GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in New York, has opened its Advanced Facilities Control Centre (AFCC) at its Singapore site.
In a statement on Monday, GlobalFoundries said the centre was developed with Siemens. It is the first deployment of a system designed to integrate facilities operations and data across GlobalFoundries’ global manufacturing network. Singapore is the first site to roll out the system, GlobalFoundries added.
In the first phase, five fab-specific control centers across the Singapore campus will operate as one command center. The system brings together facilities data and operational metrics, using monitoring and visualization tools and AI features such as predictive maintenance.
These features can help teams troubleshoot faster, identify root causes sooner, catch emerging problems earlier, and prioritize the most important actions.
Once fully deployed, the system can integrate more than one million critical data points from facilities equipment. The system will allow operational metrics to be compared across sites to improve performance and sustainability. Besides, round-the-clock equipment health monitoring will help teams identify potential problems earlier and reduce unplanned downtime.
The centralized model can improve efficiency by optimizing the use of space, equipment and staff, and reduce duplicated infrastructure, energy use, and emissions.
Autonomous robots equipped with thermal imaging, gas detection, vibration and acoustic sensors will patrol the fab floor and campus, sending real-time data to the centre for analysis. GlobalFoundries said this extends the centre’s ability to spot problems early and respond quickly.
Pradip Singh, chief manufacturing officer at GlobalFoundries, said reliable facilities infrastructure is foundational to semiconductor manufacturing. The center marks a step toward a more connected and intelligent manufacturing network.
Yew Kong Tan, senior vice president and general manager for Asia-Pacific manufacturing and the Singapore site, said Singapore is the ideal place to begin the deployment because of its digital foundation and government and ecosystem support. He said the tools would let facilities engineers focus on higher-value diagnostics and problem-solving.
Cindy Koh, executive vice president of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), said the center reflects Singapore’s collaborative approach to manufacturing, especially in advanced packaging and silicon photonics.