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A sophisticated GNSS system-on-chip design for secure positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) applications is the first fully European-based, end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing flow.
Its manufacture demonstrates that security-critical chips for aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure can be designed, manufactured and delivered entirely within Europe.
The QLX3xx design targets sovereign GNSS-based PNT solutions for aerospace, defense and critical infrastructures — such as resilient timing and synchronization networks and highly integrated, ultra-low-power GNSS receivers at the connected edge.
In a partnership co-funded by the European Chips Act, GlobalFoundries’ Dresden site is establishing its European sovereign manufacturing flow, consolidating every step of the production process — from design intake and mask services to wafer manufacturing — within the European Union. No sensitive design data or physical materials leave Europe, meeting the strict regulatory and security requirements of European governments, defense agencies, system integrators and critical infrastructure operators. Qualinx served as the launch customer.
The tape‑out realized with Qualinx represents the first operational milestone on the path toward a fully automated, trusted European flow, which GlobalFoundries aims to establish in Dresden by the end of 2026.
Starting in 2027, aerospace and defense, as well as critical infrastructure customers, will be able to use this automated flow as part of regular foundry engagements, including the integration of European IP partners, mask houses and OSAT service providers to ensure a consistent, European-anchored value chain.
A number of European system and module manufacturers from aerospace and defense, as well as operators of critical infrastructure, are in discussions with GlobalFoundries to map upcoming product generations onto GlobalFoundries’s sovereign manufacturing flow. The successful start with Qualinx serves as a strong proof point and reduces both technical and regulatory risks for subsequent programs.
GlobalFoundries is also working with European connectivity and cloud providers to secure data flows across the entire semiconductor value chain. In a joint project with Deutsche Telekom, GlobalFoundries is assessing how production-related data from design and tape-out through manufacturing, test and quality can be processed, transported and stored entirely within Europe on European networks, cloud infrastructures and data centers.
The resulting practices in secure data routing, encryption and access management for highly sensitive A&D and critical infrastructure workloads will feed directly into the scaling of GlobalFoundries’ European sovereign manufacturing model.
