October 4, 2024 At the core of GlobalFoundries (GF) operations lies one driving force: manufacturing excellence. With over 7 million square feet of fabrication facilities — equivalent to nearly 95 Liverpool soccer fields — across three continents, GF’s vast manufacturing footprint is central to the company’s mission and success. Leading this critical operation is Chief Manufacturing Officer Pradip Singh who, alongside a dedicated and talented team, ensures the smooth functioning of these fabs and the people who bring them to life every day. Singh’s leadership is defined by his open-door policy, passion for storytelling, and a commitment to listening before speaking. These qualities have enabled him to build meaningful relationships and strengthen collaboration across GF’s global network of fabs. This is a key ingredient to a broader story: every member of GF’s manufacturing workforce contributes to the innovation, precision and resilience that drive the company’s success. In honor of World Manufacturing Day today, we celebrate Singh’s vision and leadership, which helps guide the collective efforts of our entire manufacturing team. Together, they advance global workflows, push the boundaries of what’s possible, and make GF’s mission a reality in every region where we operate. Shaping What’s Essential The heart of GF’s operation are the thousands of technicians, engineers and other professionals in the company’s state-of-the-art fabs across the globe, working tirelessly to meet the demand for essential chips that the world relies on to live, work and connect. Despite the highly automated nature of semiconductor manufacturing, human expertise and innovation are critical to every step of delivering for our customers, from initial chip designs, intellectual property security and fabrication, to final assembly and test. “These are some of the best and brightest engineering and manufacturing minds in the industry,” Singh said. “It is my privilege to work alongside them, learn from them, and lead them every day.” Singh expresses deep gratitude for the experiences that have defined his career and the individuals on his team who are shaping what’s essential — from producing the essential chips that power today’s innovations to ensuring GF continues to lead the way into the future. Inside the cleanroom at GF’s Singapore fab Manufacturing Excellence on a Global Scale With companies serving different end markets across the globe, it is vital to be able to satisfy customer demand for technologies within the region where they are based, Singh said. The GF team has found success in providing trusted and reliable manufacturing of differentiated essential chip technologies, globally and locally, that grows with customer demand. In fact, Singh calls it our team’s “golden advantage,” as it opens the opportunity for GF to serve different markets with the same customer in a way that competitors cannot. “We have customers that serve all corners of the world, so GF having the ability to manufacture chips where those customers need them — whether it’s in the U.S., Europe, or Asia — is a critical differentiator for us. Every company wants more resilient and shorter supply chains, fewer intermediaries, and to do business closer to home. As an example, that’s why GF manufactures chips for automotive communications, IoT, and other end-markets in all three of our regions,” Singh said. “The collaboration and cooperation amongst our fabs, our strong capabilities for tech transfers, supplying locally or serving different markets with the same customer, is huge for us. I think it’s our golden advantage.” This geographical diversification has been GF’s north star since the company was created in 2009, Singh said, and is represented right in the company’s name. In fact, he said, GF’s approach to semiconductor manufacturing and cultivating a truly global footprint is an advantage that some others in the foundry business have sought and are now taking steps to emulate. GF’s global manufacturing footprint spans three continents A Career Journey Crossing Continents Singh’s career in manufacturing spans over 25 years and multiple continents, starting on the shop floor as a fresh-faced manufacturing engineer in Singapore. Straight out of college, Singh’s career took off when he joined GF through its acquisition of Chartered Semiconductor in 2009. His talent and drive quickly propelled him from Singapore to Dresden, Germany, where he briefly led the lithography team, and eventually to GF’s fab in Malta, New York. There, he started with a single module under his supervision, but soon expanded his oversight to nine departments. “Every couple of years, I was entrusted with a little bit more responsibility until I was managing the entire end-to-end manufacturing process,” Singh said. “I used to joke that you couldn’t get a wafer into or out of the fab without passing through a department that reported to me.” His expertise caught the attention of GF CEO Dr. Thomas Caulfield, who tasked Singh with an even greater challenge: transforming the Burlington, Vermont, facility acquired from IBM to be more foundry-oriented. This opportunity marked one of the most rewarding chapters in Singh’s career, he said, as he revitalized this fab while reconnecting with the foundations of his work. After three years and feeling that he had maximized his contributions, Singh returned to the Malta NY fab to lead the central manufacturing organization and in early 2024 he was appointed to Chief Manufacturing Officer of GF. A wafer manufactured by GF The Power of a Global Background in Strategic Leadership Singh reflects on his career moves with immense gratitude for the diverse cultural experiences that have shaped his leadership. Today, he channels everything he’s learned from his global journey into his role, optimizing operational excellence across GF’s network of fabs. He said his path had made a “monumental” impact on his career. “I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for the fact that GF has a global footprint,” Singh said. “How many people get the opportunity to work on three different continents, in three distinct and unique cultures? I’m really blessed.” Singh has cultivated a deep appreciation for the strengths of each culture he’s experienced. His approach is not just about recognizing the differences, but intentionally blending them to enhance GF’s global operations. Singh’s vision is to harness the strengths of each fab and propagate them across other regional sites, driving consistency in processes while achieving peak performance at every location. Under Singh’s leadership, this strategy has already borne significant results, including driving reductions in dynamic cycle times for our fabs, implementing global efficiencies and spending reductions, and ramping up fab capacities through tool and asset optimizations. His ability to merge diverse approaches has enabled GF to operate at its highest level across continents, setting a global standard for excellence. Advice for to future engineers Reflecting on his professional journey, Singh emphasizes one key piece of advice for young people aiming to build a career in semiconductors or manufacturing: master the art of communication. While technical expertise is undoubtedly essential, he believes that the true differentiator between a good career and a great one lies in the ability to effectively convey complex ideas in simple terms. “The problem is that as engineers, or anybody with a technical background for that matter, we tend to go into the weeds when it comes to telling the story,” Singh said. “Too often, brilliant ideas fall flat because they aren’t communicated in a way that decision-makers can understand. The power to articulate technical concepts clearly and persuasively can make all the difference in driving innovation and securing leadership support.” If you know him, this advice comes as no surprise. Singh’s penchant for storytelling is central to his leadership style. Whether he’s using anecdotes to motivate the team or a personal recollection to explain a technical point, Singh leverages storytelling as a tool for connection. It’s this ability to engage people on both a professional and personal level that has helped fuel his success — and it’s a skill he believes is invaluable for the next generation of semiconductor engineers, innovators and leaders.
