NVIDIA, TSMC Show Silicon Photonics, Samsung Pushes Forward

At the IEDM 2024 Global Semiconductor Leadership Conference in the U.S., NVIDIA showcased its cutting-edge AI GPU technologies and expressed a strong belief in the long-term potential of silicon photonics for improving chip-to-chip connectivity within AI data centers. This statement has drawn significant attention within the semiconductor industry, emphasizing the critical role silicon photonics could play in advancing AI technology.

During the event, NVIDIA presented a silicon photonics prototype developed in collaboration with TSMC, illustrating the strong partnership between the two companies in the development of next-generation AI semiconductor technologies. TSMC also published several papers on silicon photonics, highlighting advancements in manufacturing techniques. The core concept proposed by TSMC involves creating two advanced devices and combining them using their SoIC (System on Integrated Chips) hybrid bonding technology to function as a single chip.

Industry experts believe this technology could be hundreds of times faster than existing methods that rely on metals like copper for data transmission, making it particularly valuable for data-intensive applications such as AI data centers, where high-efficiency data transfer is crucial.

The partnership between NVIDIA and TSMC in the field of silicon photonics underscores the growing collaboration between leading foundries and fabless companies. According to Korean media outlet BusinessKorea, all eyes will be on whether Samsung's foundry division, which is currently trailing TSMC, can catch up through technology collaborations with customers.

Reports suggest that Samsung's foundry division is also eyeing the silicon photonics market. Intel, one of Samsung's largest competitors in semiconductor foundry services, has already made significant strides in the field of photonics technology. In an effort to surpass its rivals, Samsung is expected to make early moves to capture a share of this emerging market. Samsung's Semiconductor (DS) division has already designated its silicon photonics processes as “I-CubeSo” and “I-CubeEo” and is actively developing products.

Recent comments from senior executives at Samsung's Semiconductor Research Institute indicated that the company is accelerating its silicon photonics research and working closely with clients, including Broadcom and Marvell, who have shown significant interest in the technology, alongside NVIDIA.

Silicon photonics is an optical semiconductor technology that enables devices to communicate using photons instead of electrons. Compared to traditional electrical connections, silicon photonics offers significantly higher speeds and lower power consumption, making it especially critical for data-intensive applications like AI and data centers. TSMC has assigned more than 200 employees to focus on advancing silicon photonics technology, underscoring its commitment to pushing this innovative field forward.