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GlobalFoundries has joined the LOT Network, the world’s largest patent licensing platform and non-profit community of global companies committed to protecting themselves against costly litigation from patent assertion entities (PAEs). With this move, GF joins a community of more than 4,500 companies that include half of the top 20 largest U.S. patent holders, and half of the S&P Global 100 and Fortune 100.
Semiconductors play an ever-increasing and vital role in driving innovation, enabling diverse applications across high-growth markets such as artificial intelligence, automotive, smart devices and advanced healthcare technologies. With a global footprint spanning three continents, GF is a leading innovator of differentiated essential chip technologies and has added its nearly 10,000 global patent assets in semiconductor manufacturing, test, and design to the protections of LOT Network.
PAEs, referred to by some as “patent trolls”, are responsible for more than 87 percent of all patent litigation against the high-tech industry. Many of the patents used are acquired from the industry itself and are used by the PAEs to profit through litigation against other members of the industry.
GF’s membership in LOT Network protects the company and minimizes litigation risk, allowing the company to focus on innovation that will drive advancements in smarter, more secure, connected and efficient devices. LOT Network membership provides a global shield, with members from 56 different countries.
“Semiconductors are the key building blocks for so many products that the world relies on to live, work and connect. We are committed to protecting our technology and securely manufacturing the essential chips our customers, partners and industry rely on,” said Adam Noah, Chief IP Counsel at GF. “By joining the LOT Network, we are further safeguarding our business and our customers against PAE litigation, allowing us to focus on the important work of delivering world-class technology solutions. We encourage others within the semiconductor manufacturing and design ecosystem to address the PAE drain on resources by joining LOT’s protective community, which provides strength in numbers.”
“GF is the perfect role model for a U.S.-based semiconductor supplier,” said Ken Seddon, CEO of LOT Network. “Not only are they protecting their business, but they are also protecting their customers, as all GF products now come with free immunization to over 20 percent of all US patents. GF is a semiconductor visionary for recognizing the critical role it plays in the protection not just of the semiconductor industry, but the many verticals that rely upon its technologies as well.”
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries has received an additional $9.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. government to advance the manufacturing of GF’s essential gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors at its facility in Essex Junction, Vermont.
The funding moves GF closer to large-scale production of GaN chips. With the ability to handle high voltages and temperatures, GaN chip technology is essential for enabling higher performance and greater energy efficiency across a range of RF and high-power control applications including automobiles, datacenter, IoT, aerospace and defense.
With the award, GF will continue to add new tools, equipment and prototyping capabilities to its market-leading GaN IP portfolio and reliability testing as the company moves closer to full-scale manufacturing of its 200mm GaN chips in Vermont. GF is committed to creating a fast and efficient path for customers to realize new innovative designs and products that leverage the unique efficiency and power management benefits of GaN chip technology.
“GF is proud of its leadership in GaN chip technology, which is positioned to make game-changing advances across multiple end-markets and enable new generations of devices with more energy-efficient RF performance and faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries,” said Nicholas Sergeant, vice president of IoT and aerospace and defense at GF. “We appreciate the U.S. government’s partnership and ongoing support of our GaN program. Realizing full-scale GaN chip manufacturing will be a catalyst for innovation, for both our commercial and government partners, and will add resilience and strengthen the semiconductor supply chain.”
The new funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), represents the latest federal investment to support GF’s GaN program in Vermont.
“This strategic investment in critical technologies strengthens our domestic ecosystem and national security, and ensures these assets are readily available and secure for DoD utilization. In concert with key partners, this approach fortifies defense systems, empowering resilience and responsiveness,” said Dr. Nicholas Martin, Director at Defense Microelectronics Activity.
In total, including the new award, GF has received more than $80 million since 2020 from the U.S. government to support research, development and advancements to pave the way to full-scale GaN chip manufacturing.
Vermont is a U.S.-accredited Trusted Foundry and the global hub of GF’s GaN program, with longstanding leadership in 200mm semiconductor manufacturing. In July 2024, GF acquired Tagore Technology’s Gallium Nitride Power portfolio and created the GF Kolkata Power Center in Kolkata, India. The center is closely aligned with and supports GF’s facility in Vermont, and is helping advance GF’s research, development and leadership in GaN chip manufacturing.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries (GF) and the U.S. Department of Commerce have announced an award of up to $1.5 billion in direct funding to GF through the CHIPS and Science Act. The award follows the previously signed preliminary memorandum of terms announced in February 2024 and will enable GF to expand its essential chip manufacturing and technology development in the U.S., strengthening supply chains and supporting customers across a range of vital end-markets including automotive, smart mobile devices, IoT, datacenters, and aerospace and defense.
“The idea of strengthening U.S. semiconductor manufacturing has been five-plus years in the making. With bipartisan support, that idea evolved into the CHIPS and Science Act,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “GF’s essential chips are at the core of U.S. economic, supply chain and national security. We greatly appreciate the support and funding from both the U.S. Government and the states of New York and Vermont, which we will use to ensure our customers have the American-made chips they need to succeed and win.”
GF’s CHIPS and Science Act award will support three projects:
- Expansion of GF’s existing Malta, New York, fab by adding critical technologies already in production at GF’s Singapore and Germany facilities, to enable a secure and reliable supply of domestically manufactured essential chips for the U.S. auto industry.
- Modernization and upgrading of GF’s existing fab in Essex Junction, Vermont, to expand production capacity and create one of the world’s leading facilities capable of high-volume manufacturing of next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors for use in electric vehicles, data centers, IoT, smartphones and other critical applications.
- In alignment with market conditions and customer demand, construction of a new state-of-art fab on GF’s Malta, New York, campus to meet expected demand for U.S.-made essential chips across a broad range of markets and applications including automotive, AI in the data center and at the edge, as well as aerospace and defense.
The two New York-based projects are expected to triple the existing capacity of GF’s Malta campus over the next 10-plus years, in alignment with expected market requirements and customer demand. Construction of the new fab will leverage the GF site’s existing infrastructure and ecosystem, enabling a fast and efficient path from construction to production.
In aggregate, these projects represent more than $13 billion of investment over the next 10-plus years across GF’s two U.S. sites. This investment includes the $1.5 billion CHIPS and Science Act award, more than $550 million in support from the New York State Green CHIPS Program, as well as funding and support from Vermont, GF ecosystem partners and key strategic customers, and other incentives.
Combined, these investments are expected to create close to 1,000 direct manufacturing jobs and more than 9,000 construction jobs over the life of these projects.
GF’s fabs in New York and Vermont are both Trusted Foundry accredited and manufacture secure chips in partnership with the U.S. government.
As part of its CHIPS and Science Act award, to attract and cultivate a pipeline of semiconductor talent in New York and Vermont, GF will continue to invest in and develop new workforce development efforts including curriculum development, internship and apprenticeship programs, K-12 STEM outreach, as well as additional education and training programs.
Consistent with GF’s longstanding commitment to our communities and the environment, GF’s design and construction plans for its expansions and modernizations in New York and Vermont will reflect the company’s sustainability goals for future operations.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries Inc. (GF) announced preliminary financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024.
Key Third Quarter Financial Highlights
- Revenue of $1.739 billion
- Gross margin of 23.8% and Non-IFRS gross margin of 24.7%
- Operating margin of 10.6% and Non-IFRS operating margin of 13.6%
- Net income of $178 million and Non-IFRS net income of $229 million
- Non-IFRS adjusted EBITDA of $627 million
- Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $4.3 billion
- Year to date net cash provided by operating activities of $1,265 million and Non-IFRS adjusted free cash flow of $779 million
“In the third quarter, the GF team continued to execute next generation opportunities with our customers, by securing key design wins across our growing portfolio of essential chip technologies,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, President and CEO of GF. “We delivered consistent financial results at the upper end of the guidance ranges we provided in our August earnings release, and as we continue to navigate the ongoing uncertainties facing our industry, we remain on-track to deliver approximately a threefold increase in our year-over-year Non-IFRS adjusted free cash flow generation by the end of 2024.”
Recent Business Highlights
- Building on the longtime relationship between GF and NXP Semiconductors (NXP), the companies announced a new collaboration leveraging GF’s 22FDX® process technology platform and global manufacturing footprint to optimize the power, performance and time-to-market of NXP’s solutions across a range of automotive, IoT and smart mobile devices. GF’s 22FDX chips will be manufactured in Dresden, Germany and Malta, New York, providing NXP geographically diverse supply for their customers.
- Over one thousand customers and partners attended GF’s annual Technology Summit held around the world in Santa Clara, California, Munich, Germany and Shanghai, China, to build deeper relationships and learn how GF’s essential chips play a critical role in realizing “AI Everywhere.”
- GF entered into a strategic technology development and licensing agreement with Finwave Semiconductor, Inc (Finwave), a leading innovator in GaN technology. The collaboration will optimize and scale Finwave’s cutting-edge GaN-on-Si technology to volume production at GF’s 200mm fab in Burlington, Vermont.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries Inc. announced preliminary financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2024.
Key Second Quarter Financial Highlights
- Revenue of $1.632 billion
- Gross margin of 24.2% and Non-IFRS gross margin of 25.2%
- Operating margin of 9.5% and Non-IFRS operating margin of 13.0%
- Net income of $155 million and Non-IFRS net income of $211 million
- Non-IFRS Adjusted EBITDA of $610 million
- Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $4.1 billion
- Year to date net cash provided by operating activities of $890 million and Non-IFRS adjusted free cash flow of $563 million
“In the second quarter, GF delivered financial results that exceeded the mid-point of the guidance ranges we provided in our May earnings release, thanks to the dedication of our employees across the world. We remain focused on a disciplined capex strategy and strong cash flow, with over $500 million of cumulative Non-IFRS adjusted free cash flow generation in the first half of 2024,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “I am proud of how well our teams are partnering with our customers on new design wins, delivering best in class technologies and executing our long-term plans.”
Recent Business Highlights
- GF announced that it has acquired Tagore Technology’s proprietary and production-proven Power Gallium Nitride (GaN) business, including its design team and IP portfolio. The acquisition expands GF’s power IP portfolio and aligns with GF’s objectives to support our customers in the rapidly expanding GaN power devices sector.
- BAE Systems and GF announced a new collaboration to strengthen the supply of critical semiconductors for national security programs. Together, the companies will collaborate on R&D in a range of areas, including advanced packaging, GaN, silicon photonics and process development.
- GF released its 2024 Corporate Sustainability Report, which highlights the breadth of GF’s efforts and progress in the areas of sustainability, social responsibility and corporate governance. GF strives to innovate and partner with customers to enable new, smarter and more efficient technologies while also minimizing our impact on the environment, driving positive change and creating lasting value.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries announced that it has acquired Tagore Technology’s proprietary and production proven Power Gallium Nitride (GaN) IP portfolio, a high-power density solution designed to push the boundaries of efficiency and performance in a wide range of power applications in automotive, internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) datacenter. As the digital world continues to evolve with technologies like Generative AI, GaN stands out as a pivotal solution for sustainable and efficient power management particularly in datacenters.
Today’s announcement reinforces GF’s commitment to large-scale manufacturing of GaN technology that offers a suite of benefits to help datacenters meet the increasing power demands while maintaining or improving power efficiency, reducing costs and managing heat generation. The acquisition expands GF’s power IP portfolio and broadens access to market leading GaN IP that will enable GF customers to quickly bring differentiated products to market. As a part of the acquisition, a team of experienced engineers from Tagore, dedicated to the development of GaN technology, will be joining GF.
“We are committed to being the foundation of our customers’ power applications today and for decades to come,” said Niels Anderskouv, chief business officer at GF. “With this acquisition, GF takes another step toward accelerating the availability of GaN and empowering our customers to build the next generation of power management solutions that will reshape the future of mobility, connectivity and intelligence.”
“The accelerating demand for more power efficient semiconductors is dramatically increasing, and Tagore has been at the forefront of developing disruptive solutions using GaN technology for a wide range of power devices,” said Amitava Das, co-founder and chief operating officer of Tagore Technology. “The team and I are excited to join GlobalFoundries to increase our focus on market-leading IP that will help address power design challenges and support the continued evolution of automotive, industrial and AI datacenter power delivery systems.”
In February 2024, GF was awarded $1.5 billion in direct funding under the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, part of that investment is targeted towards enabling the high-volume manufacturing of critical technologies including GaN to securely produce more essential chips.
Combining this manufacturing capacity with the technical know-how of the Tagore team, GF is set to transform AI system efficiency, especially in edge or IoT devices, where reduced power consumption is critical.
“GlobalFoundries is at the forefront of technological advancements. With Tagore Technology joining the GF India team, we will further enhance our tech capabilities, particularly in emerging areas like GaN,” said Jitendra Chaddah, vice president and India country head at GF. “I welcome the Tagore team to GF, and I am excited about the work we will do as we continue to grow and strengthen our engineering capabilities together.”
Original – GlobalFoundries
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ElevATE Semiconductor and GlobalFoundries announced a manufacturing partnership for high-voltage chips produced at GF’s facility in Essex Junction, Vermont. Designed by ElevATE and manufactured at scale by GF on its proven and power-efficient 7HV technology platform, the chips are vital to both commercial semiconductor testing equipment and critical applications for aerospace and defense systems.
The agreement outlines GF’s supply of its 7HV chip technology to ElevATE and the marketplace. Manufactured on 200mm wafers at GF’s Vermont facility, the mature-node chips pair power management and wireless sensing capabilities, delivering the performance, design flexibility and power efficiency required by a range of electronics devices in national security systems. The 7HV platform is optimized for cost and performance, and offers a full suite of features and options with well-characterized design tools, as well as proven manufacturing reliability with robust yields.
To meet the demands of commercial clients and the aerospace and defense industry, ElevATE and GF are collaborating to provide restart support and reestablish the production of 7HV chips. The renewed availability of the 7HV platform will save customers costs, time, and the challenge of redesigning their products using a different chip technology. The new supply will build upon the success of the millions of 7HV chips previously manufactured at GF’s Vermont facility.
“This collaboration marks a significant transformation in ElevATE’s production strategy, transitioning its fabrication processes to GlobalFoundries,” said Anil Kodali, Vice President of Operations and Quality Assurance at ElevATE. “With GF as our manufacturing partner, we can be sure of a robust and reliable source of supply, enabling us to meet the escalating demands of our customers in terms of volume, quality and time-to-market.”
“Our collaboration with ElevATE underscores GF’s commitment to ensuring the U.S. semiconductor and national security ecosystems have a reliable supply of secure, domestically manufactured chips,” said Nicholas Sergeant, vice president and head of the aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure business at GF. “As the leading supplier of essential chips for the U.S. aerospace and defense industry and a longstanding partner to the Department of Defense, GF goes above and beyond to ensure our national security customers have the chips they need, manufactured where they want them, with the right level of security.”
GF’s facility in Essex Junction, Vermont, near Burlington, was among the first major semiconductor manufacturing sites in the United States. Today, around 1,800 GF employees work at the site. Built on GF’s differentiated technologies, these GF-made chips are used in smartphones, automobiles, and communications infrastructure applications around the world. The facility is a DMEA-accredited Trusted Foundry and manufactures secure chips in partnership with the U.S. government.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries announced a partnership with Micron Technology, Inc. and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to invest in workforce development at Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) to help meet the growing workforce needs of the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem.
In partnership with Micron and the NSF, the investment will support semiconductor workforce development at Historically Black College and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions and Tribal Colleges and Universities throughout the U.S. These investments aim to diversify the semiconductor workforce and build robust talent pathways through education and career reentry initiatives.
The companies’ and NSF ’s support of U.S. MSIs is directly aligned with the workforce development objectives of the federal CHIPS and Science Act as well as New York State’s Green Chips legislation, to ensure a robust pipeline of U.S. semiconductor talent.
“As an industry, we must work together to collectively address the great need for a robust, diverse pipeline of talented individuals who will be the semiconductor innovators and leaders of tomorrow,” said Pradheepa Raman, chief people officer of GF. “Strong public-private partnerships, like our collaboration with Micron and NSF to support Minority Serving Institutions, are critical to continue the work of inspiring and developing the skilled workforce our industry needs to grow.”
“Partnering with leaders in industry, government and education to meet the needs of a growing semiconductor workforce in the U.S. is an essential part of nurturing the talent necessary to fill key openings in the semiconductor industry,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships. “We look forward to collaborating with our partners to increase access to equitable education, address student programming and teacher and faculty professional development and strengthen infrastructure through future funding opportunities.”
“Micron’s investments in U.S. expansion are about much more than building fabs. We’re investing in people and in partnerships to expose learners from every background to opportunities they may not otherwise have without support,” said April Arnzen, executive vice president and chief people officer at Micron and president of the Micron Foundation. “We’re honored to see initiatives like Micron’s MSI Semiconductor Network, which are at the forefront of our industry’s efforts to prepare the semiconductor workforce and research ecosystem to meet growing demand for talent, recognized by government leaders in the U.S. and globally.”
“Micron’s and GlobalFoundries’ historic investments are transformative for Upstate New York and the nation, and today’s announcement will put in place another critical workforce development initiative to deliver the workers needed to fill the tens of thousands of new jobs that will be created. This initiative will especially focus on connecting underserved and historically marginalized New Yorkers and others around the country to new job opportunities in the semiconductor industry, including to build chips in Upstate NY,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“In recent weeks, my CHIPS & Science Law delivered a whopping $6.1 billion for Micron to build their mega-fab project and another $1.5 billion for GlobalFoundries’ expansion. Now, Micron and GlobalFoundries are working to develop a workforce pipeline to train and attract the next generation of talent, putting students from our top-notch educational institutions into jobs in the semiconductor industry. I am glad this initiative is supported by National Science Foundation funds from my CHIPS & Science Law, which serves as the fuel for major investments like Micron’s and GlobalFoundries’ to bring chip manufacturing back to America and helping our future scientists and engineers reach new heights with good-paying jobs right at their doorstep.”
“We are excited about the opportunities to grow efforts with GlobalFoundries that have led to increased summer internships and experiences at GF’s Malta, NY, facility for students at multiple CUNY schools including LaGuardia, Queensborough and City Tech,” said Tavis Ezell, director of business development for The City University of New York’s (CUNY) Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC). “With our industry partners, we are identifying the necessary skills needed to support jobs across the vast semiconductor ecosystem and bolster current curricula across a wide range of CUNY degrees, connecting interested students to training opportunities, whether their first internship experience is at the ASRC, or at an industry partner such as GlobalFoundries.”
GF’s support of MSIs is the company’s latest effort to build a critical talent pipeline for a current and future workforce. In November 2023, the company announced a new student loan repayment program to help U.S.-based employees and eligible new recruits pay up to $28,500 in student loan debt, tax-free, to help ease the financial burden of higher education and training. GF also offers tuition reimbursement for employees pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees, fully paid parental leave, employee fitness stipend to promote good health and childcare subsidy towards dependent care. GF’s first-of-its-kind apprenticeship program provides opportunities for individuals with no prior experience or training in the semiconductor industry, offering full-time paid positions and cost-free college courses to high school graduates.
GF has established strategic partnerships nationwide with top universities and strong regional engagements with community colleges in New York and Vermont as well as access to worldwide talent through its global footprint to help build a diverse workforce and semiconductor talent pipeline. To help inspire younger children, GF has a robust STEM outreach program to engage with regional middle schools and high schools, including Early College High School and Career and Technical Education programs, to bring industry awareness and hands-on experiences to students.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries announced the appointment of industry and company veteran, Kay Chai (KC) Ang, as president of Asia and Chairman of China. With over 30 years of semiconductor foundry experience, Mr. Ang will lead new business development and strategic partnerships across Asia with a focus on China.
Mr. Ang joined GF in 2010 and has served in a variety of senior leadership roles for the company including most recently as Chief Manufacturing Officer with responsibility for GF’s global sites as well as previously as head of all GF’s Singapore operations.
Prior to joining GF, Mr. Ang held senior leadership positions at Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing, including Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing with responsibility for global sales, marketing, services, customer support and regional business operations.
Mr. Ang has been a key player in the growth of Singapore’s chip industry. He serves on the Board of the National Research Foundation in Singapore and is the Chairman of the SEMI Southeast Asia Regional Advisory Board.
“At GF, we leverage our global footprint to provide our customers with the secure, essential chips they need, where they want them produced,” said Niels Anderskouv, chief business officer at GF. “Given his more than 30 years experience coupled with his long-standing relationships with some of Asia’s most senior semiconductor industry leaders, KC is the ideal leader to drive customer engagements and partnerships across Asia and accelerate GF’s business growth within the China market in particular.”
“I am excited about this next stage of my career. I am looking forward to partnering with my commercial, technical and product management colleagues to expand GF’s relationships and be a trusted, dependable partner for our customers,” said KC Ang, president, Asia & Chairman, China at GF.
“The differentiated technology solutions that we offer combined with our manufacturing excellence, especially in key end markets such as automotive, make us a perfect partner for fast growing customers in Asia. In addition, we are responding to many of our existing multi-national customers who are looking for ways to partner with GF to serve the growing demands of their Chinese end customers with high quality manufacturing and essential chip technologies.”
Original – GlobalFoundries
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GlobalFoundries Inc. (GF) announced preliminary financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Key First Quarter Financial Highlights
- Revenue of $1.549 billion
- Gross margin of 25.4% and Non-IFRS gross margin of 26.1%
- Operating margin of 9.5% and Non-IFRS operating margin of 12.1%
- Net income of $134 million and Non-IFRS net income of $174 million
- Non-IFRS EBITDA of $577 million
- Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $4.2 billion
“In the first quarter, GF’s dedicated teams across the world delivered financial results that exceeded the high end of the guidance ranges we provided in our February earnings release,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “As pockets of the semiconductor industry begin to emerge from the inventory correction, our teams are driving foundry innovation and differentiation for our customers across their essential end-markets. We are delighted with the awards from both the U.S. Department of Commerce and New York State to expand our manufacturing capability in the United States, which will complement our unique global capacity offering.”
Recent Business Highlights
- As part of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced $1.5 billion in planned direct funding for GF’s New York and Vermont facilities. The proposed funding will support expansion and technology diversification, enabling secure capacity for automotive, aerospace and defense and other key markets.
- In addition, New York State announced over $600 million in planned funding under the New York State Green CHIPS and other state benefits for GF’s two Malta, New York projects.
- GF is furthering its commitment to sustainable operations and fighting climate change with the announcement of two new long-term goals to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% carbon neutral power by 2050. The new 2050 goals are aligned with Paris Agreement goals and build upon GF’s Journey to Zero Carbon pledge in 2021.
Original – GlobalFoundries
