GlobalFoundries plans US interposer supply for TSMC
GlobalFoundries has announced a $2 billion manufacturing agreement to supply silicon interposers for TSMC’s CoWoS packaging ecosystem. The company expects volume production to begin ramping in Malta, New York, during the first half of 2028.
The October 8 announcement gives the deal an initial term of five years and a framework for future expansion.
What the connecting component does
CoWoS brings logic chips and stacks of high bandwidth memory into one package. TSMC’s technical overview shows why the connecting structure matters. It links separately made pieces of silicon so they can operate together, making packaging part of the system’s computing and memory design.
The name covers several approaches. TSMC describes a silicon interposer for the S version, a polymer and copper redistribution structure for R, and local silicon interconnects within a larger structure for L. These choices affect how connections are routed across the package.
GF’s broader packaging portfolio includes silicon interposers and bridges that provide dense connections between dies. It also describes vertical electrical paths through an interposer, connecting the chips above it to the package substrate below. Deep trench capacitors add capacitance within the interposer. That gives the component a role in both connecting chips and supporting the package’s electrical design.
The same portfolio covers assembly, bonding and testing services. It describes the company’s available capabilities, so it should not be read as the service specification for an individual customer agreement.
What the contract leaves open
The release does not identify wafer capacity, downstream customers, accelerator allocations or a particular CoWoS variant. The $2 billion is the stated manufacturing agreement value. GF has not identified it as a capital spending budget or published an annual revenue schedule.
For hardware planning, 2028 is an expected production ramp rather than a committed delivery date for a finished server.
From components to systems
The practical implication of these separate manufacturing steps is that more connecting silicon must be matched with logic and memory, assembly and testing before it becomes usable hardware. Buyers assessing future supply still need a qualified package configuration, an available volume and a delivery commitment from their system supplier.
For the wider demand backdrop, ByteForward’s report on TSMC’s September sales explains how monthly revenue differs from the company’s earlier commentary on packaging constraints.
