When GlobalFoundries abandoned development of leading-edge nodes in 2018, it also canceled the development of its 7nm-class FinFET fabrication technology that it co-developed with IBM. Almost exactly eight years later, GlobalFoundries is back with a 7nm-class manufacturing process, only this time the node relies on planar transistors and fully-depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI). It is aimed at automotive, edge AI, industrial, robotics, sensors, and other devices that prioritize low power consumption, high integration, and cost efficiency over maximum performance.

"We are delighted that GlobalFoundries has announced its next-generation 'single-digit FD-SOI; node, building on technology that CEA-Leti has been advancing for decades," said Sébastien Dauvé, chief executive of CEA Leti. "Through the FAMES pilot line, CEA-Leti continues to shape the future European roadmap for FD-SOI and works every day to promote its adoption in a wide range of applications."

The new fabrication technology from GlobalFoundries is called FDX Fusion, and it promises 7nm-class 'digital performance' (an ambiguous claim; we will try to interpret it later) and more than twice the transistor density of its original 22FDX process introduced circa 2015. To achieve its target goals, the first generation of FDX Fusion will combine innovations in SOI substrates, transistor structures, and back-end interconnects, though keep in mind that GF has not disclosed transistor dimensions, contacted gate pitch, minimum metal pitch, or actual transistor density. GF plans to launch production of chips on FDX Fusion at its Dresden, Germany, facility in 2028, which will mark its return to the development of substantially more advanced FD-SOI fabrication processes after years of efforts to enhance its existing 22nm-class platform.

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