TSMC silicon photonics integration platform plans to enter mass production in 2026

Recently, SiPhIA, the Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance under SEMI International Semiconductor Industry Association, held a forum. At the meeting, TSMC pointed out that its silicon photonics integration platform COUPE is expected to enter mass production this year, becoming a key milestone in promoting the implementation of co-packaged optics (CPO), announcing that AI optical communications has officially entered the countdown stage of industrialization.

With the rapid proliferation of generative AI and inference applications, data transmission bottlenecks within data centers are increasingly emerging. Traditional electrical signal interconnections are facing bandwidth and power consumption limits, driving the demand for optoelectronic integration to rise sharply.

"TSMC's COUPE platform uses SoIC technology to heterogeneously integrate and stack electronic integrated circuits and photonic integrated circuits. It is scheduled to enter the mass production stage this year." Hou Shangyong, director of TSMC's Advanced Packaging Integration Division IV, said that technological breakthroughs in the three major links of wafer testing, optical fiber array units and high-speed optical packaging assembly will be the key to determining whether CPO can be successfully scaled up.

Image source: TSMC

It is reported that SoIC technology heterogeneously integrates and stacks electronic chips and photonic chips, which can significantly shorten the signal transmission distance and reduce power consumption, providing a more efficient interconnection solution for AI data centers.

With the launch of mass production this year, silicon photonic packaging has officially entered commercial deployment from technical verification, and will drive the entire supply chain into a volume cycle.

Hou Shangyong believes that the advancement of CPO technology requires collaborative innovation among all links in the supply chain. Observing the structure of the industry chain, in terms of optoelectronic packaging and advanced integration, in addition to TSMC, optical component and packaging manufacturers such as Lianjun Optoelectronics have entered optoelectronic packaging and testing applications; optical materials and laser technology are provided by major international manufacturers such as Coherent and Sumitomo Electric. In addition, major manufacturers such as Advantest are actively developing silicon photonics testing solutions, and the Industrial Research Institute has also invested in wafer-level testing and standard formulation.

SEMI stated that the SiPhIA Alliance has currently brought together more than 150 industry players, covering wafer manufacturing, packaging, optical components and testing equipment, and focusing on the mass production and development of 1.6T and 3.2T high-speed modules. The display industry has aligned with the next generation of AI data center specifications.