Courtesy GlobalFoundries
GlobalFoundries, a global competitor in the microchip manufacturing industry, has decided to move its headquarters to its facility in Malta.
The announcement was made in April at an onsite event in Malta with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
GlobalFoundries calls the Malta Fab 8 its most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility. The change was made as the company positions itself for growth, strengthens partnerships with customers and recruits new talent, officials said.
GlobalFoundries has invested more than $15 billion in its Fab 8 facility over the last decade to support innovation and manufacturing capacity. In 2021, the company is doubling its planned investment to expand global capacity, with $500 million targeted for Malta alone.
The move from its previous headquarters to Malta is part of the company’s commitment to address the soaring global chip demand, with a focus on semiconductor manufacturing innovation. It will maintain a substantial presence in Santa Clara, Calif., in the heart of Silicon Valley, where many of its leading U.S. customers and ecosystem partners are based.
“Today, GF’s Fab 8 in New York is a $15 billion advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility and one that is playing a key role in the transformation of our industry to meet rapidly accelerating demand,” said GlobalFoundries CEO Tom Caulfield. “I am personally proud to be making upstate New York GF’s new headquarters. Our amazing 3,000-person workforce, in partnership with our local, state, and federal leaders, will together build on GF’s success, solidifying the Empire State’s place as one of a few world-class semiconductor manufacturing hubs at a time when our national and economic security depends more and more on what we can make here at home.”
He said the company appreciates the bipartisan coalition in Congress that together with the administration “fully appreciates the need for a secure and resilient domestic semiconductor supply chain. The time for the Endless Frontier Act is now, and once approved by Congress and signed into law by President Biden, GF stands ready to do our part by expanding in upstate New York and creating many more high-paying American jobs.
“Our ambitious goal is to double our capacity at this site in the years to come in partnership with our customers, local, state and federal governments. We can do this.”
Schumer said making Fab 8 its headquarters “is further indication of the company’s commitment to growth in New York and to the Empire State’s leadership in the semiconductor industry.”
Schumer worked to pass into law new federal semiconductor manufacturing and R&D incentives in last year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
“The chips that GlobalFoundries manufactures here in Malta are critical to our national security and to our economic competitiveness across key industries,” he said. “I have worked closely with GlobalFoundries over the years to look for opportunities to expand their presence in New York and I am now pushing to secure the federal funds necessary to implement programs we passed into law last year to support further expansion of domestic chip production by companies like GlobalFoundries, accelerating even more growth in the semiconductor industry across Upstate New York.”
“This is a significant commitment by GlobalFoundries, which greatly reinforces the importance of Luther Forest, Malta and Saratoga County in their future expansion plans,” said Saratoga County Board of Supervisors Chairman Theodore Kusnierz. “Given the rapidly growing worldwide demand for advanced semiconductors, we are very pleased that GlobalFoundries is letting the world know that they are committed to meeting this demand, and the center of that effort will be led right here in Saratoga County.”
“Global Foundries has been a tremendous partner with us here in Malta for many years,” said Malta Supervisor Darren O’Connor, adding, “we are excited by the prospect that not only will Global move their corporate headquarters here, but that there is a real possibility that with federal support they may build a second semiconductor manufacturing site in Luther Forest to help meet the growing demand. The positive economic impact Global continues to make here should only grow larger over the coming years.”
GlobalFoundries employs more than 15,000 globally with 7,000 people across the U.S. In 2020, it announced a land purchase option to provide additional flexibility to expand Fab 8’s footprint to support growing demand from the U.S. government and industry customers.
The company said semiconductor chips are more pervasive than ever, becoming one of humankind’s most vital resources, from smartphones and automobiles to technology in schools and hospitals, modern society can no longer survive without them.
With an at-scale manufacturing footprint spanning the U.S., Europe and Asia, GlobalFoundries has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of its more than 250 customers across the globe. The company is owned by Mubadala Investment Co.
For more information, visit www.globalfoundries.com.