Key facts
- GlobalFoundries will receive $300 million from the U.S. government for silicon photonics research.
- The funding is intended to enhance AI data center efficiency and data transfer speeds.
- The technology uses light signals to move data between chips, offering higher bandwidth and lower power consumption.
- The award is part of the U.S. CHIPS Act initiatives.
- GlobalFoundries aims to achieve data transfer speeds of 400 gigabits per second.
The U.S. government is set to award GlobalFoundries $300 million to advance its silicon photonics technology, a move aimed at enhancing the efficiency and speed of AI data centers. This funding, part of President Donald Trump's CHIPS Act initiatives, seeks to bolster critical semiconductor research and development within the United States and compete more effectively with China.
Silicon photonics utilizes light signals instead of electrical ones to transmit data between chips, offering significant advantages in bandwidth and power consumption crucial for AI systems. The award will also support the development of co-packaged optics (CPO), which integrates silicon photonics directly with AI processors to further accelerate data transfer and improve energy efficiency.
GlobalFoundries stated its goal is to achieve data transfer speeds of 400 gigabits per second, a fivefold increase in energy efficiency compared to current technologies. CEO Tim Breen emphasized the company's decade-long investment in this technology and its capacity to scale it within the U.S. The research will be conducted at GlobalFoundries' facilities in Malta, New York, and Burlington, Vermont. The U.S. administration has previously allocated funds for semiconductor manufacturing equipment and quantum computing as part of its broader strategy to strengthen its technological standing.