Beyond the Board: Early Engagement Means Faster Prototyping for Defense Programs
Defense Speak Interpreted: The Autonomous Plane Battle—Skyborg Vs. Loyal Wingman
American Made Advocacy: Congress Back from Break With Work To Do
GlobalFoundries, Silicon Catalyst Partner to Accelerate Differentiated Technology Solutions for Semiconductor Startups
September 17, 2024 | GlobalFoundriesEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
GlobalFoundries (GF) and Silicon Catalyst, the world’s only incubator+accelerator focused exclusively on semiconductor solutions, today announced that GF has joined the incubator’s semiconductor startup ecosystem as a Strategic Partner and an In-Kind Partner (IKP). The partnership will provide innovative startups with access to GF’s differentiated platforms to speed the development and commercialization of next generation IoT, automotive and generative AI applications while anticipating future growth markets such as medical and quantum compute.
As a Strategic Partner, GF will work closely with Silicon Catalyst to recruit, evaluate and select early-stage startups seeking to participate in their program. As a member of the IKP ecosystem, GF will provide access to PDKs, MPWs, Foundation IP, and Reference Designs to accelerate time to market for approved, early-stage companies on GF’s 22FDX®, Silicon Photonics, and Gallium Nitride (GaN) platforms.
“Our long-standing partnership with GlobalFoundries has been instrumental in bringing our groundbreaking optical I/O solution to market,” said Mark Wade, CEO and Co-Founder at Ayar Labs, a Silicon Catalyst alumnus. “Collaborating with programs like Silicon Catalyst, combined with access to GlobalFoundries’ platforms, enables companies like Ayar Labs to focus on what we do best – pushing the boundaries of AI infrastructure to handle the growing size and complexity of AI models.”
“GlobalFoundries’ market leading differentiated essential chip technologies are rooted in innovation and collaboration,” said Gregg Bartlett, chief technology officer at GF. “By partnering with Silicon Catalyst, we will work with early-stage start-ups, giving us a first-hand view into emerging innovations, to push the boundaries of our differentiated technologies and deliver customized solutions that will give these companies a competitive edge as they go to market.”
“GlobalFoundries is committed to driving innovation and delivering differentiated technology solutions to their customers. We are delighted to have them join the Silicon Catalyst ecosystem,” said Pete Rodriguez, CEO at Silicon Catalyst. “Our partnership provides startups a unique opportunity to engage with GF and gain access to their differentiated, cost-effective solutions. This valuable collaboration promises to fuel a new cycle of semiconductor innovation, while helping new companies address the challenges in moving from idea to realization.”
Silicon Catalyst’s ecosystem includes over 350 semiconductor industry advisors, 14 Strategic Partners, seventy In-Kind Partners, an extensive investor network, and strong connections to major domestic and international academic institutions. The collaboration will provide GF access to deep and broad semiconductor industry insight.
Join the Silicon Catalyst team at the AI Hardware and Edge AI Summit, September 9 – 12 in San Jose, California, where three of Silicon Catalyst Portfolio Company CEO’s will be presenting during the technical sessions. Attendees are invited to visit the Silicon Catalyst booth at the AI Innovation exhibition area to learn more about the GF and Silicon Catalyst partnership and how it will enable semiconductor startups to build foundational solutions that support transformative sectors like AI, quantum compute, auto, and IoT.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Beyond Thermal Conductivity: Exploring Polymer-based TIM Strategies for High-power-density Electronics
10/13/2025 | Padmanabha Shakthivelu and Nico Bruijnis, MacDermid Alpha Electronics SolutionsAs power density and thermal loads continue to increase, effective thermal management becomes increasingly important. Rapid and efficient heat transfer from power semiconductor chip packages is essential for achieving optimal performance and ensuring long-term reliability of temperature-sensitive components. This is particularly crucial in power systems that support advanced applications such as green energy generation, electric vehicles, aerospace, and defense, along with high-speed computing for data centers and artificial intelligence (AI).
Is Glass Finally Coming of Age?
10/13/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Substrates, by definition, form the base of all electronic devices. Whether discussing silicon wafers for semiconductors, glass-and-epoxy materials in printed circuits, or the base of choice for interposers, all these materials function as substrates. While other substrates have come and gone, silicon and FR-4 have remained the de facto standards for the industry.
Interposers, Substrates, and Advanced Manufacturing
10/13/2025 | Marcy LaRont, I-Connect007I attend a lot of industry trade shows and conferences. Lately, during conversations with technologists, I’ve noticed that there is some confusion about what exactly constitutes an interposer. One question I hear every so often is, “Are all interposers substrates?” The short answer to that question is no. But some interposers are, in fact, full substrates.
Si2 Names NVIDIA, Synopsys Technologists to Lead New LLM Benchmarking Coalition
10/10/2025 | BUSINESS WIREThe Silicon Integration Initiative today announced the chair and vice chair of the Si2 Large Language Model Benchmarking Coalition (LBC), a collaborative industry initiative and standards body advancing AI for silicon design and verification that will expedite the development of high-quality large language models for semiconductor design problems.
Mercedes-Benz Shapes Future of Autonomous Computing as Co-Creator of Next-Generation Chip Standards with Athos Silicon
10/09/2025 | Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz announced a reference design collaboration with Athos Silicon, a specialized semiconductor company established by former engineers at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, Inc. (MBRDNA).