{"city":"Hsinchu","name":"GlobalWafers","slug":"globalwafers","facts":[{"date":"2026-09-02","type":"ownership_change","value":"Controlled by public float, with founding-family influence and chair Doris Hsu","source":"Taipei Times"},{"date":"2026-09-02","type":"pilot","value":"Began delivering wafer samples for panel-level packaging","source":"Taipei Times"},{"date":"2026-09-02","type":"product_launch","value":"310 × 310 millimetre square silicon wafer samples for panel-level packaging, with volume production expected in 2026; SiC and transparent SiC options","source":"Taipei Times"},{"date":"2026-06-01","type":"pilot","value":"Photonics-SOI remains at the sampling or validation stage","source":"vantixresearch.substack.com, photoncap.net and jasonschips.ai"},{"date":"2026-06-01","type":"revenue","value":"No meaningful Photonics-SOI revenue","source":"vantixresearch.substack.com, photoncap.net and jasonschips.ai"},{"date":"2026-03-03","type":"revenue","value":"FY2025 consolidated revenue","source":"sas-globalwafers.com"}],"peers":[],"stage":null,"state":null,"aliases":["GlobalWafers Co., Ltd.","環球晶圓","GWC","Sino-American Silicon"],"country":"Taiwan","domains":[{"why":"GlobalWafers is a major semiconductor-wafer manufacturer, supplying silicon, SOI and other wafer products to chipmakers.","list":null,"rank":null,"tier":"watchlist","layer":null,"total":78,"domain":"AI Core","scores":{"gate_ne":["firepower"],"leverage":8,"position":6,"progress":7,"firepower":8,"commercial":10,"deployment":10,"production":10,"technology":6},"edition":null,"segment":null}],"founded":null,"signals":[{"date":"2026-03-12","header":"GlobalWafers became the world’s third-largest silicon-substrate supplier.","outlet":"EE Times"},{"date":"2026-01-30","header":"GlobalWafers is preparing a second expansion phase for its $3.5 billion Sherman, Texas, fab.","outlet":"Power Electronics News"},{"date":"2026-01-07","header":"Apple increased its U.S. manufacturing and supply-chain commitment to $600 billion.","outlet":"Semiconductor Engineering"},{"date":"2024-07-24","header":"GlobalWafers’ US projects are expected to create 1,700 construction jobs and 880 manufacturing jobs.","outlet":"semiconductor-today.com"},{"date":"2024-07-24","header":"GlobalWafers plans new 300mm wafer and silicon carbide facilities in Texas and Missouri.","outlet":"semiconductor-today.com"},{"date":"2024-07-24","header":"GlobalWafers and MEMC launched semiconductor workforce-development programs in Texas and Missouri.","outlet":"semiconductor-today.com"}],"website":"sas-globalwafers.com","category":"AI Infra · Semiconductor equipment, materials & critical inputs","categories":[{"name":"Wafers, chemicals & gases","domain":"AI Core","parent":"AI Infra · Semiconductor equipment, materials & critical inputs"}],"last_round":null,"updated_at":"2026-09-22T22:27:15.276+00:00","facts_total":18,"positioning":"GlobalWafers is the world third-largest silicon wafer maker and has deliberately globalised out of an Asia-centric model into six countries, giving customers localised crystal growth through epitaxy across Asia, the United States and Europe. FY2025 consolidated revenue was NT$60.6 billion, down 3.24 percent, with gross margin 24.1 percent, operating margin 14.3 percent and net profit NT$7.3 billion. Its AI-facing product work is in advanced packaging and photonics substrates: it began delivering 310 by 310 millimetre square silicon wafer samples for panel-level packaging in 2026 with volume production expected within the year, and states that it supplies 12-inch SOI wafers for high-end silicon photonics optical waveguides. That claim needs qualifying. Two independent analyst assessments published in March and June 2026 place GlobalWafers at sampling and validation only in photonics-grade SOI with no meaningful revenue, against Soitec as the sole qualified volume supplier. The structural problem behind that is legal: Soitec terminated the GlobalWafers Smart Cut SOI patent licence on 2023-10-31, GlobalWafers challenged it in court, and the parties settled in July 2025 by terminating the 2013 supply and cross-licensing agreements with a transition period running to June 2027, after which GlobalWafers is out of licensed Smart Cut SOI. Position scores 3 rather than 5 because the general wafer franchise is strong while the specific AI-critical substrate position is weak and time-li","sub_category":"Wafers, chemicals & gases","signals_total":8,"url":"https://www.frontiertechintelligence.com/companies/globalwafers","title":"GlobalWafers · ai core, Hsinchu, Taiwan · scores, facts and signals · Frontier Tech Intelligence","description":"GlobalWafers is a major semiconductor-wafer manufacturer, supplying silicon, SOI and other wafer products to chipmakers. AI Core watchlist (score 78) 8 signals and 18 facts with sources.","publisher":"Frontier Tech Intelligence (Future Frontiers, a trade name of Essential Cognition Inc.)","note":"Assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence; facts and signals carry their sources."}