Marvell asks GlobalFoundries to bring more chip capacity online

Marvell designs the chips that move data inside AI data centers. It does not own a factory. GlobalFoundries does, and on September 17, 2026 the chipmaker asked its partner's Burlington, Vermont fab to make more of the older-generation silicon that carries those signals between racks.

The two companies announced an expanded multi-year agreement to scale silicon-germanium (SiGe) production, a chip technology used in fiber-optic transceivers: the small modules that turn electrical signals into light along data-center cables. Current SiGe supports 200-gigabit-per-lane connectivity, with a roadmap to faster speeds that feeds the new architectures called Near-Packaged Optics and Co-Packaged Optics, which pack networking closer to processors.

Marvell's VP of foundry technology, Robb Johnson, said the deal secures capacity for the NPO and CPO shift. GlobalFoundries' SVP of photonics and RF, Shankaran Janardhanan, cast SiGe as an extension of the foundry's analog and RF leadership into optical. Financial terms were not disclosed. (GlobalFoundries/Marvell release)

The announcement lands as optical interconnect demand accelerates. MarketsandMarkets, cited by InsideAI, projects the segment to grow from $14.6 billion in 2023 to $30.4 billion by 2028 (15.8% compound annual rate). GlobalFoundries shares rose roughly 6% in premarket trading; Marvell rose about 4.5%. (The Register)

With terms undisclosed, the agreement reads as a demand signal for the optical supply chain, not a measured capex commitment.