The partnership combines FMC’s advanced memory technologies and semiconductor expertise with GLS’s capabilities in rapid development and prototyping, small-batch production, AM/3D packaging, and technology commercialization. Together, FMC and GLS aim to strengthen the path from semiconductor research and development to mass production—all within the framework of the “GLS Innovation Funnel™” —thereby addressing one of the industry’s most persistent challenges: transforming promising technologies into commercially scalable products.
The companies intend to collaborate throughout the entire process, from semiconductor research and technology development to commercial manufacturing. As semiconductor production increasingly focuses on large-scale manufacturing facilities, access to capacity for prototyping, pilot production, packaging, and testing of new technologies has become a growing challenge. FMC and GLS aim to help bridge this gap by creating a more efficient path from innovation and validation to commercial deployment. The companies will also explore opportunities to expand future innovation and prototyping capabilities in the semiconductor sector in Germany and leverage Saxony’s position as one of Europe’s leading semiconductor clusters.
An initial key focus of the partnership will be enabling GLS’s ChipForge™ platform, which is designed to support activities such as rapid design and prototyping, technical validation, and pilot production. The companies will explore opportunities to leverage these capabilities to accelerate FMC’s technology roadmap and support additional semiconductor programs. The partnership also reflects GLS’s broader vision of rebuilding the innovation ecosystem necessary to bring emerging semiconductor technologies from research to commercial production.
In conceiving and building GLS, Dr. Richard L. Thurston draws on extensive experience gained at Texas Instruments and TSMC in Taiwan, where he served for more than a decade as Senior Vice President and General Counsel, overseeing intellectual property, compliance, M&A, and joint venture activities. After stepping down from his executive role, he continued to serve as an advisor to TSMC founder Dr. Morris Chang until 2017. These experiences shaped his conviction that the semiconductor industry needs a renewed innovation ecosystem—similar to the one that underpinned TSMC’s growth and leadership from 2001–2017—as well as a decentralized network capable of translating breakthrough technologies into commercial production.
“Innovation alone is not enough. The semiconductor industry also needs efficient ways to bring technologies from the lab into commercial use,” said Thomas Rueckes, CEO of FMC. “Our partnership with Great Lakes Semiconductor combines complementary strengths in technology development, production readiness, and ecosystem building. Together, we aim to accelerate commercialization and strengthen the transatlantic semiconductor value chain.
“Over the past decade, the semiconductor industry has become extraordinarily effective at manufacturing chips on a large scale. What is often lacking is the ability to guide promising technologies through the critical phases between research, prototyping, and mass production,” added Dr. Richard L. Thurston, founder and CEO of Great Lakes Semiconductor. “By combining the technological expertise of FMC and GLS, we aim to create a more efficient environment for innovation and help accelerate the commercialization of next-generation semiconductor technologies in the United States and Europe. Our decentralized, end-to-end business model will not only provide a platform for FMC to experiment with its ferroelectric memory devices but will also serve as an ‘Innovation Funnel™’ for FMC’s future mass production of memory.”
About FMC
FMC is a leading provider of memory chips and solutions headquartered in Dresden. With its persistent nvDRAM+ and high-density Cache+, the company has created a new class of memory technologies for more sustainable, faster, and more cost-efficient systems. Thanks to its extremely low power consumption, the technology significantly reduces the energy requirements of AI data centers, thereby laying the foundation for their expansion in Europe and worldwide.
– – – – –
Related Links
👉 www.ferroelectric-memory.com
Photo: FMC
