GlobalFoundries and STMicroelectronics to build new fab in France to advance the FD-SOI ecosystem

Last month it was reported that STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries (GlobalFoundries) are interested in building new fabs in Europe, and hope that like Intel, it will get subsidies for factory construction and reduce construction costs with high government financial support.

GlobalFoundries announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with STMicroelectronics to jointly build a new 300mm fab to be jointly operated, adding approximately 1,000 new jobs, and creating more employment opportunities for its partners, suppliers, and stakeholders in the ecosystem. The new facility is located in the French city of Crolles, adjacent to STMicroelectronics’ existing 300mm wafer fab. The new fab is targeting full production by 2026, with an annual capacity of 620,000 300mm wafers, with STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries accounting for 42% and 58%, respectively.

The new 300mm fab will utilize a variety of semiconductor manufacturing technologies, such as a variety of FD-SOI-based technologies, including GlobalFoundries’ FDX technology and STMicroelectronics’ comprehensive technology roadmap down to 18nm, to meet the needs of automotive, IoT, and mobile applications for some time to come. FD-SOI itself originated in France as part of ST’s technology and product roadmap and was later differentiated and commercialized by GlobalFoundries at its Dresden fab in Germany.

It is understood that the new semiconductor facility will receive substantial financial support from the French government to contribute to the EU’s plan to increase its global semiconductor market share (accounting for 20% of global chip production by 2030).