum computing.
GF said the acquisition will expand its photonics portfolio, production capacity and research and development in Singapore – complementing its existing technology capabilities in the United States and unlocking new market opportunities.
GF chief executive Tim Breen said photonics is essential for AI infrastructure.
“As data move faster and workloads grow more complex, the ability to move information with greater speed, precision and power efficiency is now fundamental to AI data centres and advanced telecom networks.
“Acquiring AMF enables GF to deliver an expanded, and differentiated, decade-long roadmap for pluggable transceivers and co-packaged optics, while accelerating growth of photonics into adjacent markets such as automotive and quantum computing.”
GF said the acquisition brings with it AMF’s manufacturing assets, extensive intellectual property and skilled talent.
Leveraging over 15 years of AMF’s manufacturing expertise, GF will address demands in long-haul optical communications, computing, Lidar and sensing on AMF’s existing platform in Singapore with plans to scale it up as market needs grow.
A*Star said Singapore’s early and sustained investments in photonics, which is now seen as foundational to next-generation AI systems, have established the nation as a critical node in the global semiconductor supply chain. — The Straits Times/ANN
