UMC delivers 1.6T silicon photonics production wafers
- UMC delivered the first mass-produced photonic integrated circuit wafers for SILITH’s 1.6T silicon photonics platform.
- The companies moved the platform from development to production readiness within 18 months.
- UMC plans to offer its 12-inch photonics platform in 2027 while developing 400G-per-lane technology with SILITH.
SILITH Technology and United Microelectronics (NYSE:UMC) delivered the first mass-produced photonic integrated circuit wafers from UMC’s Singapore fab for SILITH’s 1.6T silicon photonics platform.
The partners moved the platform from development to production readiness in 18 months, with SILITH reporting high yield, reliability and qualification by a cloud infrastructure customer.
UMC said it will offer its own 12-inch silicon photonics platform for customer development in 2027, while both companies are developing 400G-per-lane pure-silicon technology using Mach-Zehnder modulators.
Following the announcement, United Microelectronics' share price was down 3.7% at US$23.46 in premarket trading.
SILITH said it has shipped more than 8 million 100G-per-lane and 200G-per-lane photonic integrated circuits since its 2021 founding, supporting its wider move into 400G-per-lane products.
UMC licensed imec’s 12-inch iSiPP300 process in December 2025 and later expanded its thin-film lithium niobate manufacturing partnerships for AI data-centre optical modules.
Meta title: UMC delivers 1.6T silicon photonics production wafers
Meta description: UMC and SILITH delivered their first mass-produced 1.6T silicon photonics wafers after moving the platform to production readiness in 18 months.
Meta image description: A 12-inch silicon photonics wafer inside UMC’s Singapore semiconductor facility, representing production of SILITH’s 1.6T AI optical interconnect platform.
Keywords: UMC, NYSE UMC, TWSE 2303, SILITH Technology, silicon photonics, 1.6T optical interconnects, photonic integrated circuits, AI data centres, 400G per lane, Mach-Zehnder modulators, thin-film lithium niobate, semiconductor manufacturing
