Led by STMicroelectronics, the 300mm STARLight (Silicon Technology for Applications Relying on Light with Photonics Devices) consortium has been selected by the European Commission under the EU CHIPS Joint Undertaking initiative to deliver a manufacturing line of 300nm silicon photonic technology (SiPho).
The consortium consists of industrial and academic partners CEI-Leti, Imec, Nvidia, University Paris Saclay, Sicoya, Soitec, SteerLight, Thales and, of course, STMicroelectronics, whose joint efforts are to position Europe as a technology leader in this technology by not only establishing a high-volume manufacturing line, but also developing leading-edge optical modules and fostering a complete value chain. In the process, the project will also focus on several several challenges of advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), including high-speed modulation, laser integration, new materials, and packaging and integration.
“Silicon Photonics technology is critical to put Europe at the crossroads to the AI factory of the future and the STARLight project represents a significant step for the entire value chain in Europe, driving innovation and collaboration among leading technology companies. By focusing on application-based results, the project aims to deliver cutting-edge solutions for datacenters, AI clusters, telecommunications, and automotive markets. With well-recognized pan-European partners, the STARLight consortium is set to lead the next generation of silicon photonics technologies and applications,” said Remi El-Ouazzane, President, Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products Group at STMicroelectronics.
STARLight will be developing application-driven solutions focusing on key industry sectors such as data centres, AI clusters, telecommunications and automotive markets, until 2028.
Silicon photonics is a preferred technology to support data centres and AI clusters optical interconnects for scale-out and scale-up growth, as well as for other technologies such as LIDAR, space applications and AI photonic processors that require better energy-efficiency and power efficient data transfer. It combines the high-yield manufacturing capabilities of CMOS silicon, commonly used in electronic circuits, with the benefits of photonics, which transmits data using light.
