GlobalFoundries has opened its Advanced Facilities Control Centre (AFCC) at its Singapore manufacturing campus, introducing AI-based monitoring and predictive maintenance capabilities developed in collaboration with Siemens. In its first phase, the deployment will consolidate five existing semiconductor fabrication facility control centres into a single command centre.
By bringing together operational data and monitoring tools, the facility helps engineers identify equipment problems, investigate their causes and prioritise maintenance. Singapore will serve as the initial deployment site before GlobalFoundries extends the system’s capabilities across its global manufacturing network.
Five control centres to be integrated
Integrating facilities data and operational metrics from the five control centres will give engineers a consolidated view of equipment conditions and infrastructure performance. Alongside AI-driven capabilities, including predictive maintenance, the AFCC uses advanced monitoring and visualisation tools. By analysing equipment information, the system is designed to help facilities teams detect emerging issues earlier, identify their root causes more quickly and prioritise actions with the greatest operational impact.
The common monitoring environment is also intended to accelerate troubleshooting and support more consistent maintenance decisions across the campus. Pradip Singh, Chief Manufacturing Officer at GlobalFoundries, identified reliable facilities infrastructure as essential to semiconductor manufacturing. He described the AFCC as part of the company’s efforts to improve visibility and consistency across its manufacturing network, with more informed facilities management supporting operational efficiency and sustainability.
Autonomous robots extend equipment monitoring
Autonomous robots are another component of the AFCC, conducting routine patrols and visual inspections across manufacturing facility floors and the Singapore campus. Equipped with thermal imaging, gas detection, vibration acoustics and other anomaly-sensing capabilities, the robots collect information on facility conditions and transmit it to the command centre in real time. This information supports centralised analysis and operational response, helping engineers recognise potential problems earlier and intervene more quickly.
GlobalFoundries also expects the system to change how facilities engineers use operational data and carry out maintenance work. Yew Kong Tan, Senior Vice President and General Manager, APAC Manufacturing and Singapore Site at GlobalFoundries, linked the deployment to changes in engineering responsibilities and the development of employees’ technical expertise: “By equipping our facilities engineers with data and AI-driven capabilities, we are modernising jobs and enabling our people to focus on higher-value diagnostics and problem-solving, deepen their technical expertise and build rewarding careers in semiconductors.”
Global deployment to connect over 1 million data points
Once fully deployed, GlobalFoundries expects the AFCC’s capabilities to integrate more than 1 million critical data points from facilities equipment across its global manufacturing network. The combined information will support comparisons of operational metrics between manufacturing sites, helping the company assess facilities performance and identify opportunities to improve efficiency. The company also intends to use this information to support more sustainable manufacturing operations.
Equipment health monitoring will operate around the clock, allowing teams to identify potential faults earlier and respond more quickly. GlobalFoundries expects these capabilities to reduce unplanned downtime, while centralised management is intended to improve the allocation of space, equipment and workforce resources. As the capabilities are extended across its manufacturing operations, the company also anticipates reductions in duplicated infrastructure, energy consumption and associated emissions.
Siemens contributed its industrial digitalisation expertise to the development of the AFCC. Isabel Chong, Managing Director, Digital Industries ASEAN at Siemens, said: “With trusted data, secure infrastructure and deep industrial know-how, we can scale predictive maintenance, advanced automation and Industrial AI with Singapore as the starting point,”
The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) also welcomed the facility’s opening. Cindy Koh, Executive Vice President at EDB, identified opportunities for engineers to develop digital capabilities and gain experience with advanced manufacturing technologies. She also expressed EDB’s intention to strengthen its longstanding partnership with GlobalFoundries and advance growth areas including advanced packaging and silicon photonics.
