GlobalFoundries and Renesas Expand US Chip Production

- Under the agreement, Renesas will gain deeper access to GlobalFoundries' advanced technologies, including FDX™ (FD-SOI), BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS), and CMOS platforms with non-volatile memory. These technologies are crucial for producing system-on-chips (SoCs), power devices, and microcontrollers for the automotive and industrial sectors. - Tape-outs for the new collaboration are scheduled to begin in mid-2026. Initial manufacturing will be based in the U.S. and later expand to GlobalFoundries' facilities in Germany and Singapore, as well as a partner facility in China. - The partnership is positioned to support the top three automotive microcontroller suppliers worldwide, as GlobalFoundries now manufactures semiconductors for all of them. This move addresses the escalating demand for chips in electric vehicles, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and battery management. - There is a possibility of transferring some of GlobalFoundries' process technologies to Renesas' own fabrication plants in Japan to further enhance supply chain resilience and long-term capacity. - GlobalFoundries has been actively seeking federal funding through the CHIPS and Science Act to modernize and expand its U.S. facilities, including its plant in Malta, New York. This aligns with the U.S. government's goal of strengthening domestic semiconductor production for economic and national security. - The new Renesas RA6W1 and RA6W2 microcontrollers are single-chip solutions integrating Ceva's Wi-Fi 6 and, in the case of the RA6W2, Bluetooth Low Energy IPs. This integration aims to reduce power consumption, design complexity, and the bill of materials for IoT devices. - The RA6W1 microcontroller is built around an Arm Cortex-M33 core running at up to 160 MHz with 704 KB of SRAM, designed for standalone operation without needing an external host MCU. This is particularly beneficial for smart home and light industrial devices where a smaller footprint and lower power are critical.