GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Soitec Enter Into Long-term Supply Agreement on FD-SOI Wafers

Strategic milestone to help guarantee a secure, high-volume supply of FD-SOI technology

Santa Clara, Calif., and Bernin (Grenoble), France, Sept. 20, 2017 -- GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Soitec today announced that they have entered into a five-year agreement to ensure the volume supply of state-of-the-art fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) wafers. This agreement extends the current partnership to provide a solid foundation for both companies to strengthen the FD-SOI supply chain and help ensure high-volume manufacturing.

With the leadership from the two companies, FD-SOI has become the standard technology for cost-effective, low-power devices in high-volume consumer, IoT and automotive applications. The agreement, which is effective immediately, builds on the existing close relationship between the companies and guarantees wafer supply for GF’s 22nm FD-SOI (22FDX®) technology platform.

“GLOBALFOUNDRIES is delivering industry leading ultra-low power, performance-on-demand FD-SOI solutions with cost-sensitive manufacturing options,” said John Docherty, senior vice president of Global Operations at GF. "With Soitec as a long-term strategic partner, this agreement ensures a secure supply to meet the high-volume capacity needs of current and future customers.”

“This agreement represents a long-term commitment from a key strategic customer, further strengthening the FD-SOI supply chain and confirming high-volume adoption,” said Christophe Maleville, Executive vice president, Digital Electronics Business Unit at Soitec. “Soitec is fully prepared to support GF on its long-term plan to implement and grow 22FDX. This strategic agreement, with very significant wafer volumes, reflects GF’s strong confidence in Soitec as we build the required capacity to serve the growing FD-SOI demand.”

FD-SOI semiconductor technology has been made possible by the mutual commitment of many companies to deliver breakthroughs at both the device and substrate levels. GF and Soitec collaborate very closely to ensure landmark FD-SOI performance advantages at the right cost in developing the foundry’s FDX platforms. The FD-SOI process technologies are based on ultra-thin SOI substrates manufactured with Soitec’s industry-standard Smart Cut™ technology to generate ultra-thin layers with high quality and uniformity.

Offering the best power, performance, area and cost (PPAC) optimization of advanced planar technologies in smart phones, automotive electronics, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications, FD-SOI is quickly becoming a new mainstream process technology for battery powered, wireless and connected devices. This agreement will secure effective demand support for the fast growing, global ecosystem which is fueled by the successful market adoption of GF’s 22FDX technology.

About GF:

GLOBALFOUNDRIES is a leading full-service semiconductor foundry providing a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services to some of the world’s most inspired technology companies. With a global manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GLOBALFOUNDRIES makes possible the technologies and systems that transform industries and give customers the power to shape their markets. GLOBALFOUNDRIES is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit http://www.globalfoundries.com.

About Soitec

Soitec (Euronext, Tech 40 Paris) is a world leader in designing and manufacturing innovative semiconductor materials. The company uses its unique technologies and semiconductor expertise to serve the electronics market. With more than 3,000 patents worldwide, Soitec’s strategy is based on disruptive innovation to answer its customers’ needs for high performance, energy efficiency and cost competitiveness. Soitec has manufacturing facilities, R&D centers and offices in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. For more information, please visit www.soitec.com