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Northrop Grumman has opened its Microelectronics Center to external partners for the first time, giving aerospace, defence, government and commercial organisations access to three of its US government-accredited semiconductor manufacturing sites.
The move marks a significant expansion of secure, onshore production of defence-grade microelectronics, an area where supply chain vulnerabilities have long been viewed as a national security risk.
The decision allows a broad range of entities – from private companies and universities to federally funded research centres – to design, manufacture, package and test microelectronics in the United States for both commercial and defence applications.
Vern Boyle, vice-president of the Northrop Grumman Microelectronics Center, said the initiative would strengthen US resilience in a critical sector.
“By opening our defence-grade manufacturing facilities to partners, Northrop Grumman is expanding and strengthening the resilience of America’s semiconductor industry and supply chain,” Boyle said.
The Microelectronics Center is made up of two accredited semiconductor foundries in California and Maryland and an advanced packaging facility in Florida. Together, they provide an end-to-end capability, covering semiconductor design, fabrication, assembly and testing.
Northrop Grumman said its packaging facility can handle 100mm–300mm wafer bumping, probing and dicing, enabling multiple smaller, specialised chips to be integrated into a single high-performance package. Unlike traditional side-by-side arrangements, the technology allows for high-density connections in a three-dimensional chip stack – an approach seen as essential for next-generation systems.
Currently, industry research shows that 98 per cent of advanced packaging requirements are met offshore, heightening exposure to global supply disruptions. Northrop Grumman is among the few defence companies able to provide this capability entirely within the United States.
“Partners now have unprecedented access to design and develop domestic chips, as well as the ability to purchase directly from us, enhancing collaboration across the broader defence industrial base,” Boyle added.
Northrop Grumman manufactures, assembles, tests and packages millions of microelectronic components each year to support advanced military and commercial platforms. The company said its mission-tailored microelectronics are critical to the intelligence, surveillance and communications functions underpinning national defence and are increasingly foundational to emerging commercial systems.
