The open-access model enables external entities, including commercial businesses, academia, the U.S. Government and federally funded research centres, to design, manufacture, package and test microelectronics in the United States. It also allows direct purchase of semiconductor products and components through an online storefront.
Vern Boyle, vice president of the Northrop Grumman Microelectronics Center, said: “By opening our defense-grade manufacturing facilities to partners, Northrop Grumman is expanding and strengthening the resilience of America’s semiconductor industry and supply chain. We are providing partners with unprecedented access to design and develop domestic chips as well as the ability to directly purchase from us, enhancing collaboration across the broader defense industrial base.”
The Microelectronics Center comprises two U.S. government-accredited semiconductor foundries in California and Maryland, alongside an advanced packaging facility in Florida. The Florida site carries out 100mm-300mm wafer bumping, probing and dicing, enabling the integration of multiple smaller chips into single, more powerful electronic packages.
Unlike traditional methods that place chips side by side, advanced packaging stacks them into three-dimensional structures with high-density connections. This capability is regarded as critical for next-generation devices, particularly as 98% of advanced packaging needs are currently met offshore, exposing supply chains to global risks.
Northrop Grumman is among the few defence companies able to package chips domestically, producing millions annually to support U.S. defence and commercial systems. The company states this ensures a sustainable American supply chain, strengthening national defence infrastructure.
With nearly 100,000 employees and more than 30 million square feet of manufacturing space, Northrop Grumman highlights its capacity and agility to drive innovation at scale. The company says its investment in infrastructure, research and development, workforce and supply chain aims to meet both present and future national security needs.
