Highlights 

  • GlobalFoundries to acquire Advanced Micro Foundry, becoming the largest pure-play silicon photonics foundry by revenue. 
  • The deal expands GF’s technology portfolio, talent base, and manufacturing capacity in Singapore. 
  • Acquisition strengthens global supply for AI datacenters as optical communication demand surges. 
  • New Center of Excellence in Singapore will drive photonics innovation with A*STAR, targeting 400Gbps data transfer technologies. 
  • Combined capabilities position GF to advance transceivers, co-packaged optics, LiDAR, sensing, automotive, and quantum applications. 

GlobalFoundries (NASDAQ:GFS) announced itsacquisitionof Advanced Micro Foundry, a major milestone cementing GF’s global leadership in silicon photonics—a technology fundamental toAI-scale data movement. The acquisition integrates AMF’s manufacturing facilities, intellectual property, and specialized workforce into GF’s global operations, strengthening the company’s capacity to support next-generation optical communication systems. 
With this move, GF becomes the largest pure-play silicon photonics foundry by revenue. The deal expands GF’s footprint in Singapore and enhances synergy with its established U.S. operations in New York, positioning the company to meet fast-rising demand from AI datacenters, long-haul communications and high-bandwidth connectivity markets. 

Photonics: Enabling Ultra-Fast Data Movement for AI Datacenters 

As copper interconnects near their bandwidth and energy limits, silicon photonics has emerged as a transformative solution using light to transfer data with far higher speed and efficiency. AMF brings over 15 years of expertise on a 200mm photonics platform, with roadmaps to scale to 300mm as customer needs evolve. 
GF aims to leverage AMF’s legacy to expand into data communications, advanced sensing, LiDAR and automotive markets. The company also plans to accelerate the development of pluggable transceivers and co-packaged optics, both essential for the next decade of AI-powered workloads. 
According to GF CEO Tim Breen, expanded photonics capabilities will enable customers to access secure,diversifiedmanufacturing across multiple regions, addressing capacity constraints and reducing supply chain concentration. 

Strengthening Innovation Through New Center of Excellence in Singapore 

Aligned with the acquisition, GF will establish a silicon photonics Center of Excellence in Singapore in partnership with A*STAR, the country’s leading public R&D agency. The CoE will focus on advanced materials and photonics technologies supporting ultra-fast data transmission at 400Gbps, targeted at AI datacenters and secure communications. 
AMF CEO Jagadish CV emphasized the complementary nature of the two companies’ portfolios and their shared commitment to innovation and customer-driven design. With AMF’s platform and GF’s global reach, the combined organization aims to accelerate photonics adoption across a wide array of emerging markets. 

Conclusion 

GlobalFoundries’ acquisition of Advanced Micro Foundry marks a pivotal step in shaping the future of optical communication and AI infrastructure. By integrating AMF’s deep photonics expertise and manufacturing capabilities, GF expands its global footprint, strengthens supply chain resilience and accelerates its roadmap for next-generation data transfer technologies. The partnership with A*STAR further positions GF to drive breakthroughs in high-speed optical solutions, fortifying its leadership in a rapidly evolving semiconductor and AI ecosystem.