GlobalFoundries (semiconductor manufacturing company) and Dutch semiconductor startup Qualinx have successfully demonstrated the first fully European-based, end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing flow for security-critical applications, marking what the companies describe as a significant milestone for European technological sovereignty in aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure.

A Proof Point for European Semiconductor Sovereignty

Announced on June 10, 2026, the collaboration saw Qualinx serve as the launch customer for GlobalFoundries' Dresden fab-based sovereign manufacturing flow, which runs on its FDX technology platform.

The tape-out involved a sophisticated GNSS System-on-Chip design targeting secure Positioning, Navigation and Timing applications, including resilient timing and synchronization networks and ultra-low-power GNSS receivers for connected edge deployments in aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure sectors.

The manufacturing flow consolidates every step of the production process, from design intake and mask services to wafer manufacturing, entirely within the European Union.

According to both companies, no sensitive design data or physical materials leave Europe at any point, a requirement driven by the strict regulatory and security demands of European governments, defense agencies, system integrators, and critical infrastructure operators.

Dr. Manfred Horstmann, Senior Vice President and General Manager at GlobalFoundries, said the partnership demonstrates that complex, security-relevant ASIC designs for aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure can be industrialized using a fully European, trusted manufacturing path that already exists today.

Tom Trill, CEO of Qualinx, said the milestone confirms that a fully European manufacturing path from mask services to wafer production is operational, and that his company has optimized its Digital RF technology on GF's FDX platform with a secure end-to-end flow.

What the QLX3xx Design Delivers

Qualinx's QLX3xx design, the first chip produced through the sovereign flow, targets what the company calls sovereign GNSS-based PNT solutions. The device is designed as an ultra-low-power reconfigurable Global Navigation Satellite System SoC paired with an Analog Front End.

It draws on Qualinx's proprietary Digital Radio Frequency technology, which implements traditional analog receive-chain functions using digital hardware building blocks.

The company, founded in 2015 and headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, positions this technology for applications spanning wearables, consumer electronics, automotive, fleet management and asset tracking, as well as the defense and aerospace sectors.

Co-Funded by the European Chips Act

GF's Dresden fab has received co-funding under the European Chips Act, the European Union's legislative framework aimed at strengthening regional semiconductor manufacturing capacity.

The investment supports the establishment of a sovereign manufacturing capability that meets the heightened security requirements associated with defense and critical infrastructure contracts, where supply chain integrity and data residency are considered essential.

The Qualinx tape-out represents the first operational milestone in what GlobalFoundries describes as a staged roadmap toward a fully automated trusted European flow.

The company says it aims to establish that automated capability in Dresden by the end of 2026. Beginning in 2027, aerospace and defense customers as well as critical infrastructure operators will be able to access the automated flow as part of standard foundry engagements.

Building Out the European Value Chain

GlobalFoundries has indicated that the sovereign manufacturing model is intended to extend well beyond the fab itself. The company says it plans to integrate European IP partners, mask houses and OSAT service providers into the flow, with the goal of ensuring a consistently Europe-anchored value chain from chip design through packaging and test.

In a related initiative, GlobalFoundries is working with Deutsche Telekom to assess how production data spanning design, tape out, manufacturing, test and quality assurance can be processed, transported, and stored entirely within Europe using European networks, cloud infrastructure, and data centers.

The outcomes of that project, covering secure data routing, encryption and access management for sensitive aerospace, defense and critical infrastructure workloads, are intended to feed directly into the broader scaling of the European sovereign manufacturing model.

GF is also working with leading European connectivity and cloud providers more broadly to secure data flows across the semiconductor value chain, though specific providers beyond Deutsche Telekom were not named in the announcement.

Industry Interest Already Building

GlobalFoundries said that a number of European system and module manufacturers from the aerospace and defense sector, as well as operators of critical infrastructure, are already in discussions with the company about mapping upcoming product generations onto the European sovereign manufacturing flow. The company framed the successful Qualinx tape-out as a proof point that reduces both technical and regulatory risk for those subsequent programs.

The announcement positions Dresden as the anchor for what GlobalFoundries envisions as a scalable, institutionalized sovereign manufacturing capability serving European customers with the highest security clearance requirements, a market segment that has historically relied heavily on non-European foundries and supply chains.

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