Introduction

In a significant move to bolster the semiconductor ecosystem, IC’Alps, a French company renowned for its adeptness in crafting bespoke ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits) and custom IP designs, has become a part of GlobalFoundries' (GF) GlobalSolutions ecosystem. This collaboration aims to streamline the development of ASICs and fast-track time-to-market for advanced semiconductor solutions. The partnership was formalized to leverage GF’s extensive manufacturing capabilities to produce high-performance, cost-efficient ASICs at scale.

Strategic Partnership Benefits

The inclusion of IC’Alps into the GlobalSolutions ecosystem is a strategic alliance that provides the French firm with direct access to GF’s worldwide manufacturing resources. This access is poised to enhance IC’Alps' capacity to deliver custom ASICs efficiently. Over the years, IC’Alps has showcased its prowess in ASIC design, achieving over 1.5 million units manufactured under GF’s 22FDX® platform, among others.

Ziv Hammer, the senior vice president of design platforms & services at GlobalFoundries, stated, “We are excited to welcome IC’Alps to our GlobalSolutions ecosystem... By leveraging GF’s global manufacturing capabilities and IC’Alps’ design excellence, this collaboration will help accelerate innovation and time-to-market for customers across essential industries, including automotive, industrial, and IoT” (source).

Advancing Semiconductor Innovation

The GlobalSolutions ecosystem exists to enhance partnerships between GlobalFoundries and design and IP partners, addressing design complexities and expediting product development cycles. This approach has enabled GlobalFoundries to deliver over 2,220 differentiated customer designs in the past five years. The synergy between IC’Alps and GF is expected to enhance innovation and reduce the development time for semiconductor solutions across multiple sectors, including the burgeoning fields of IoT and automotive technology.

With this partnership, IC’Alps not only secures enhanced access to the latest Process Design Kits (PDKs) but also broadens its international footprint, taking advantage of manufacturing facilities across Asia, the U.S., and Europe. This access allows for robust semiconductor solutions that align with market needs while maintaining its primary interface in France.

Future Prospects and Focus Areas

Looking ahead, the partnership is particularly focused on the automotive sector, a field where IC’Alps aims to deliver high-reliability solutions. The public on-going process of joining SEALSQ Corp, a company with over two decades of expertise in secure design, signifies a future of integrating cutting-edge cryptographic solutions with their ASIC offerings. This includes NIST-compliant post-quantum cryptography features, which are especially crucial in the era of advancing quantum computing technologies.

Conclusion

The integration of IC’Alps into the GlobalSolutions ecosystem showcases a potent alliance designed to confront the challenges of the semiconductor industry head-on. This partnership is not only about enhancing productivity and efficiency but is also a testament to the collaborative spirit that drives innovation in the semiconductor sector. By joining forces, IC’Alps and GF aim to set new benchmarks in ASIC development, ultimately delivering advanced solutions faster and more reliably to the market. For more details on this partnership, you can read the original article.