Qualinx and Globalfoundries complete all-European foundry process

It shows that security-critical chips for aerospace, defence and critical infrastructure can be designed, manufactured and delivered entirely within Europe.

Quailinx was the launch customer for the process with a  GNSS SoC design for secure Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) applications. The QLX3xx design targets  GNSS-based PNT solutions for aerospace, defence and critical infrastructures—such as resilient timing and synchronisation networks and highly integrated, ultra-low-power GNSS receivers at the connected edge.

The Dresden fab is establishing its European  manufacturing flow, consolidating every step of the production process — from design intake and mask services to wafer manufacturing — within the European Union.

No sensitive design data or physical materials leave Europe, meeting the strict regulatory and security requirements of European governments, defence agencies, system integrators and critical infrastructure operators.

“We are demonstrating that Europe can rely on a secure, end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing flow that meets the highest requirements of aerospace and defence,” said Dr. Manfred Horstmann, Senior Vice President and General Manager at GlobalFoundries. “Our partnership with Qualinx marks the first operational milestone: it shows that complex, security-relevant ASIC designs for aerospace, defence, and critical infrastructure can already be industrialized today using a fully European, trusted manufacturing path.”

“This first secure product demonstrates that a fully European manufacturing path – from mask services to wafer production – is already a reality today,” said Tom Trill, CEO of Qualinx. “Together with GlobalFoundries, we’ve optimized our Digital RF technology on GF’s FDX with a secure end-to-end flow, culminating in the launch of our ultra-low-power reconfigurable GNSS SoC and Analog Front End. This milestone underscores our ability to deliver trusted, energy-efficient solutions while maintaining full control over IP, data and the supply chain within Europe.”