Dutch chip startup claims all-European fab flow – with help from a very American friend

Satnav parts designed and manufactured in the EU, but using GlobalFoundries to produce them

Dutch semiconductor startup Qualinx is claiming a breakthrough of sorts in European sovereign manufacturing thanks to an end-to-end semiconductor fabrication flow it is using for its new satnav chips.

The firm, a spin-off from Delft University of Technology, says it has demonstrated that security-critical chips for aerospace, defense, and critical infrastructure can be designed, manufactured, and delivered entirely within Europe.

Tape-out of the Qualinx QLX3xx, a family of ultra-low-power Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) systems-on-chip (SoCs), represents the first step on the path toward a fully automated trusted European manufacturing flow, the company claims.

But Qualinx is a fabless design shop and relies on a contract manufacturer to make the chips for it. In this case, it is GlobalFoundries (GF), an international business with its headquarters in the US – so much for sovereign manufacturing.

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