GF, Aeluma receive CHIPS funding
The U.S. Department of Commerce has selected seven semiconductor companies for up to $874 million in funding, with GlobalFoundries and Aeluma receiving support for integrated photonics and related technologies.
The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) has signed letters of intent with seven semiconductor technology companies for up to $874 million in combined federal incentives under the CHIPS and Science Act, supporting technologies including integrated photonics, advanced packaging, substrates, materials and memory.
Among the recipients, GlobalFoundries (GF) is set to receive up to $300 million the largest individual award to advance next-generation optical materials, wafer technology and advanced packaging.
The company said the funding will build on its recently introduced SCALE (Silicon Photonics Co-Packaged Advanced Light Engine) platform.
California-based photonics company Aeluma will receive up to $30 million to further develop its scalable, non-indium phosphide semiconductor manufacturing platform.
The technology is designed to support high-volume production of photonic components, including high-speed photodetectors and lasers, while helping to address supply chain constraints.
According to the Department of Commerce and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the investments aim to strengthen U.S. leadership in critical semiconductor technologies that underpin advanced computing and AI infrastructure.
As a condition of receiving the funding, the Department of Commerce will acquire a minority, non-controlling equity stake in each of the seven companies.
