Raytheon and GF partner on 5G wireless connectivity

Under the agreement, Raytheon Technologies will license its proprietary gallium nitride on silicon technology and technical expertise to GF, which will develop the new semiconductor at its Fab 9 facility in Burlington, Vermont. As a material, gallium nitride is used to build high-performance semiconductors that can handle significant heat and power levels, making it ideal to handle 5G and 6G wireless signals, which require higher performance levels than legacy wireless systems. "Raytheon Technologies was one of the pioneers advancing RF gallium arsenide technology which has been broadly used in mobile and wireless markets, and we have similarly been at the forefront of advancing gallium nitride technology for use in advanced military systems," says Mark Russell, Raytheon Technologies' chief technology officer, in a press release. "Our agreement with GlobalFoundries not only demonstrates our common goal to make high performance communications technologies available at an affordable cost to our customers it continues to prove how investments in advanced defense technologies can improve lives, as well as defend them." "GlobalFoundries' innovations have helped drive the evolution of four generations of wireless communications that connect over 4 billion people. Our collaboration with Raytheon Technologies is an important step to ensuring the development and manufacturing capability of solutions for critical future 5G applications," adds GF CEO Tom Caulfield. "This partnership will enable everything from AI-supported phones and driverless cars to the smart grid, as well as governments' access to data and networks which are essential to national security."