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In a high-stakes semiconductor showdown in Texas, a federal jury delivered a partial but costly blow to GlobalFoundries Inc., finding the chip-making titan liable for $9.2 million in damages for infringing a patent held by Katana Silicon Technologies LLC—a smaller, Texas-based rival. The decision concludes a technical trial where intricate circuitry met intense legal scrutiny.

The jury found GlobalFoundries liable on one of three patent infringement claims, validating Katana’s core argument while clearing the company of liability on the other two counts. At one point, Katana sought more than $45 million, but that figure was trimmed to $20 million during the trial.

GlobalFoundries Responds: “We Plan to Challenge This”

Following the verdict, GlobalFoundries expressed firm disagreement with the jury’s decision on the upheld claim.

“This was a highly technical and complex case, and respectfully, we do not agree with the portion of the result against us; we plan to take appropriate next steps,” a GlobalFoundries spokesperson stated via email.

The company emphasized its commitment to innovation, portraying itself as a cornerstone of the semiconductor industry, crafting chips essential for modern life.

Katana's Claims: A Technical Blueprint for Infringement

Katana filed the suit in 2022, alleging that certain GlobalFoundries chips employed protected manufacturing techniques—specifically processes involving a slanted raised source/drain and contact between the active region and gate dielectric film at a coincident surface.

According to Katana, the alleged infringement wasn’t accidental. The company said it had warned GlobalFoundries in a letter as early as May 2018, suggesting willful infringement and arguing that GlobalFoundries’ extensive patent portfolio of over 10,000 semiconductor patents gave it expert awareness of the disputed intellectual property.

From Waco to Austin: A Lawsuit's Long Road

The case was originally lodged in Waco federal court, a known hub for patent litigation, but transferred in August 2022 to Austin, where the trial took place. Katana, based in Frisco, Texas, maintained that GlobalFoundries crossed legal boundaries with its chip production methods.

Initially, Katana’s complaint included multiple claims involving two patents:

• U.S. Patent No. 6,291,861

• U.S. Patent No. 7,402,903

But in May 2025, both sides agreed to drop all claims related to the second patent, focusing trial efforts on three literal infringement claims stemming from the ‘861 patent.