When silicon photons have become an indispensable component for the next generation of AI computing, semiconductor manufacturers in all companies are actively preparing for war, and in terms of crystalline foundry partners, it seems that NTD is currently in a single position. However, other competitors also want to get a share of this new market. GlobalFoundries, a large manufacturer of crystalline foundry, officially announced that it has launched in-depth cooperation with Corning Incorporated and jointly committed to developing a removable optical connector solution for Grouper's silicon photonic platform to meet the continuous growth needs.
One of the core achievements of this collaboration is Conning's GlassBridge solution. GlassBridge is an edge-coupler based on glass waveguide, designed with a design feature that is fully compatible with v-grooves on the Groofend silicon photonic platform. In addition to the edge coupling mechanism, Grofonte and Conning are also actively developing other coupling mechanisms, including a vertically coupled detachable optical-to-optical-to-electroelectric circuit (PIC) solution. This dual-control development strategy fully demonstrates Grolfand and Conning's ability to jointly produce multiple forms of co-packaging PICs for optical connections.
Based on the two companies' statements, this strategic cooperation brings together the top professional knowledge of the two companies in their respective fields. Kangning applies its global leading innovative capabilities in glass, optical and connection technologies to this collaboration. Kangning's technical expertise covers a wide range of special glass components, glass circles, IOX and laser processing. It is particularly worth mentioning that Conning's optical array units (FAUs) are one of its important contributions. These optical array units utilize optical fibers with ultra-precision core alignment to minimize insertion loss. This high-precision feature is important for data centers requiring extremely high standards and high-performance computing applications.
As for Grofangde's contribution, it is based on its comprehensive silicon photonic platform. The platform can support Co-Packaged Optics, which is suitable for scale-out and scale-up network architectures. Through this cooperation, Grofangde will perfectly combine its leading position in the field of high-volume manufacturing capabilities and silicon photonics, with the leading position of supply chains and optical interrelated technology tested by Kangningjiu, and realize the advantages of industrial chains.
Kevin Soukup, senior vice president of Grofonte Silicon Photonics Product Line, pointed out that the cooperation with Conning represents an important step in providing next-generation connectivity solutions for AI and machine learning. He also stressed that Conning's cutting-edge optical technology, integrated with Grofonte's silicon-rod-verified platform, can provide the performance and flexibility required to implement expanded, high-density optical packaging in AI data centers. Claudio Mazzali, Vice President of Global Research at Conning, said that Grolfant’s collaboration with Conning is helping to shape the future of AI-based facilities. Moreover, this collaboration will accelerate the necessary technical processes to meet the needs of the growing data-driven world. Among them, combining Grolfonde's professional knowledge in silicon processing with Kangning's professional knowledge in optical connection has truly powerful strength. The joint efforts of the two companies are opening up innovative possibilities for future AI driver industry.
The results of Grofontein and Conning's cooperation, especially the GlassBridge edge coupled glass waveguide removable optical connector solution, will be displayed on site at two major international events. First, the solution will be on display at the upcoming ECOC exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark. Secondly, this solution will also be displayed at the Groft-German Technology Summit held in Munich, Germany. These display activities will provide the industry with an opportunity to see how this advanced technology meets the future needs of AI data centers in the future.