(Image credit: GlobalFoundries)

The global foundry market is dominated by TSMC, which captured 69.9% of global foundry revenue in 2025, but beyond the glitz and glamor of the leading edge sit a tier of foundries that collectively manufacture the chips found in cars, power supplies for AI servers, RF front-end modules, display drivers, industrial controllers, and defense systems. GlobalFoundries, UMC, and SMIC posted a combined 2025 revenue of roughly $24 billion and hold approximately 13.5% of the global foundry market between them.

Each is pursuing a fundamentally different strategy shaped by geography, regulation, and technology choices. GlobalFoundries is becoming a U.S.…