Tower Semiconductor and NewPhotonics Begin High-Volume Shipments of Laser-Integrated Optical Engine PICs
News related to:NewPhotonics® · 2 min read
Tower Semiconductor and NewPhotonics® have begun shipping high-volume, laser-integrated optical engine PICs for artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. These components, designed for external pluggable and CPX MSA compliant Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) socket pluggable solutions, support data rates from 800 gigabits per second (Gbps) to 1.6 terabits per second (Tbps).
The collaboration leverages Tower's PH18DA silicon photonics (SiPho) technology platform, which integrates lasers, semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs), modulators, and photodetectors on a single photonic integrated circuit (PIC). This approach aims to reduce complexity and manufacturing variability, ensuring better yield, reliability, and time-to-market for advanced optical interconnects.
Doron Tal, senior vice president and general manager of NewPhotonics®, stated, "The next phase of AI infrastructure demands optical connectivity that scales in both production and performance. With Tower, we are translating laser-integrated photonics into a practical choice and volume availability."
The PICs are designed to support a range of optical transceiver modules and Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) socket pluggable applications, including FRO/LRO/LPO and Extra-Dense Packaged Optics (XPO) solutions. The initial volume production PICs support data rates from 800G to 1.6T, with plans for future volume manufacturing at 6.4T NPO solutions suitable for scale-out and scale-up architectures.
Tower Semiconductor's Ed Preisler, vice president and general manager of the RF Business Unit, commented, "We are excited to see our vision of integrating lasers with high-performance photonic integrated circuits come to fruition through scale-ready solutions optimized for FRO/LRO and NPO architectures. NewPhotonics is a valued partner, and the first to bring heterogenous laser-integrated optical engines on the PH18DA platform into high-volume production, marking an important milestone in scaling optical connectivity for next-generation AI infrastructure."
Both companies will participate in the upcoming ECOC 2026 conference, held from September 21 to 23 at FYCMA in Malaga, Spain. Representatives from both organizations will be available for meetings during the event.
The PH18DA platform is designed for high-density monolithic laser integration, offering a unified architecture that delivers power efficiency, bandwidth density, and manufacturing consistency. The CPX-MSA compliant NPC505 chipsets for 6.4T solutions are expected to begin volume shipment in the first half of 2027.
Tower Semiconductor's advanced silicon photonics (SiPho) platform and RF & HPA technology offerings are aimed at growing markets such as consumer, industrial, automotive, mobile, infrastructure, medical, and aerospace and defense. The company focuses on creating a positive and sustainable impact on the world through long-term partnerships and its advanced and innovative analog technology offering.