The SEMI Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance (SiPhIA) recently held the Bridging Light & Silicon: SEMI SiPhIA SIGs Kick-off & Seminar, announcing the official launch of three dedicated Special Interest Groups (SIGs). The SIGs aim to integrate expertise from various sectors to formulate silicon photonics industry standards and accelerate technological innovation and commercialization.
Mr. K.C. Hsu, Vice President of TSMC, and Dr. C.P. Hung, Vice President of ASE, attended as co-chairs of SEMI SiPhIA and delivered speeches to guide the SIGs. The seminar gathered over 200 industry leaders and experts to discuss silicon photonics technology development and the global supply chain landscape.
Silicon photonics has become a key technology driving AI development. This is due to its advantages in high-speed data transmission, high bandwidth, low power consumption, and high integration. However, it still faces challenges in manufacturing processes, packaging, and testing to meet the rapidly increasing industry demand for data transmission, including shrinking chip sizes, reducing costs, minimizing energy loss in photonic integrated circuits, integrating photonic chips with advanced packaging, and developing effective solutions for heat dissipation. To overcome these challenges, SEMI SiPhIA has established the three SIGs, with the goal of helping to accelerate breakthroughs and commercialization of silicon photonics technology.
Spanning the entire industry ecosystem from system design and component manufacturing to packaging and testing, the SIGs cover:
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SIG 1: System, Subsystems, and Silicon Photonics Technology Development – Focuses on future development trends in silicon photonics, including the design, manufacturing, and integration of silicon photonics chips, forming a complete ecosystem.
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SIG 2: Advanced Packaging and Testing – Concentrates on heterogeneous integration and co-packaged optical application packaging and testing technologies, driving optical-electronic integration.
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SIG 3: Equipment and Others – Dedicated to developing and providing key equipment and technologies needed for the silicon photonics industry, including process automation, assembly, inspection, and related innovations.
“The SEMI Silicon Photonics Alliance, centered on Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, brings together over 110 leading domestic and international companies to develop the world’s largest and most comprehensive international platform for silicon photonics technology collaboration,” said Terry Tsao, Global Chief Marketing Officer and President of Taiwan, SEMI. “The alliance spans the entire supply chain, integrating cross-enterprise and cross-disciplinary expertise to fuel global innovation. Additionally, it has launched three SIGs focused on driving innovative technology breakthroughs and accelerating standardization efforts to jointly address the challenges posed by technological fragmentation.”
“TSMC will collaborate with the industry to develop a comprehensive roadmap for silicon photonics co-packaging solutions and work diligently to put it into practice,” said K.C. Hsu, Vice President of TSMC and Co-Chair of SEMI SiPhIA. “We aim to overcome the technical bottlenecks by collaborating with alliance members through SIGs on cross-group projects to address specific technological challenges or application scenarios.”
“ASE has been deeply involved in silicon photonics technology development for over 15 years,” said C.P. Hung, Vice President of ASE and Co-Chair of SEMI SiPhIA. “We will collaborate with alliance members through regular cross-group SIGs meetings and establish a shared database to ensure that the technological development strategies of different SIGs align with market demands and facilitate cooperation.”
“SEMI SiPhIA has successfully connected the industry and research sectors,” said Wei-Chung Lo, Deputy General Director of Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories at ITRI and Vice President of the SEMI SiPhIA. “ITRI has long been committed to silicon photonics technology research and development and plays a bridging role within the alliance, promoting the integration of research outcomes with industry demands to accelerate technology commercialization.”
Outlook for Silicon Photonics Technology Development Roadmap for 2024 to 2027: Advancing from 2D to 3D Structures to Significantly Improve Energy Efficiency and Meet AI and Data Center Demands
Silicon photonics technology is regarded as a key technology for next-generation signal transmission. By integrating optical components onto silicon chips, this technology significantly enhances data transmission rates and reduces power consumption, addressing the growing demands for higher bandwidth and lower latency in data centers, 5G networks, high-performance computing, and other applications.
Key discussion points at the SEMI SiPhIA event included the 2024–2027 silicon photonics technology blueprint. It is expected that the technology will gradually evolve from 2D planar structures to 2.5D and 3D structures, significantly reducing energy consumption. As integration increases and energy efficiency improves, the technology is expected to meet the escalating performance requirements of high-speed data centers and AI computing platforms.
Taiwan has laid a solid industrial foundation with its complete supply chain ecosystem and advanced packaging capabilities. SEMI will continue to develop open platforms and integrate cross-disciplinary expertise to assist the industry in formulating clear development strategies and promoting collaborative innovation in silicon photonics.
About SEMI SiPhIA:
The SEMI Silicon Photonics Industry Alliance (SiPhIA), launched by SEMI in 2024, serves as a vital platform for connecting the silicon photonics industry. It is dedicated to advancing technology innovation and application development, promoting industry standards, and enabling key breakthroughs. Through knowledge sharing, resource integration, and technical collaboration, SiPhIA strengthens partnerships among industry, government, academia, and research institutions—fostering a globally competitive silicon photonics ecosystem.
With the rapid advancement of AI and emerging technologies, the demand for high-speed data processing and transmission is surging—making silicon photonics a critical force driving industry upgrades. Since its founding, SEMI SiPhIA has attracted more than 110 industry partners and continues to promote cooperation and innovation across the entire value chain.
About SEMI:
Founded in 1970, SEMI operates 10 major offices globally and established SEMI Taiwan in 1996. The association connects more than 3,000 member companies and 1.5 million professionals worldwide across the semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain. SEMI Taiwan annually hosts SEMICON® Taiwan, international summits, and major technical forums to elevate Taiwan’s global industry leadership.
SEMI serves as a neutral semiconductor industry think tank and cultivates collaboration among industry, government, academia, and research. It currently leads 18 technical committees focused on growth and innovation across design, devices, materials, equipment, services, and software. SEMI delivers market intelligence, standardization, policy advocacy, talent cultivation, sustainability development, supply chain management, and member support programs.
For more information, visit www.semi.org.
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