Taiwan’s Second-Largest Chipmaker Hits Photonics Production Milestone

Kanawath via Getty ImagesTaiwan’s United Microelectronics Corporation said on Tuesday it had manufactured its first mass-produced silicon photonics wafers at its Singapore facility.The technology has become increasingly important in powering AI data center networks, using light rather than electricity to provide a faster, more energy-efficient way to transmit data.UMC partnered with Singapore-based chip designer SILITH Technology to create a scalable manufacturing platform and support the next generation of AI infrastructure, according to UMC, which is the second-largest Taiwan-based chipmaker after TSMC.In a statement, UMC said the partners were able to bring the platform from development to production readiness in just 18 months. The company added that the new platform has achieved production-level yield and reliability and has already been qualified by a leading cloud infrastructure customer for volume deployment.Related:Nebius Embarks on "Asset-Light" Data Center ModelThe development also reflects Singapore's growing role in the global semiconductor supply chain, with Taiwanese manufacturers expanding production capacity in the city-state.GC Hung, senior vice president of UMC, said the region serves as a “key technology development hub” for the company.“Looking ahead, UMC will continue to strengthen its manufacturing capabilities to support customers’ growing demand and accelerate next-generation photonics applications,” he said in a statement.Other tech players in the expanding ecosystem include King Yuan Electronics and Vanguard International Semiconductor, which recently partnered with NXP Semiconductors on a $7.8 billion chip manufacturing facility in Singapore.“AI is driving an unprecedented demand for optical bandwidth, making silicon photonics a foundational technology for future data center infrastructure,” Jason Zhang, CTO of SILITH, said.“Together with UMC, we are bringing together leading-edge silicon photonics innovation and high-volume 12-inch manufacturing to deliver the performance, scalability, and cost efficiency required for the next generation of AI networks,” he added.UMC's move joins a broader industry push to scale silicon photonics for AI infrastructure. Companies including TSMC, GlobalFoundries and Tower Semiconductor have expanded silicon photonics capabilities in recent years as demand for AI networking hardware accelerates, while major AI chipmakers including Marvell and Nvidia are investing in optical technologies to address growing bandwidth and power constraints inside AI clusters.About the AuthorContributing WriterScarlett Evans is a freelance writer with a focus on emerging technologies and the minerals industry. Previously, she served as assistant editor at IoT World Today, where she specialized in robotics and smart city technologies. Scarlett also has a background in the mining and resources sector, with experience at Mine Australia, Mine Technology and Power Technology. She joined Informa in April 2022 before transitioning to freelance work.