GlobalFoundries inaugurated a US$4 billion (S$5.5 billion) fab at its existing Singapore campus, as part of a major global manufacturing expansion.
The new 250,000 square feet (23,000 square meters) facility will increase the company's ability to deliver product security and flexibility to customers across all manufacturing sites, the company said.
"The expansion fab will produce an additional 450,000 wafers (300mm) annually, raising GF Singapore’s overall capacity to approximately 1.5 million wafers (300mm) each year," it added.
The chips manufactured at the site are used in consumer devices like smartphones, laptops, automobiles and in artificial intelligence (AI) and 5G technology solutions.
GlobalFoundries president and CEO, Thomas Caulfield, said the Singapore site "is instrumental in ensuring to fulfil customer needs as they seek to strengthen their supply chains.
“This new facility is the result of our close partnership with our customers and the Singapore government," he added.
Automation
The expansion boasts several digital transformation efforts in manufacturing processes to enhance efficiency and productivity.
GlobalFoundries said it has automated "labour-intensive tasks" via robots to focus the human workforce on value creation. It has built a 'state-of-the-art' factory control tower to monitor tools and wafer movement in real-time on the manufacturing floor.
The company said it has deployed AI tools that can increase productivity through deep learning and pattern recognition to auto-classify and spot defects in wafer.
For troubleshooting, the fab will use a custom-built AI engine to recognise and match wafer defects with tool fingerprints to narrow down to errant tools.
Another machine learning solution can predict potential tool failures or when a tool is due for maintenance. It can also minimise downtime, improve wafer quality and extend production time based on real-time parameters.
GlobalFoundries announced the construction of the fab first in June 2021 on its existing Singapore campus, in partnership with the country's Economic Development Board. It is expected to be one of Singapore's most advanced semiconductor facilities to date.
