Samsung Electronics reportedly plans to begin mass production of silicon photonics chips in 2028, aiming to address AI data bottlenecks and expand its foundry business. The company unveiled its roadmap at OFC 2026 in Los Angeles on March 17.
The electronics giant said it will secure core technology and platforms by 2027 and integrate them with AI semiconductors within two years. An industry insider told The Korea Economic Daily (KED Global), “The real showdown with TSMC will begin the moment Samsung Electronics applies silicon photonics to actual mass production.”
Samsung Electronics will combine photonic integrated circuits with electronic integrated circuits into a single chip. The company aims to scale production by placing these chips next to switch chips and later embedding them in larger packages.
Samsung Electronics is positioning the technology as part of a broader “turnkey” strategy. It plans to bundle silicon photonics with memory, system semiconductors, and advanced packaging to attract large clients, according to the report by KED Global. The company is seeking to close a reported three-year gap with TSMC, the current leader in contract chip manufacturing.
The roadmap reflects rising demand for faster data movement in AI workloads. Silicon photonics has gained attention as a solution to bandwidth limits in existing copper-based systems. Samsung Electronics expects wider application from 2029 as it integrates the technology into packaged chips that combine GPUs with high-bandwidth memory.
Competitors are also investing in the field. NVIDIA has increased its focus on silicon photonics, with CEO Jensen Huang highlighting the technology at recent events. The company has also invested $2 billion in Lumentum, a US-based optical and photonic tech company, to strengthen its capabilities.
Samsung Electronics said its approach mirrors developments such as NVIDIA’s Spectrum-X platform, which integrates networking and AI computing. The company plans to differentiate through tighter integration across manufacturing stages.
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