GlobalFoundries announced on the 17th that it has received $30 million in US government funding to promote the development and production of next-generation gallium nitride on silicon (GaN) at its Vermont factory.

The $30 million funding will enable GlobalFoundries to purchase tools and expand the development and implementation of 200mm GaN wafer fabrication, further strengthening its long-standing global leadership in RF semiconductor technology and give it a leadership position in the manufacture of chips for high-power applications, including electric vehicles, industrial motors and energy applications.

With a manufacturing capacity of over 600,000 wafers per year, GlobalFoundries' Vermont facility is one of the first major semiconductor manufacturing sites in the United States and employs nearly 2,000 people.