SmartSky and UNISOC join forces to develop MicroLED optical interconnect

On May 26, SmartSmart (Shanghai) Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. and Unisoc (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd. announced a strategic cooperation to jointly lay out the field of Micro LED high-speed optical interconnection, collaborate around optical interconnection chip design and system solutions, and provide high-bandwidth, low-power, and highly-integrated domestic solutions for the short-distance high-speed interconnection needs of AI computing power clusters.

Image source: Paixin.com official gallery

Specifically, the two parties will develop a new generation of Micro LED CPO optical interconnection solutions, based on Smartway optical sensing and Micro LED array technology, combined with Unisoc’s high-speed SerDes technology, to achieve efficient integration of optical engines and XPUs, while taking into account low power consumption, high bandwidth and high reliability. The solution can be applied to multiple application scenarios such as AI data centers, intelligent assisted driving, and high-end industrial vision.

It is reported that SmartSky is an important enterprise in the domestic CMOS image sensor field. In recent years, the company has been guided by the "3+AI" strategy and continues to extend into emerging directions such as high-speed optical interconnection and terminal-side AI.

SmartSky has long accumulated core capabilities in the CIS field such as high-speed imaging, heterogeneous integration processes, micro-nano optical design, and high-speed circuit design. These technologies have natural technical homology with the research and development of Micro LED optical interconnections. In April this year, Smartway disclosed that the company has set up a dedicated business group to promote the development of integrated transceiver systems, covering three core modules: TX drive array, PD detection array and RX signal processing array.

Unisoc is a domestic full-range chip design company with profound technological accumulation in the fields of AI processors and communication chips. Its products are widely used in scenarios such as smart terminals, automotive electronics and industrial control, and it has complete chip design, large-scale mass production and industrial ecological integration capabilities.

Smartway said that relying on the company's deep customer base in the fields of security, smartphones, vehicles, machine vision and other fields, as well as UNISOC's mature ecological layout in smart terminals and end-side AI, in the future the two parties will work with upstream and downstream partners in the industry chain to jointly promote the scenario application and large-scale mass production of Micro LED optical interconnection solutions.