News: Microelectronics
19 September 2025
Northrop Grumman opens up Microelectronics Center access to external aerospace & defense firms
US-based aerospace & defense technology company Northrop Grumman Corp says that its Microelectronics Center is now open for external aerospace & defense companies to access its three US government-accredited semiconductor manufacturing facilities, expanding the secure production of defense microelectronics on US soil.
The open-access business model allows:
- external entities (including commercial businesses, aerospace & defense companies, the US Government, academia, federally funded R&D centers and others) to design, manufacture, package and test microelectronics domestically for commercial and defense applications;
- access to end-to-end US-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.
“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,” says Vern Boyle, VP of the Northrop Grumman Microelectronics Center. “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
Northrop Grumman's Microelectronics Center consists of three manufacturing facilities: two US government-accredited semiconductor foundries in California and Maryland and an advanced packaging facility in Florida.
The advanced packaging facility is capable of 100–300mm 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% of advanced packaging needs are sent offshore, which poses a risk to threats from global impacts. Northrop Grumman is one of few defense companies that can package chips within the USA.
The firm designs, manufactures, assembles, tests and packages millions of microelectronics annually to support next-generation defense and commercial systems in the USA, ensuring that the US supply chain is protected and sustainable to strengthen national defense infrastructure. From design, fabrication, to field, the firm says that its 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 staff and over 30 million square feet of manufacturing space, Northrop Grumman says that it has capacity, scale and agility, so that its manufacturing approaches can accelerate and enhance the entire process from design and development to production and testing. The firm has invested in US infrastructure, R&D, staffing and its supply chain to deliver the country’s national security needs.
