GlobalFoundries Positions Singapore as Core Hub for Physical AI Era
Source: Digitimes
GlobalFoundries is betting big on Singapore as the manufacturing and R&D hub for the emerging era of physical AI — where artificial intelligence moves beyond screens and into humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles, and drones. The US chipmaker's CTO confirmed the Republic plays a foundational role, as it expands investment in next-generation semiconductor technologies including silicon photonics.
GlobalFoundries is positioning its Singapore operations as the central hub for the coming wave of physical AI — a paradigm shift in which artificial intelligence moves from data centre servers into humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles, drones, and smart manufacturing systems. The US chipmaker's Chief Technology Officer, Gregg Bartlett, confirmed in a recent briefing that Singapore plays a foundational role in the company's strategy across physical AI, silicon photonics, power management, and automotive chips.
Singapore is already home to GF's most advanced manufacturing capabilities for the technologies that physical AI demands. The company's acquisition of Singapore-based Advanced Micro Foundry in 2025 made it the world's largest pure-play foundry by revenue for silicon photonics — a critical technology that uses light rather than electrical signals for ultra-fast, energy-efficient data transfer. GF's Singapore fab also produces power management chips, RF systems, and advanced packaging solutions that are essential for the sensing, thinking, and communication loops that enable physical AI.
The market opportunity is enormous. Bank of America Global Research projects humanoid robot shipments will grow from 20,000 units in 2025 to 90,000 in 2026, and eventually to 10 million units annually by 2035. By 2060, an estimated 3 billion humanoid robots could be in operation worldwide, with household applications accounting for 62 percent of deployments. GF's technology platforms — including specialised FinFET, FDX, and MRAM processes — are designed specifically to address the sensing, processing, actuation, and communication needs of these systems.
Bartlett noted that the evolution to physical AI has already begun. AI agents on smartphones, VR glasses, and smart home devices are early manifestations of a trend that will rapidly accelerate as energy-efficient, specialised chips enable real-time sensing and decision-making at the edge. GF's Singapore operations are uniquely positioned to serve this market, offering a geopolitically neutral manufacturing base with world-class R&D talent and deep supply chain integration.
Why it matters for Singapore: GlobalFoundries' bet on Singapore as the physical AI hub is a vote of confidence in the Republic's semiconductor ecosystem that extends far beyond traditional chip manufacturing. Physical AI represents the next wave of the AI revolution — and Singapore is positioned not just as a participant, but as a core enabler. The silicon photonics, power management, and advanced packaging technologies developed and manufactured here will be inside the robots, vehicles, and devices that define the physical AI era, cementing Singapore's role in the global AI hardware supply chain for decades to come.