GlobalFoundries Updates: New CFO and AI-Driven Manufacturing Collaboration Announced

MALTA — On Dec. 10, the Malta-based semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries (GF) announced that its board of directors appointed Sam Franklin as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO), effective immediately. Franklin previously served as senior vice president of business finance & operations and investor relations and as interim CFO.

“We are delighted to have Sam formally appointed as CFO,” said Tim Breen, CEO of GF. “His proven leadership and financial expertise will accelerate GF’s momentum and capitalize on the significant opportunities ahead. As we continue to drive profitability and deliver differentiated technologies for the scaling of AI from the data center to the physical world, Sam’s ability to deliver results and partner across the organization will be critical to our success.”

Franklin joined GF in 2022 and has held senior roles overseeing finance operations, business finance, investor relations, capital markets, and treasury.

“I am thrilled to take on this role and support the acceleration of GF’s mission to deliver essential chip technologies to our customers,” said Franklin. “As the secular drivers and demand for semiconductors continue to ramp, GF is building a strong foundation for its next phase of robust, sustainable and profitable growth. I look forward to working with our talented teams across the world to advance our strategic priorities, drive operational excellence and create long-term value for our shareholders.”

On Dec. 11, GF also announced that it has entered into a new strategic collaboration with Siemens to leverage each company’s complementary AI-based capabilities to enhance performance of semiconductor manufacturing and advanced industries. 

In their latest memorandum of understanding, the companies focus on automation technologies for semiconductor fabrication (fab automation), electrification, digital solutions, and software ranging from chip development to product lifecycle management. 

One element of the new strategic collaboration is deployment of advanced AI-enabled software, sensors, and real-time control systems in fab automation to meet the growing demand for reliable semiconductors and autonomous platforms. Through centralized automation and predictive maintenance, GF and Siemens aim to increase equipment availability and operational efficiency in chip production while building capabilities that can be extended to other advanced industries. The companies intend to develop and deploy new solutions within their own operations to deliver enhanced offerings.

This expanded collaboration comes at a time of unprecedented demand for essential semiconductors and autonomous platforms in critical areas such as artificial intelligence, defense, energy, and connectivity.

“Secure, locally manufactured semiconductors are at the core of the AI transition – from cloud to the physical world, bringing intelligence into devices we use every day and enabling applications we couldn’t imagine a few years ago,” said Breen. “Our unique collaboration with Siemens allows us to go faster – to build the technologies that make this possible – differentiated, energy-efficient, connected and secure chips across a wide range of next-generation applications.” 

Siemens brings a comprehensive suite of industrial, energy and building automation and digitalization technologies including advanced software for chip design and manufacturing, fab automation, and product lifecycle management. Utilizing Siemens’ suite of solutions, GF and Siemens intend to enable seamless collaboration across the entire semiconductor lifecycle and deliver high performance and reliable semiconductor solutions at scale.