TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s co-packaged optics (CPO) supply chain is expanding beyond component manufacturing as the technology moves into mass production, CTEE reported Wednesday.
CPO is a packaging technology that integrates light-based components with computing chips in the same package, shortening signal paths to reduce power consumption and transmission delays. Nvidia’s Spectrum-X Ethernet Photonics platform, which incorporates CPO, entered full mass production earlier this month.
TSMC, Siliconware Precision Industries Co., and Foxconn are among the Taiwanese companies already involved in the supply chain. Analysts have also identified Fiber Optic Communications Inc., Browave Corp., Ezconn Corp., and Mpi Corp. as potential beneficiaries, with businesses covering fiber array units, high-speed connectivity, and testing equipment.
TSMC manufactures light-based components, including photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The chipmaker can also leverage its advanced packaging technology to combine them with electronic integrated circuits (EICs).
Siliconware Precision handles wafer-level packaging, assembly, and testing. Foxconn integrates CPO switches into complete network systems that can be deployed in data center racks.
On the optical side, Fiber Optic Communications and Browave provide fiber array units. They act as precision optical interfaces that connect chips with external fiber networks, according to Sinotrade.
The supply chain also extends to other forms of high-speed connectivity. Mpi provides components and modules used in optical communications, as well as high-frequency radio-frequency (RF) connectors.
Testing is another key part of CPO mass production, as inspection must move beyond final testing to the wafer and individual chip stages. The process involves checking how well light is generated and transmitted, including its wavelength and signal loss, as well as whether electrical signals remain intact.
Taiwanese testing interface suppliers include WinWay Technology Co. and Chunghwa Precision Test Tech Co. Msscorps Co., meanwhile, provides materials and failure-analysis services to help identify problems that may arise during the development and production of CPO components.
Nvidia said its Spectrum-X Ethernet Photonics is five times more energy-efficient than traditional networks that rely on separate, pluggable optical parts. By built-in connections that place optical parts closer to the main switch chip, it allows AI applications to run for five times longer and speeds up data center setups by 30%.
