NVIDIA has positively forecasted the future of silicon photonics while presenting its AI GPU technology at the world’s leading semiconductor conference, IEDM 2024, held in the United States on Dec. 7 (local time). NVIDIA stated, “From a mid-to-long-term perspective, silicon photonics is expected to be useful for chip-to-chip connections within AI data centers.” This announcement has sparked significant interest in the semiconductor industry, highlighting the potential of silicon photonics in advancing AI technologies.

During the conference, NVIDIA showcased a silicon photonics prototype developed in collaboration with TSMC, indicating a strong partnership between the two companies in next-generation AI semiconductor technology. TSMC also presented multiple papers on silicon photonics, drawing attention with their detailed introduction of silicon photonics manufacturing technology. The core idea presented by TSMC involves creating two advamced devices and combining them as if they were a single chip using a method called hybrid bonding (SoIC).

An industry insider commented on the significance of this technology, stating, “It is hundreds of times faster than the existing method where data moves through metals like copper.” This speed advantage is crucial for data-intensive applications such as AI data centers, where efficient data transfer is paramount.

NVIDIA’s collaboration with TSMC in the field of silicon photonics underscores a strong alliance between the top foundry and fabless companies. This partnership is seen as a strategic move to maintain competitiveness and meet the evolving demands of the market.

Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics’ foundry division, which is trailing TSMC, is also drawing attention to see if it can quickly catch up through technological cooperation with key customers.

Samsung Foundry, the second-largest in the foundry industry, is eyeing opportunities in the silicon photonics field. With Intel, the biggest rival in advanced foundry and a step ahead in photonics technology, faltering, there are expectations that Samsung might pioneer this market first. Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor (DS) division has named its silicon photonics processes “I-CubeSo” and “I-CubeEo” and is actively developing products.

Recently, a senior official from Samsung Electronics’ Semiconductor Research Institute mentioned in a university lecture that they are rapidly advancing R&D in silicon photonics with their customers, indicating that related research is actively progressing internally. Besides NVIDIA, their customers are said to include Broadcom and Marvell, who are also interested in silicon photonics.

Silicon photonics is an optical semiconductor technology that helps various semiconductors within electronic devices communicate using light instead of electricity. This technology offers significantly higher speeds and lower power consumption compared to traditional electrical connections, making it particularly important for data-intensive applications like AI and data centers. TSMC has deployed over 200 personnel solely for silicon photonics, highlighting their commitment to advancing this technology.

출처 : Businesskorea(https://www.businesskorea.co.kr)

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