GlobalFoundries acquires Singapore chip maker Advanced Micro Foundry in AI data centre network push
With the acquisition of Advanced Micro Foundry, GlobalFoundries said it believes it would be the world's largest silicon photonics maker.
A screen displays the company logo for semiconductor and chipmaker GlobalFoundries during the company's IPO at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square in New York City, US on Oct 28, 2021. (File photo: Reuters/Brendan McDermid)
US chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries said on Monday (Nov 17) it has acquired Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), a Singapore-based chipmaker that focuses on silicon photonics, a fast-growing field that is being used in artificial intelligence data centres and quantum computers.
GlobalFoundries did not disclose financial details of the deal.
Silicon photonics technology can be used to integrate traditional computing chip technologies with optical networking technologies that use pulses of light to transmit data.
The field is growing quickly, with Nvidia working with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing to package together some of its networking chips with optical connections.
A range of well-funded Silicon Valley startups such as Ayar Labs, Celestial AI and Lightmatter are also pursuing the optical connections between chips, some of them using GlobalFoundries as a manufacturer.
GlobalFoundries is already a major player in silicon photonics, helping startups such as PsiQuantum, which is constructing a quantum computer in Chicago, build its photonic-based chips.
With the acquisition of AMF, GlobalFoundries said it believes it would be the world's largest silicon photonics maker and that it will establish a new research centre in Singapore in partnership with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
"As data moves faster and workloads grow more complex, the ability to move information with greater speed, precision and power efficiency is now fundamental to AI data centres and advanced telecom networks," Tim Breen, CEO of GlobalFoundries, said in a statement.
The acquisition of AMF, which spun off from A*STAR in 2017, will help it scale "to bring world-class silicon photonics innovations developed in Singapore to global markets", said the agency.
In a statement, A*STAR said that it will enter into a master research collaboration agreement with GlobalFoundries to advance silicon photonics technologies.
Silicon photonics enables ultra-fast and energy-efficient data transfer, and is foundational to next-generation AI systems.
The agreement will deepen the collaboration between A*STAR and GlobalFoundries, and it underscores the US firm's commitment to expanding its production and R&D operations in Singapore, said A*STAR.
"We look forward to pushing the frontiers of silicon photonics with GF and delivering new economic opportunities for Singapore," CEO of A*STAR Beh Kian Teik said.
AMF CEO Jagadish CV said: "AMF and GlobalFoundries share a vision of innovation and close customer partnerships to deliver differentiated solutions.
“With complementary technology portfolios, we are proud to join forces with a trusted manufacturer with global reach, and together, look forward to advancing silicon photonics technology for a broader range of markets and customers.”
