GlobalFoundries and BAE Systems partner on chips for space
GlobalFoundries (GF) and BAE Systems have announced a collaboration that will pair GF’s FinFET semiconductor technology with BAE Systems’ radiation-hardening capabilities to produce chips designed for space environments.
The chips will be manufactured at GF’s secure facility in Malta, New York, using the company’s 12LP FinFET platform. According to the companies, the platform is suited for high-performance, low-power applications and integrates features for RF, memory and logic, enabling compact and customisable designs for space avionics and telecommunications systems.
BAE Systems will apply its radiation-hardening techniques through its new RH12 Storefront, a turnkey design framework intended to speed development of custom ICs for space missions. The Storefront qualifies both library components and the design process, offering what the company describes as a one-stop resource for customers requiring radiation-tolerant 12-nanometer devices.
Ezra Hall, senior director for aerospace, defence and critical infrastructure at GlobalFoundries, said the collaboration demonstrates how commercial semiconductor platforms can be adapted for sensitive aerospace and defence applications. GF’s Malta facility is accredited for secure manufacturing and complies with ITAR and EAR export controls under its GF Shield security program.
“GF’s essential chips deliver the performance, reliability and yield of our commercial offerings but with custom enhancements for aerospace and defence applications and security features, enabled through our DMEA accreditation,” Ezra Hal says in the press release.
GF has supplied BAE Systems with chips produced on its 12S0 SOI technology in the past. The new FinFET-based offering is intended to support a new generation of energy-efficient, high-performance semiconductors for space-based computing.
