GlobalFoundries signs $2bn deal to make silicon interposers for TSMC

GlobalFoundries has signed a $2bn, five-year manufacturing agreement with TSMC to make silicon interposers at its Malta, New York, fab. The planned capacity would make the site the first US source for these components in TSMC’s advanced-packaging ecosystem, with production expected to ramp in the first half of 2028.

GlobalFoundries Watch analysis

What happened

GlobalFoundries will add capacity at its Malta fab to supply silicon interposers for TSMC’s CoWoS packaging ecosystem, Data Center Dynamics reports. The agreement has an initial five-year term and provides a framework for future capacity expansion.

Interposers are thin pieces of silicon with vertical channels, also known as through-silicon vias, that support 3D stacking on silicon wafers. The report says volume production is expected to begin ramping in the first half of 2028. Read Data Center Dynamics’ report.

Why it matters

AI chip supply depends on more than making the processors themselves. Advanced packaging connects and stacks components, so additional US capacity for interposers could help address a part of the supply chain that is becoming increasingly important to high-performance systems.

This is a manufacturing agreement and a plan to add capacity, not an immediate new source of production. The expected ramp is still more than a year away, and the report gives no output target. Semiconductor supply chains have a habit of making “first US source” sound simpler than the work required to get there.

Our read

The useful part is the concrete commitment: a five-year deal, a named fab and a production window. It gives a clearer view of where US chipmaking capacity may expand, while leaving the eventual scale to be demonstrated. The 2028 ramp, not today’s headline figure, is the milestone to keep an eye on.

What to watch

• Whether GlobalFoundries provides a production-capacity target for the Malta fab.
• Whether the expected first-half 2028 ramp stays on schedule.
• Whether the agreement leads to further capacity expansion.

Discussion spark: Could US-made silicon interposers meaningfully ease AI chip supply constraints, or will advanced packaging remain bottlenecked elsewhere?

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