GlobalFoundries Stock (GFS) Today: Latest News, Analyst Forecasts, and the 2026 Setup (Dec. 21, 2025)

December 21, 2025 — GlobalFoundries (NASDAQ: GFS) stock is heading into the final stretch of the year with a familiar investor question hanging in the air: is this “boring but essential” chipmaker quietly building a better growth engine—or just treading water while the AI boom happens elsewhere?

As of the latest available trade (markets are closed today, Sunday), GFS last traded around $36.63 with heavy recent volume, putting it near the middle of its 52-week range and keeping the company squarely in “watchlist” territory for investors who want semiconductor exposure outside the bleeding-edge race. ^[1]

What makes this week interesting isn’t one single headline—it’s the stack of them: a CFO appointment, fresh GaN power deals (a hot corner of “AI power infrastructure”), Europe-linked funding momentum, and an aggressive push into silicon photonics (the data-moving plumbing AI data centers increasingly depend on). ^[2]

GlobalFoundries stock price snapshot (GFS) on Dec. 21, 2025

Because it’s a Sunday, the most meaningful “today” price reference is Friday’s close: $36.63. Trading volume has been elevated in recent sessions (tens of millions of shares), consistent with a stock that’s been reacting to both company-specific catalysts and broader semi sentiment. ^[3]

From a positioning standpoint, GFS has been described by major market data providers as down over the past year, even as semiconductors broadly remain a headline sector—an important reminder that not all chip exposure is AI compute exposure. ^[4]

The biggest GlobalFoundries news driving attention right now

1) GlobalFoundries names Sam Franklin CFO (leadership + execution focus)

In a clean, no-drama transition, GlobalFoundries appointed Sam Franklin as Chief Financial Officer effective immediately (announced Dec. 10). The company emphasized Franklin’s background in finance, operations, and investor relations—signals that the board wants tight execution, credible capital allocation, and consistent messaging as GF juggles big investment programs across the U.S. and Europe. ^[5]

This matters for shareholders because GlobalFoundries is not a “one-cycle” story. It’s a capacity-and-platform company: margins, utilization, and multi-year customer commitments tend to matter more than any single quarter.

2) onsemi + GlobalFoundries GaN partnership (power for AI data centers, EVs, defense)

On Dec. 18, GlobalFoundries and onsemi announced a collaboration to develop and manufacture next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) power devices, starting with 650V products. The companies are pointing directly at demand from AI data centers, automotive, aerospace/defense, and other power-hungry markets—exactly where the “AI buildout” turns into real-world infrastructure spending. ^[6]

GaN isn’t a vanity technology. It’s a “less heat, smaller power systems, higher efficiency” story—and if AI is the brain, power delivery is the circulatory system that keeps it from frying itself.

3) Europe funding tailwind: EU approves German state aid with €495M for GlobalFoundries

A major Europe-specific catalyst hit earlier this month: the European Commission approved €623 million in German state aid for two chip facilities, including €495 million earmarked for GlobalFoundries. ^[7]

That decision pairs neatly with GF’s previously announced €1.1 billion plan to expand its Dresden, Germany operations (the “SPRINT” project), which Reuters reported is designed to lift capacity to over 1 million wafers annually by the end of 2028 (subject to project timelines and approvals). ^[8]

For investors, the key point is strategic: Europe is putting real money behind “more local supply chain control,” and GF is one of the few globally scaled foundry operators positioned to benefit from that policy push.

The strategy thread: silicon photonics, GaN, and “Physical AI”

GlobalFoundries doesn’t try to out-TSMC TSMC at the leading edge. Instead, it aims to win in specialty and differentiated manufacturing—the chips and platforms that sit inside cars, factories, phones, networks, and defense systems. Reuters has repeatedly framed GF as not being the maker of the most cutting-edge AI GPUs, even as it targets demand created by AI’s spread into infrastructure and edge devices. ^[9]

Over the past month, the company has been especially loud about two bets:

Silicon photonics: buying AMF and doubling down in Singapore

In November, GlobalFoundries announced it would acquire Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF), a Singapore-based silicon photonics player, positioning the move as a way to accelerate GF’s photonics leadership for AI data center and quantum networking needs. Reuters highlighted the strategic rationale: silicon photonics moves data using light, a big deal as data center bandwidth and power constraints tighten. ^[10]

GF also linked the acquisition to building deeper R&D capacity in Singapore, including collaboration with Singapore’s national R&D agency ecosystem. GF’s own release describes plans for a silicon photonics R&D center of excellence and work with A*STAR on next-gen materials and high-speed data transfer ambitions. ^[11]

Why investors care: if AI keeps scaling, the bottleneck increasingly becomes data movement (between chips, racks, and buildings), not just raw compute. Photonics is one of the most plausible escape hatches.

GaN power: expanding beyond one partnership

The onsemi deal isn’t happening in isolation. In November, GF also announced a partnership with Navitas Semiconductor aimed at accelerating U.S.-based GaN technology and manufacturing for AI data centers and critical power applications—another “power picks-and-shovels” angle tied to AI infrastructure growth. ^[12]

Taken together, these deals suggest GF is trying to own a chunk of the “AI physical layer”: power delivery + high-speed connectivity.

“Physical AI” messaging to investors

GF hosted an investor-focused strategy webinar in early December centered on “Physical AI” opportunities and ultra-low power solutions—language that effectively translates to: edge compute, embedded intelligence, industrial autonomy, and smart devices that interact with the real world. ^[13]

Earnings and guidance: what GlobalFoundries last reported

GlobalFoundries reported Q3 2025 results on Nov. 12. The company posted revenue around $1.688 billion and pointed to improving profitability metrics versus guidance ranges. ^[14]

On the forward view, multiple reports tied to that quarter indicated GF guided roughly to Q4 revenue near $1.8 billion (±$25 million) and gross margin expectations around the high-20s. Reuters specifically framed the outlook as supported by demand in automotive and data center-related segments. ^[15]

There’s also a notable product/market mix narrative embedded in coverage: smartphone-related softness has been a drag at points in 2025, while automotive and infrastructure have been brighter spots—useful context for why the stock can feel “uncorrelated” to the most hyped AI names. ^[16]

One detail from the earnings call transcript worth highlighting: management discussed traction in optical networking, including multiple design wins with projected lifetime revenue attached—exactly the kind of “quiet but meaningful” signal long-cycle investors track. ^[17]

Analyst forecasts for GFS stock: price targets and rating splits

Wall Street’s view of GlobalFoundries is mixed-to-moderately positive, but not euphoric—more “prove it” than “party time.”

Across widely followed analyst aggregation sources, the average 12‑month price target sits around $40–$41, implying upside from the mid‑$30s, with many forecasts clustering between $35 (low end) and $52 (high end). ^[18]

The consensus rating is where it gets interesting. Depending on which firms are included, the stock can screen as either:

“Hold” (with a meaningful number of Holds/Sells in the mix), or
“Buy” (when the sample skews toward more positive coverage)

That discrepancy is usually about coverage set differences rather than a sudden analytical contradiction. ^[19]

Recent tone shifts: optimism trimmed, targets adjusted

A few notable examples from late 2025:

Bank of America maintained an Underperform stance while adjusting its target (reported in early December coverage). ^[20]
JPMorgan’s Harlan Sur was cited as keeping a Neutral view while cutting a price forecast to $35 (as reported in analyst-note coverage). ^[21]

Meanwhile, some valuation-oriented writeups (outside the sell-side) have argued the stock looks overvalued using discounted cash flow assumptions—useful as a sentiment indicator, though readers should remember DCF outputs can swing wildly based on long-term margin and utilization assumptions. ^[22]

What risks still hang over GlobalFoundries stock?

Even with all the strategic activity, GFS still carries classic foundry risks:

End-market recovery timing (especially consumer/smartphone)
Reuters coverage earlier in 2025 tied parts of GF’s outlook pressure to slow smartphone demand recovery—one of the reasons the company’s “specialty foundry” model can still be cyclical. ^[23]
Margin ceiling and pricing pressure
Reuters has also noted GF’s margin band over recent years and the reality of competitive pricing in mature and specialty nodes—important because valuation ultimately follows sustainable margin structure, not just capex announcements. ^[24]
Execution risk on multi-year capex + R&D
GF has spoken about expanding investment plans (including U.S. expansion and R&D focus areas like advanced packaging, silicon photonics, and GaN). That’s strategically coherent—but big programs create “show-me” moments in free cash flow and return on invested capital. ^[25]
Policy and geopolitics
The flip side of incentives and state aid is political risk and compliance complexity. GF has addressed concerns around CHIPS Act structure (including the nature of government involvement) in prior Reuters coverage. ^[26]

Insider and filing watch: a small but real data point

In early December, an SEC filing trail indicated a Form 144 related to a proposed sale of restricted stock by a director (reported through Refinitiv feed coverage and reflected in the company’s SEC filings index). The size referenced—4,000 shares—is not the kind of transaction that typically changes the long-term story by itself, but it’s part of the normal diligence investors track. ^[27]

What’s next for GFS: key catalysts into early 2026

Next earnings: mid-February 2026 (but dates vary by provider)

Data providers do not perfectly agree on the next earnings date estimate. Several list Feb. 10, 2026 as the estimated report date (including Nasdaq-derived estimates and other calendars), while others point to Feb. 16–17 timing. The safest framing: expect the Q4 2025 report in mid-February 2026, and confirm via company IR as the date approaches. ^[28]

What investors will listen for

Heading into that next report, the market will likely focus on:

2026 demand signals (auto, industrial, communications infrastructure) versus lingering consumer softness ^[29]
Progress in silicon photonics integration post-AMF acquisition (timeline, customer traction, capacity ramps) ^[30]
GaN manufacturing scale-up details across partnerships (onsemi, Navitas) and whether revenue contribution becomes visible in 2026 guidance ^[31]
Europe expansion + funding clarity, especially how public support translates into capacity and returns ^[32]

Bottom line: why GlobalFoundries stock is back in the conversation

On Dec. 21, 2025, GlobalFoundries stock is not being pulled into the spotlight by a single breakout product. It’s being pulled by something more “industrial”: a growing set of credible moves in power (GaN), connectivity (silicon photonics), and geography-backed manufacturing expansion (U.S. + Europe)—all of which are increasingly tied to AI’s real-world buildout, not just AI model headlines. ^[33]