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GlobalFoundries unveils 7nm-class FDX Fusion node — comes 7 years after firm abandoned FinFET
FDX Fusion to address emerging devices that need high integration, cost efficiency, low power consumption, and decent compute performance.
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When GlobalFoundries abandoned development of leading-edge nodes in 2018, it also canceled the development of its 7nm-class FinFET fabrication technology that it co-developed with IBM. Almost exactly eight years later, GlobalFoundries is back with a 7nm-class manufacturing process, only this time the node relies on planar transistors and fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI). It is aimed at automotive, edge AI, industrial, robotics, sensors, and other devices that prioritize low power consumption, high integration, and cost efficiency over maximum performance."We are delighted that GlobalFoundries has announced its next-generation 'single-digit FD-SOI; node, building on technology that CEA-Leti has been advancing for decades," said Sébastien Dauvé, chief executive of CEA Leti. "Through the FAMES pilot line, CEA-Leti continues to shape the future European roadmap for FD-SOI and works every day to promote its adoption in a wide range of applications."
The new fabrication technology from GlobalFoundries is called FDX Fusion, and it promises 7nm-class 'digital performance' (an ambiguous claim; we will try to interpret it later) and more than twice the transistor density of its original 22FDX process introduced circa 2015. To achieve its target goals, the first generation of FDX Fusion will combine innovations in SOI substrates, transistor structures, and back-end interconnects, though keep in mind that GF has not disclosed transistor dimensions, contacted gate pitch, minimum metal pitch, or actual transistor density. GF plans to launch production of chips on FDX Fusion at its Dresden, Germany, facility in 2028, which will mark its return to the development of substantially more advanced FD-SOI fabrication processes after years of efforts to enhance its existing 22nm-class platform.
In addition to improved 'digital performance,' FDX Fusion will support RF transistors with fT/fmax of up to 0.5 THz, analog and mixed-signal circuitry, embedded nonvolatile memory, and in-memory computing capabilities. The combination is intended to enable highly integrated chips that can process information from sensors, execute AI inference workloads, control external devices, and communicate wirelessly without the need for numerous separate ICs. GF also intends to provide processor IP based on MIPS, ARC, and RISC-V architectures to accelerate the development of such products.
That being said, the main selling point of FDX Fusion is not necessarily its 7nm-class 'digital performance' and high-performance processor IP, but rather its ability to combine relatively powerful digital logic with RF, analog and mixed-signal circuitry, embedded nonvolatile memory, and in-memory computing capabilities on a single chip. This combination — which is why GloFo calls the process technology FDX Fusion — could enable highly integrated SoCs that would otherwise require multiple chips manufactured on different process technologies, which means additional tapeout costs as well as power consumption.
GlobalFoundries said it plans to deliver initial demo silicon for customer evaluation in early 2027, followed by the first process design kit (PDK) in mid-2027. The company is already collaborating with several customers on the technology, although it has not identified specific products or committed production volumes. Specifically, GF mentioned in its press release that BMW, Bosch, Infineon, NXP, Siemens, and Tesla have expressed interest in FDX Fusion, though only Infineon specifically confirmed collaboration on future 7nm-class technologies for radar and wireless communications.
The GlobalFoundries announcement represents a significant development for GF's FD-SOI roadmap. The company introduced 22FDX in 2015 and announce