June 2026 RF Industry News Roundup
IMS 2026 – The Premier RF & Microwave Event of the Year
The IEEE International Microwave Symposium (IMS 2026), the world's largest gathering for RF and microwave professionals, took place from June 7–12 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. The event welcomed over 8,400 attendees from 55 countries. This year's program reflected how AI, quantum computing, and 6G are being integrated into RF and microwave engineering practice, with plenary sessions featuring 2025 Nobel Prize winner John Martinis and MIT Professor William Oliver. The symposium also included the RFIC Symposium (June 7–9) and the ARFTG Conference.
Key Product Launches & Technology Announcements
Altera Unveils Next-Generation Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series SoC FPGA
At IMS 2026, Altera announced engineering sample availability of its Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series SoC FPGAs, delivering a 40% increase in compute capability per square millimeter. The device features 45% greater logic and DSP density, integrated 64Gsps wideband RF, and support for DDR5/LPDDR5 memory. Production silicon and development kits are scheduled for Q3 2026.
GlobalFoundries Qualifies SLATE™ Advanced Packaging on 9SW Platform
On June 23, GlobalFoundries announced production readiness of its SLATE™ wafer-to-wafer bonding technology on the 9SW RF-SOI platform. The technology can reduce die size by up to 45%, targeting compact 5G front-end modules (FEMs) spanning sub-8GHz and FR3 frequency ranges. Volume production is expected in the second half of 2027.
Qorvo Introduces SOI RF Switch Portfolio for Defense & Aerospace
Qorvo introduced three SOI-based RF switches (QPC2320, QPC2420, QPC2180) and two 6-bit digital step attenuators (QPC5330, QPC5430) on June 3. The products eliminate the need for negative voltage control circuits, simplifying system architectures for radar, secure communications, and SATCOM applications. Frequency support ranges up to 30GHz.
pSemi Expands UltraCMOS+™ Portfolio with High-Isolation RF Switches
pSemi announced the PE42544 SP4T and PE42429 SPDT RF switches on June 4, operating from 9 kHz to 8.5 GHz with up to 46 dB isolation. Both devices deliver industry-leading linearity (up to 65 dBm IIP3) and are available for sampling now.
Analog Devices Presents Advances in Transceivers & Beamforming
At IMS 2026, Analog Devices presented innovations including a single-chip RF-to-Ethernet ORAN radio unit (16nm FinFET CMOS, 4TX/4RX, 660MHz bandwidth) and a SiGe E-band transmitter SIP delivering >32dBm output power from 71–86 GHz.
Finwave Semiconductor Debuts High-Power GaN-on-Silicon RF Switches
Finwave showcased eight new high-power RF switches at IMS 2026, delivering high power, high frequency, fast switching, and broadband performance.
IVWorks Sets GaN HEMT Record with 742GHz fmax
Researchers fabricated a GaN transistor with a 45nm gate length achieving a record-breaking fmax of 742 GHz, establishing a new benchmark for RF performance.
Altum RF Showcases GaAs & GaN MMICs at IMS 2026
Altum RF highlighted its portfolio of over 40 GaAs and GaN MMICs covering frequencies from X-band to over 100 GHz, targeting SATCOM, telecom, radar, and test & measurement applications.
Aerospace & Defense RF Solutions
The aerospace and defense sector at IMS 2026 featured numerous mission-critical RF solutions, including dual-channel mmWave frequency converter SiPs (18–40 GHz) from Spectrum Control, 4-channel switched filter banks (18–40 GHz) from Nuvotronics, compact phase-coherent RF conversion pairs from Mercury Systems, and agile frequency synthesizers (1.25–20 GHz) from Luff Research.
Test & Measurement
Key test and measurement players showcased at IMS 2026 included Anritsu with its Tensor VNA, Keysight Technologies with RF design and 6G validation technologies, Maury Microwave with advanced load-pull solutions, and Rohde & Schwarz.
5G/6G & Wireless Infrastructure
GlobalFoundries' 9SW SLATE technology supports next-generation 5G devices and satellite communications. KDDI launched a RAN Digital Twin initiative for the 6G era on June 23, while e& UAE announced the world's first commercial U6GHz network, establishing the foundation for the 6G era.
Market Intelligence
The RF defense device market is projected to reach $3 billion by 2031, fueled by drone threats and radar upgrades.
Sources
everything RF – IMS 2026 coverage and industry news
Microwave Journal – IMS2026 technical program and exhibitor coverage
GlobalFoundries – SLATE™ packaging announcement
Qorvo – SOI RF switch portfolio
pSemi – UltraCMOS+™ switch portfolio expansion
Altera – Agilex 9 Direct RF-Series announcement
Analog Devices – IMS 2026 technical presentations
Compound Semiconductor – GaN HEMT record
Finwave Semiconductor – GaN-on-Si RF switch portfolio