GLOBALFOUNDRIES Expands RFwave Partner Program to Speed Time-to-Market for Wireless Connectivity, Radar and 5G

Increased support affirms RFwave™ Program’s vital role in RF design and faster deployment for applications in a new era of wireless devices and networks

Santa Clara, Calif., October 11, 2018 – GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced the addition of nine new partners to its growing RFwave Partner Program, including AkronIC, Ask Radio, Catena, University of Waterloo Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems (CIARS), Giga Solution, Helic, Incize, Mentor Graphics and Xpeedic Technology. These new partners will provide unique mmWave test and characterization capabilities along with design services, IP and EDA solutions that will enable GF clients to rapidly implement RF designs in applications spanning Internet-of-Things (IoT), mobile, RF connectivity, and networking markets.

The RFwave Partner Program builds upon GF’s industry-leading radio frequency (RF) solutions, such as FD-SOI, RF CMOS (bulk and advanced CMOS nodes), RF SOI and silicon germanium (SiGe) technologies. The program provides a low-risk, cost-effective path for designers seeking to build highly optimized RF solutions for a range of wireless applications such as IoT across various wireless connectivity and cellular standards, standalone or transceiver integrated 5G front end modules, mmWave backhaul, automotive radar, small cell and fixed wireless and satellite broadband.

“As the RFwave program continues to expand, partners play a critical role in helping to serve our growing number of clients and extend the reach of our RF ecosystem by providing innovative RF-tailored solutions and services,” said Mark Ireland, vice president of ecosystem partnerships at GF. “These new partners will help drive deeper engagement and enhance technology collaboration, including tighter interlock around quality, qualification and development methodology, enabling us to deliver advanced highly integrated RF solutions.”

GF is focused on building strong ecosystem partnerships with industry leaders. With the RFwave program, GF’s partners and clients can now benefit from a greater availability of resources to deliver innovative, highly optimized RF solutions. The new partners join current RFwave Program members including asicNorth, Cadence, CoreHW, CWS, Keysight Technologies, Spectral Design, and WEASIC.

To learn more about GF’s RFwave partner program, please visit our Partners page.

Supporting Quotes

"We are delighted to team with GF in RFwave^TM program. GF’s unique RF technology offering enables AKRONIC to develop differentiated mmWave silicon IP to assist customers to reduce time-to-market in a range of applications including backhaul, 5G, satcoms, radars and IoT."

Nikos Naskas, Dr.-Ing. Founder and CEO, Akronic P.C.

“GF’s portfolio of process technologies is uniquely well-suited to building highly integrated IoT systems. As one of the pioneers in building IoT Radio ICs using the GF 22FDX technology, we firmly believe in its technological superiority. We continue to exploit the unique features of offer to deliver game-changing performance for IoT and Wireless devices. We are now building on our successful RFIC products to evolve to highly compelling module-on-chip systems using multiple technology offerings from GF. The RFwave^TM partner program helps us accelerate our roadmap and also get well integrated into GF’s IP ecosystem.”

Anup Savla, CEO, Ask Radio

“For several years, most foundries have been primarily focusing on continuous shrinking of digital circuits. To serve the fast growing IoT market, however, we also need access to technologies that are more suited to RF design. It is very encouraging to see GF paying specific attention to this need. As a company with long tradition in designing RF Wireless IPs, we are very happy to join the RFwave^TM Program.”

Kavé Kianush, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President, Catena

“We are pleased and excited to join the GF RFwave^TM partnership program and ecosystem. We believe our close collaboration with GF and the partners in this program on advanced silicon technologies can expedite the development of the new generation of intelligent millimeter wave radio and antenna solutions for the emerging millimeter-wave markets. Our unique facility and R&D capacity provides a wide range of capabilities in R&D, test, and characterization for millimeter wave market and we are excited to work with GF and its customers on current and future challenges in millimeter-wave technology and product development.”

Professor Safieddin Safavi-Naeini, Director of CIARS (Centre for Intelligent Antenna and Radio Systems) at the University of Waterlooe

“Giga Solution, a professional testing service company specialized in RF and mmWave, is honored to join the RFwave^TM Ecosystem and to partner up with GF. Through the RF wave Ecosystem, Giga Solution can provide one-stop service from engineering to production, feedback test results to customer rapidly, and support customers time to market by our extensive engineering resources and diversity of test platforms.”

Liang-Po Chen, President, Giga Solution Tech. Co., Ltd.

“Helic is excited to partner with GF’s RFwave^TM program. This takes our relationship with GF to the next level and enables our tools to RFwave customers. This includes our VeloceRF, RaptorX, Exalto, and Pharos tools that our customers use to develop 5G, IoT, autonomous driving, wireless, and other RF chips and systems with better performance, higher quality and a smaller form factor. This partnership further strengthens our IC design cooperation with GF by giving us access to advanced technology nodes with exceptionally good RF process performance and modeling accuracy. A close cooperation with a leading foundry such as GF, coupled with the latest tool innovations and EM risk management methodology from Helic, enable first time right RF silicon success.”

Yorgos Koutsoyannopoulos, CEO, Helic

“Incize is pleased to have joined the RFwave^TM program. This platform will allow Incize to foster partnerships within the RF community and make Incize's expertise in RF and FEM more readily available to the ecosystem. The RF industry can only benefit from such an initiative.”

Mostafa Emam, CEO and Founder, Incize

“Mentor is pleased to extend our collaboration with GF to now include the 45RFSOI process offering, so that our mutual customers get the most of out of this innovative process targeted at the emerging IoT, mmWave, and automotive markets. By leveraging the Calibre sign-off physical verification, reliability verification and circuit verification solutions for the GF 45RF process, customers will be able to quickly deliver to market remarkable innovations in the emerging era of AI-powered smarter everything.”

Michael Buehler-Garcia, senior director of marketing, Calibre Design Solutions, at Mentor, a Siemens business

“Xpeedic is excited to join GF's RFwave^TM Partner Program. This partnership enables our mutual customers to design RF silicon and system with confidence by adopting our foundry-proven EDA tools and passive integration solution for RF front end module design. The RFwave program is a great platform to give RF design community access to a broad set of innovative RF solutions developed on GF's industry-leading RF technology platform by the RFwave members.”

Feng Ling, CEO and Founder at Xpeedic

About GF

GLOBALFOUNDRIES (GF) is a leading full-service foundry delivering truly differentiated semiconductor technologies for a range of high-growth markets. GF provides a unique combination of design, development, and fabrication services, with a range of innovative IP and feature-rich offerings including FinFET, FDX™, RF, and power/analog mixed signal. With a manufacturing footprint spanning three continents, GF has the flexibility and agility to meet the dynamic needs of clients across the globe. GF is owned by Mubadala Investment Company. For more information, visit globalfoundries.com.