BAE Systems receives $16 million for radiation-hardened chip qualification

BAE Systems received $16 million in US Defense Production Act funding to demonstrate and qualify its radiation-hardened 45-nanometer semiconductor technology. The program supports the RH45 ASIC platform, allowing customers to build specialized chips for spacecraft and other demanding environments using a library of qualified circuit designs.

Manufacturing uses GlobalFoundries’ 45-nanometer silicon-on-insulator process in New York, with BAE’s Space Systems team carrying out qualification work in Virginia. The award is intended to restore and strengthen a domestic supply route for radiation-resistant electronics. It funds technology demonstration and qualification, not a $16 million order for finished satellites. Planned integration into future single-board computers remains a development objective rather than proof that every proposed product has already been qualified.

Sources:

• BAE Systems — RH45 funding announcement