GlobalFoundries returns to advanced nodes
About eight years after pulling out of the leading-edge race and canceling its 7nm-class FinFET plans, GlobalFoundries has announced a new 7nm-class manufacturing process. Called FDX Fusion, it relies on planar transistors and fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) instead of FinFET.
What it targets
The process is aimed at applications that prioritize low power consumption, high integration and cost efficiency over maximum performance: automotive, edge AI, industrial devices, robotics and sensors. GlobalFoundries says FDX Fusion offers more than double the transistor density of 22FDX and 7nm-class digital performance, though it has not disclosed transistor dimensions or actual density figures.
Capabilities on a single chip
The main selling point is not just digital performance. The process aims to combine RF transistors with fT/fmax up to 0.5 THz, analog and mixed-signal circuitry, embedded nonvolatile memory and in-memory computing on a single chip. This could enable highly integrated SoCs that would otherwise require multiple chips made on different process technologies. GlobalFoundries also plans to offer processor IP based on MIPS, ARC and RISC-V architectures.
Timeline and customers
The company plans to deliver initial demo silicon for customer evaluation in early 2027, followed by the first process design kit (PDK) in mid-2027. Production is planned to start at its Dresden, Germany facility in 2028. GlobalFoundries said BMW, Bosch, Infineon, NXP, Siemens and Tesla have expressed interest, while only Infineon specifically confirmed collaboration on future 7nm-class technologies for radar and wireless communications.
