GlobalFoundries Marks Dresden Expansion, Unveils Physical AI Platform

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GlobalFoundries celebrated the topping-out of its SPRINT expansion project in Dresden and announced FDX Fusion, a next-generation platform for highly integrated, energy-efficient chips planned for development and manufacturing at the site. The platform is designed for demanding Physical AI applications. Together, the two milestones advance one of Europe’s most significant semiconductor expansion projects and reinforce GF’s commitment to secure, locally developed and manufactured technologies.

Under the SPRINT expansion project, GF is investing €1.1 billion to expand manufacturing capacity at its Dresden site. The project is expected to increase annual production capacity to more than one million 300mm wafers by the end of 2028, making Dresden Europe’s largest foundry site. The additional capacity will support GF’s differentiated technologies for automotive, aerospace, industrial IoT and defense applications, markets increasingly shaped by Physical AI.

“Europe’s industrial base depends on chips that have to be available, trusted and built close to the customers who rely on them,” said Tim Breen, CEO of GlobalFoundries.” SPRINT expands that capacity in Dresden while giving customers a path to the next generation of energy-efficient computing for Physical AI. This reinforces GF’s role as a trusted partner in the industries that matter most to Europe.”

“With SPRINT, we are not simply adding cleanroom space. We are investing in Germany’s future as an industrial and innovation location, in resilient European supply chains as well as secure and reliable access to differentiated semiconductor technologies,” said Dr. Manfred Horstmann, General Manager and Senior Vice President at GlobalFoundries. “Together with our partners, we are extending our ability to serve our customers and their demanding markets from Dresden.”

“Today’s topping-out ceremony marks an important milestone in the overall project and demonstrates that Exyte, as general contractor, together with GlobalFoundries and our partners, is advancing this significant expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity according to plan. SPRINT is expanding the complex cleanroom and manufacturing infrastructure while the existing facility remains fully operational,” said Mark Vokes, Project Director at Exyte.

The on-schedule and on-budget completion of this construction phase allows GlobalFoundries to continue the remaining work in both the existing facility and the expansion as planned.

At the ceremony, GF also announced plans to develop and manufacture FDX Fusion, its next generation of fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology, in Dresden. Designed for demanding Physical AI applications, FDX Fusion targets 7nm-like digital performance combined with analog, mixed-signal, embedded-memory and high-performance RF capabilities. The platform is intended to enable energy-efficient processing, sensing, real-time control and secure connectivity within a single technology.

*GF Dresden intends to pursue the technology’s development through the upcoming IPCEI Advanced Semiconductor Technologies (AST) program, subject to German federal government approval.

GF employs around 3,000 people in Dresden and operates ca. 60,000 m2 of cleanroom and laboratory space, with annual production capacity of up to 950,000 300mm wafers, depending on product mix. Since 2009 GF has invested more than €10 billion in Dresden and is one of the largest industrial investments in Germany. Supported by the European Union, the German federal government and the Free State of Saxony in the framework of the European Chips Act, SPRINT expansion project is part of Europe’s broader effort to strengthen semiconductor supply chains and industrial competitiveness. The expansion will also enable GF to offer Europe-only processes and data flows for customers with stringent security requirements, including critical infrastructure and aerospace customers.