GlobalFoundries sharpens its silicon stack

The foundry becomes a fabless-plus.

January 16, 2026

David Harold

With back-to-back acquisitions of MIPS and Synopsys’ Arc processor IP business, GlobalFoundries is evolving beyond foundry into a vertically aligned supplier for AI and RISC-V edge computing. The next logical moves? Completing the stack with GPUs, EDA tools, or domain-specific compute, with Codasip and Imagination Technologies emerging as potential fits. (Source: JPR AI) GlobalFoundries has made an unambiguous play for RISC-V and AI processor leadership in the past year, acquiring MIPS in 2025 for its Atlas AI engines and RISC-V cores, and following up with an early 2026 deal for Synopsys’ Arc processor IP, which just missed being announced at

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GlobalFoundries sharpens its silicon stack

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