SEALSQ and GlobalFoundries have signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to work together across three areas of quantum and security technology.
The pair will develop certified post-quantum cryptography, meaning encryption designed to withstand attack by future quantum computers, along with the hardware building blocks that secure it.
They will also work on cryogenic CMOS chips, conventional silicon designed to operate at the extremely low temperatures quantum computers require.
The third strand covers manufacturing SEALSQ's planned quantum chips in GlobalFoundries' plants.
No financial terms or volume commitments were disclosed.
Because this is only a memorandum of understanding, there is no committed revenue behind it and the immediate financial implications are limited.
Its significance is positional rather than commercial.
For SEALSQ, a small-cap company, partnering with an established foundry lends credibility that a typical tie-up at that size would not carry.
For GlobalFoundries, the agreement extends its new quantum technology solutions business and pushes its specialty foundry work further into security chips and cryogenic silicon.
That is consistent with the quantum positioning behind the CHIPS Act award it received in May.
The cryogenic element reinforces a broader theme worth watching.
As quantum computing scales, it will lean heavily on proven conventional chip manufacturing for the control electronics that operate the quantum hardware.
Established foundries with that expertise stand to benefit alongside their quantum customers, without needing to build a quantum computer themselves.
