SEALSQ, GlobalFoundries Plan PQC Hard Macros and Cryogenic CMOS ASICs

SEALSQ and GlobalFoundries signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on post-quantum cryptography security IP, secure chiplet architectures, and cryogenic CMOS technologies for future quantum computing systems. The agreement combines SEALSQ’s work in hardware-based security and PQC-ready silicon with GlobalFoundries’ semiconductor process technologies, manufacturing footprint, and recently launched Quantum Technology Solutions business.

The companies plan to work with MIPS, a GlobalFoundries company, to develop pre-certified PQC security hard macros and Chiplet Hardware Security Module components. Target applications include Hardware Security Modules and secure enclaves. The collaboration also covers cryoelectronic ASICs designed to operate at ultra-low temperatures, with the companies aiming to build a CryoCMOS ecosystem that connects semiconductor manufacturing, control electronics, and future quantum computing systems.

The MoU also aligns the collaboration with U.S. and European objectives for trusted and sovereign semiconductor supply chains. GlobalFoundries launched its Quantum Technology Solutions business in May 2026 to provide manufacturing technologies and platforms for companies developing quantum systems, while SEALSQ has outlined a 2026-2030 strategy centered on CMOS-compatible quantum computing technologies and an integrated portfolio spanning post-quantum security and emerging quantum computing infrastructure.

• PQC security IP: SEALSQ, GlobalFoundries, and MIPS plan to develop pre-certified post-quantum security hard macros for integration into semiconductor designs.

• Secure chiplets: The companies will work on Chiplet Hardware Security Module components for HSMs and secure enclaves.

• CryoCMOS: The collaboration covers cryoelectronic ASICs designed to operate at ultra-low temperatures and interface with future quantum processors.

• Quantum manufacturing: The companies plan to leverage GlobalFoundries’ U.S. manufacturing capabilities and Quantum Technology Solutions business.

• Sovereign supply chains: The MoU targets trusted, traceable, and secure semiconductor production aligned with U.S. and European supply-chain priorities.

“This partnership is about building the foundation for the quantum era: trusted digital infrastructure secured by Post-Quantum Cryptography and the semiconductor technologies that will enable future quantum computing systems,” said Nicholas Sergeant, vice president of Quantum Technology Solutions at GlobalFoundries. “SEALSQ’s secure-semiconductor and Post-Quantum Cryptography expertise complements GF’s differentiated technology portfolio and expanding quantum capabilities. Together, we are uniquely positioned to give customers and partners the technologies needed to secure and enable the quantum future.”

🌐 Analysis: The agreement connects two related but distinct infrastructure requirements: migrating digital systems toward quantum-resistant cryptography and developing semiconductor technologies for future quantum computers. GlobalFoundries’ launch of Quantum Technology Solutions in May 2026 and SEALSQ’s CMOS-compatible quantum computing roadmap indicate that both companies see established semiconductor manufacturing processes, secure silicon IP, and cryogenic control electronics as important components of scaling quantum systems beyond laboratory environments.

The CryoCMOS component is particularly relevant because scalable quantum processors require control electronics that can operate closer to qubits at cryogenic temperatures, potentially reducing wiring complexity and the physical distance between quantum devices and classical control systems. The collaboration also extends PQC implementation toward reusable semiconductor IP and chiplet-level security components, which could provide chip designers with hardware-based building blocks for deploying quantum-resistant security functions.