[News] Samsung Reportedly Joins Broadcom on Silicon Photonics, with Commercialization Expected in 2 Years

While Taiwanese foundry giant TSMC reportedly making strides in silicon photonics by securing NVIDIA as one of its first customers, Samsung is said to have teamed up with Broadcom on the technology, according to the Chosun Daily.

Industry sources cited by the Chosun Daily suggest that Samsung plans to launch the technology with Broadcom within the next two years. While the company is also in talks with NVIDIA and others, its partnership with Broadcom is reportedly progressing the fastest.

The partnership between the two companies makes sense. Broadcom, a key player in wireless and optical chips, earns 30% of its revenue from wireless chips and 10% from optical chips, as per the Chosun Daily. The two firms aim to integrate silicon photonics into next-gen ASICs and optical gear, the report indicates.

Meanwhile, a previous Economic Daily News report noted that TSMC has achieved the integration of co-packaged optics (CPO) with advanced semiconductor packaging technologies. Sample deliveries are set for early 2025, with mass production starting in 2H25 and shipments scaling up in 2026, the report added.

Silicon photonics is a next-gen chip technology that uses light instead of electrical signals for data transmission between semiconductors. According to a previous Business Korea report, it offers data speeds hundreds of times faster than copper, making it crucial for AI data centers that require fast and efficient data transfer.

On the other hand, Intel has also partnered with Japanese telecommunications operator NTT and memory giant SK hynix in 2024 on next-gen silicon photonics technology, according to Nikkei.

Read more

• [News] NVIDIA and TSMC Showcase Silicon Photonics Innovations as Samsung Speeds up Development
• [News] NVIDIA Unveils Future AI Accelerators Design Featuring Silicon Photonics

(Photo credit: Samsung)