Northrop Grumman’s Microelectronics Center is now open for external aerospace and defense companies to access the company’s three U.S. government-accredited semiconductor manufacturing facilities. This decision expands the secure production of defense microelectronics on U.S. soil.

The open-access business model allows:

• External entities, including commercial businesses, aerospace and defense companies, the U.S. Government, academia, federally funded research and development centers and others, to design, manufacture, package and test microelectronics domestically for commercial and defense applications.
• Access to end-to-end U.S.-based advanced packaging facilities with reliable semiconductor design, post-processing, assembly and test for current and future generation technologies.
• Purchase of Northrop Grumman-produced semiconductor products and components via 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.”

Northrop Grumman's Microelectronics Center is comprised of three manufacturing facilities — two U.S. government-accredited semiconductor foundries in California and Maryland and an advanced packaging facility in Florida.

Northrop Grumman's advanced packaging facility is capable of 100 to 300 mm wafer bumping, probing and dicing, which allows multiple smaller, specialized chips to be combined into a single, more powerful electronics package. Unlike traditional methods that place multiple chips side-by-side into a system, advanced packaging integrates multiple specialized chips together with high-density connections into a 3D chip stack. This approach is crucial for meeting the demands of next-generation devices.

According to industry research, 98 percent of advanced packaging needs are sent offshore, which poses a risk to threats from global impacts. Northrop Grumman is one of few defense companies who can package chips within the U.S.

Northrop Grumman designs, manufactures, assembles, tests and packages millions of microelectronics annually to support next-generation defense and commercial systems in the U.S., ensuring the American supply chain is protected and sustainable to strengthen national defense infrastructure. From design, fabrication, to field, the company’s mission-tailored microelectronics serve as the crucial intelligence powering next-generation military and commercial systems and are foundational to mission success.

With nearly 100,000 employees and over 30 million square feet of manufacturing space — more than 500 football fields — Northrop Grumman has the capacity, scale and agility to drive innovation at unprecedented speeds. The company’s manufacturing approaches do more than just produce; they accelerate and enhance the entire process from design and development to production and testing. Northrop Grumman has invested in U.S. infrastructure, R&D, its workforce and its supply chain to deliver today and tomorrow’s national security needs.