GlobalFoundries Engineering Private Limited (GF India) and Fermionic, an Indian fabless semiconductor startup specializing in advanced radio frequency (RF) technologies, have announced a commercial partnership under which GlobalFoundries will manufacture Fermionic’s RF chips. The collaboration marks a significant milestone for India’s semiconductor industry and strengthens the country’s growing chip design ecosystem.
GlobalFoundries, a leading semiconductor manufacturer that produces chips for technology giants such as Qualcomm, MediaTek, and Broadcom, will manufacture Fermionic’s RF chips, making them the first Indian-designed semiconductors produced by the company.
The partnership highlights the progress of India’s semiconductor ambitions and showcases the potential of domestic fabless startups to compete in advanced technology segments. The Indian government selected Fermionic as one of the early beneficiaries of the Design Linked Incentive (DLI) scheme, which supports indigenous semiconductor design and innovation.
Commenting on the collaboration, Gautam Kumar Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Fermionic, said, “Our collaboration with GlobalFoundries India enables us to deliver complex, production-grade RF silicon, not just prototypes, and build the confidence required by our customers in strategic applications. At this stage of our journey, we needed more than a manufacturing vendor; we needed a partner who understands RF complexity and can support production-grade execution. GlobalFoundries’ RF expertise and GF India’s hands-on engagement made that possible.”
Through this partnership, Fermionic will gain access to GlobalFoundries’ advanced manufacturing capabilities, enabling the startup to move beyond prototype development and scale the production of high-performance semiconductor solutions for commercial and strategic applications.
Fermionic focuses on developing advanced RF and millimeter-wave (mmWave) semiconductor chips that support critical sectors such as radar systems, satellite communications, telecom infrastructure, and related high-technology industries. These technologies play an increasingly important role in next-generation connectivity, defense systems, intelligent sensing, and wireless communication networks.
The company’s product roadmap includes a broad portfolio of RF and mmWave solutions, including beamformers, phased-array transceivers, RF switches, high-linearity power amplifier chains, and integrated front-end integrated circuits (ICs). These products support intelligent sensing platforms, adaptive communication systems, and AI-enabled RF applications.
As demand for advanced communication technologies continues to grow globally, RF and mmWave chips are becoming essential components in emerging technologies such as 5G and 6G networks, satellite broadband, autonomous systems, aerospace applications, and advanced defense infrastructure.
The collaboration also reflects the growing maturity of India’s semiconductor startup ecosystem. With government support through initiatives such as the Design Linked Incentive scheme, Indian chip design companies are increasingly developing globally competitive products while leveraging partnerships with international manufacturing leaders.
By combining Fermionic’s expertise in RF chip design with GlobalFoundries’ world-class semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, the partnership aims to accelerate the commercialization of advanced semiconductor solutions while strengthening India’s position in the global semiconductor value chain.
Industry experts view collaborations of this nature as critical for building a robust semiconductor ecosystem in India, where design innovation, manufacturing partnerships, and policy support work together to reduce import dependency and enhance technological self-reliance.
The partnership between GlobalFoundries and Fermionic represents a major step forward for India’s semiconductor industry. As the first Indian-designed RF chips to be manufactured by GlobalFoundries, Fermionic’s products highlight the growing capabilities of the country’s fabless semiconductor ecosystem. Supported by the Design Linked Incentive scheme and advanced manufacturing expertise, the collaboration is expected to accelerate innovation in RF and mmWave technologies while contributing to India’s long-term vision of becoming a global semiconductor powerhouse.
