United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) Announces Licensing Deal with imec to Advance 12-Inch Silicon Photonics Platform for Next-Generation Connectivity
United Microelectronics Corporation, commonly known as UMC and recognized globally as one of the leading semiconductor foundries, has unveiled a major strategic step in its long-term technology roadmap. The company announced that it has entered into a comprehensive licensing agreement with imec, the Belgian-based global research and innovation powerhouse specializing in cutting-edge semiconductor R&D. This agreement covers the transfer of imec’s iSiPP300 silicon photonics process technology, a platform known for its advanced performance attributes and compatibility with co-packaged optics (CPO), a growing focus area in next-generation connectivity solutions.
Through this licensing arrangement, UMC aims to accelerate the development and readiness of its own 12-inch silicon photonics platform, leveraging imec’s proven process technologies to enter markets demanding extreme data throughput, high energy efficiency, and low latency. The platform will be positioned to support advanced applications across data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), and next-generation networking infrastructure—areas undergoing rapid transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and exponential data growth.
Silicon Photonics Poised to Address Interconnect Limitations Amid AI-driven Workloads
As AI workloads intensify and data traffic in hyperscale data centers grows at unprecedented rates, traditional copper interconnects are reaching fundamental physical limitations. Electrical links struggle to deliver the scaling, speed, and power efficiencies required for future compute and networking systems. These constraints have accelerated interest in silicon photonics, a technology that uses light—rather than electrical signals—to transfer data across chips, inside servers, and between racks in data centers.
UMC’s move to bring a robust 12-inch silicon photonics manufacturing platform to market underscores the industry’s ongoing shift toward optical interconnects. Silicon photonics offers several compelling advantages:
- Ultra-high bandwidth achieved through optical data transmission
- Reduced power consumption, enabling more energy-efficient operations
- Lower latency, essential for distributed compute networks
- Longer reach, addressing the challenges of moving data across large server farms
By integrating imec’s iSiPP300 process, UMC is positioning itself to address these challenges with a scalable, high-volume manufacturing platform well suited for the next wave of compute and connectivity innovation.
Combining imec’s Technology with UMC’s Manufacturing Expertise
UMC noted that imec’s technology transfer will be combined with its own deep expertise in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer processing, a foundational requirement for fabricating photonic structures on semiconductor wafers. UMC also brings extensive experience from its earlier 8-inch silicon photonics production, which will be leveraged to ensure efficient scaling to the 12-inch platform—now vital as customers require higher output and more cost-effective photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
The licensed platform includes capabilities optimized for co-packaged optics, a technology that integrates optical components and electronics into a single, compact system. CPO is widely considered a critical step toward overcoming the thermal and electrical challenges of next-generation switch architectures, especially as the industry moves deeper into AI-driven computing and as network switches migrate beyond 51.2 Tbps and toward far greater speeds.
UMC Highlights Customer Interest and Technology Roadmap
GC Hung, Senior Vice President at UMC, emphasized the importance of the partnership in bringing photonics solutions closer to market readiness. In his statement, he expressed confidence that imec’s silicon photonics process—which is already validated at advanced research production levels—will significantly shorten UMC’s development timeline.
“We are pleased to license state-of-the-art silicon photonics process technology from imec, which will enable UMC to accelerate the readiness of our photonic platform on 12-inch wafers,” Hung said.
He noted that UMC is already working with several new customers who aim to develop PIC chips for optical transceivers using the forthcoming 12-inch platform. These chips are expected to serve high-bandwidth optical communications systems, which are foundational to modern data centers and cloud infrastructures.
Hung also outlined UMC’s risk production schedule, identifying 2026 and 2027 as key years when early production volumes for the new photonic chips are projected to begin. This timeline aligns with broader industry expectations for adoption of optics-driven compute architectures, especially in the AI and hyperscale networking sectors.
Furthermore, Hung highlighted how UMC plans to pair the new photonics platform with a diverse portfolio of advanced packaging technologies. These include architectures that support two of the most transformative trends in system design today:
- Co-packaged optics (CPO)
- Optical I/O (OIO)
These technologies promise to deliver high-bandwidth, energy-efficient, and extremely scalable optical interconnects for both intra-data center (within the same facility) and inter-data center (between geographically distributed facilities) communication links.
According to Hung, this combined capability puts UMC in a strong strategic position to expand its role in the rapidly growing optical solutions market as the computing world shifts toward highly integrated, photonics-enabled architectures.
imec Emphasizes Proven Performance of iSiPP300 Platform
Representing imec, Philippe Absil, Vice President of IC-Link by imec, commented on the significance of the partnership and the value of imec’s iSiPP300 technology. Over more than a decade, imec’s research teams have demonstrated that advanced CMOS-based silicon photonics fabrication on 12-inch wafers unlocks superior performance compared to earlier-generation processes.
The iSiPP300 platform features a suite of compact, high-performance optical components that are essential for enabling next-generation optical communication systems. These include:
- Microring-based filters and modulators, supporting highly efficient wavelength division multiplexing (WDM)
- GeSi electro-absorption modulators (EAMs), designed for fast and energy-efficient signal modulation
- Diverse low-loss fiber interfaces, enabling optimized optical coupling for varied system architectures
- Advanced 3D packaging modules, supporting higher integration density and improved thermal management
Absil also emphasized the mission of IC-Link by imec, which collaborates closely with semiconductor manufacturers worldwide to make leading-edge technologies accessible for commercial production. The partnership with UMC, he said, reflects imec’s long-standing commitment to ensuring that semiconductor innovations transition from research labs into high-volume manufacturing.
“This agreement with UMC is a demonstration of our collaborative approach, enabling us to bring cutting-edge silicon photonics solutions to a broader market and accelerate adoption in next-generation compute systems,” Absil added.
A Strategic Collaboration for the Future of Data Infrastructure
Together, UMC and imec are forging a pathway for widespread adoption of silicon photonics in future AI, cloud, and compute-heavy infrastructures. The combination of imec’s advanced technology platform with UMC’s manufacturing scale and customer ecosystem is expected to help meet a growing industry need for higher-speed, lower-power optical solutions.
As the world moves deeper into AI-driven innovation, the demand for silicon photonics is set to rise sharply. UMC’s entry into the 12-inch photonics manufacturing space—strengthened by imec’s leading technology—signals a major advancement for the industry and marks a pivotal step toward enabling next-generation connectivity systems capable of supporting the increasingly data-intensive world.
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