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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsOn August 19, 2025, Cirrus Logic and GlobalFoundries announced an expanded strategic investment and joint-development effort focused on next-generation BCD mixed-signal technology and gallium nitride (GaN). The companies said the BCD process would be manufacturable at GlobalFoundries’ Malta, New York, facility, while their GaN collaboration is tied to its Essex Junction, Vermont, site. They did not disclose the investment’s financial terms or a production timetable, so the announcement does not establish that Cirrus chips are already being made in the United States.
What Cirrus Logic and GlobalFoundries announced
The announcement expands a longstanding relationship rather than introducing a new supplier. Cirrus Logic designs low-power, high-precision mixed-signal chips, including audio and power-management products; GlobalFoundries develops and manufactures semiconductor processes for customers such as Cirrus. The companies described work on joint development and commercialization of next-generation BCD technology, alongside collaboration on GaN.
The companies linked the effort to smartphones, automobiles, consumer products and industrial applications. Their announcement frames U.S. manufacturing capability and a more geographically diverse supply chain as strategic goals. It does not name a Cirrus product or customer commitment. Cirrus Logic’s August 19, 2025 announcement and GlobalFoundries’ announcement describe the collaboration.
What “co-invest” means—and what it does not establish
The companies called the arrangement an “expanded strategic investment,” but the public announcement does not specify its financial or contractual structure. It does not say whether Cirrus is contributing capital to fab expansion, sharing process-development expenses, prepaying for capacity, funding equipment, reserving wafer capacity or acquiring an ownership interest. It is therefore not evidence of a disclosed equity stake or joint venture.
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A separate 2021 Cirrus Logic filing described a long-term GlobalFoundries capacity reservation and wafer-supply agreement and $225 million in short-term payments under that earlier arrangement. That historical amount is not the value of the 2025 collaboration. The 2021 SEC filing provides that earlier context.
What BCD technology does
BCD stands for Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS. It brings together three kinds of silicon technology on one chip: bipolar devices suited to certain analog functions, CMOS for efficient digital logic, and DMOS for power switching and higher-voltage functions. Integrating those functions can reduce the number of separate components, board space and power losses in suitable designs.
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That makes BCD relevant to power-management ICs and mixed-signal systems used in areas such as audio, displays, vehicles and industrial controls. Its purpose is not to compete with the smallest CPU or GPU logic nodes on transistor density; the value is combining analog, digital and power functions for a particular application. The companies say their next-generation BCD process is intended to support more compact and power-efficient devices, but have not published a process node, performance figures or qualification schedule.
Where the technologies fit
| Technology | GlobalFoundries site | What the announcement says | What remains unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next-generation BCD | Malta, New York | The process is intended to be manufacturable at the Malta fab, adding a U.S. option alongside existing production in Singapore and Germany. | Qualification timing, wafer capacity, first product and volume-production date are not stated in the announcement. |
| Gallium nitride (GaN) | Essex Junction, Vermont | The companies will collaborate on GaN technology for consumer and industrial power-management applications. | A Cirrus GaN product, customer, design win and production volume are not stated in the announcement. |
BCD and GaN are distinct technologies, not two names for the same process. BCD is a silicon process family that integrates bipolar, CMOS and power-transistor functions. GaN is a compound semiconductor that can be useful for high-voltage, high-power-density switching. It is not automatically the best choice for every power circuit: voltage, switching frequency, cost, packaging, control circuitry and reliability requirements all matter.
Why the Malta and Vermont sites matter
Malta, New York: a U.S. route for BCD
GlobalFoundries’ Malta fab is the announced U.S. location for BCD manufacturing capability. The wording describes a capability goal; it does not mean that the relevant process is already qualified for high-volume production there. A U.S. wafer source could diversify Cirrus’ manufacturing routes, but materials, equipment, design work, packaging and testing may still involve other regions. Wafer production in New York would not by itself make the full supply chain domestic.
Essex Junction, Vermont: GaN collaboration
The Vermont facility is the site associated with the GaN work. GlobalFoundries has separately described modernization there to expand high-volume capability for next-generation GaN semiconductors. That broader facility program is distinct from the Cirrus-specific collaboration; the announcement does not identify a Cirrus product or commit a production volume at Essex Junction.
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In November 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced an award agreement of up to $1.5 billion for GlobalFoundries’ broader New York expansion and Vermont modernization projects. That is not a grant disclosed for the Cirrus Logic collaboration. GlobalFoundries’ announcement of the broader CHIPS Act award agreement describes the facilities program.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the arrangement may matter
- Supply-chain options: A U.S. manufacturing route could reduce reliance on overseas production for these process technologies and diversify exposure to shipping, geopolitical or regional disruptions. It cannot guarantee uninterrupted supply: equipment, materials, labor, yields, qualification and ramp-up remain possible constraints.
- Process alignment: Close collaboration between a chip designer and foundry can help tailor process characteristics to analog, audio and power-management requirements.
- Integration and power performance: BCD can combine functions that might otherwise require separate chips. GaN can be useful in suitable high-voltage or high-power-density designs, but whether it offers an advantage depends on the application.
- U.S. manufacturing policy: The sites fit a broader effort to expand domestic semiconductor capacity under the CHIPS and Science Act. That policy context should not be confused with a Cirrus-specific government award.
For Cirrus, the arrangement is consistent with a fabless business model: it designs chips and relies on outside manufacturers rather than owning the fabs that produce them. Its FY2025 ESG report identifies GlobalFoundries and TSMC among its foundries and describes its outsourced manufacturing model. The FY2025 report offers company-specific context. A deeper foundry relationship can create options, but it does not remove Cirrus’ dependence on foundries and other manufacturing partners.
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What investors and customers cannot yet quantify
The public announcement does not state a dollar amount for the 2025 effort, an ownership stake, wafer capacity, qualification milestones, a production start date, named Cirrus products, customer commitments or expected revenue and earnings effects. Without those details, readers cannot calculate the agreement’s direct financial impact or infer how much output it will add.
“Capable of being manufactured” is not the same as qualified, ramped or shipping in volume. As of August 18, 2026, the official material cited here confirms the announced collaboration and sites but does not establish that a specific Cirrus BCD or GaN product has entered U.S. volume production. The commercial significance will depend on execution, qualification and eventual product adoption, not the announcement alone.
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