STARLight to position Europe as leader in silicon photonics tech

The STARLight consortium has been selected by the European Commission under the EU CHIPS Joint Undertaking initiative.

The STARLight project brings together a consortium of leading industrial and academic partners to position Europe as a technology leader in 300mm silicon photonics (SiPho) technology by establishing a high-volume manufacturing line, developing leading-edge optical modules, and fostering a complete value chain, according to a media release. 

From now until 2028, STARLight aims to develop application-driven solutions focusing on key industry sectors such as datacenters, AI clusters, telecommunications, and automotive markets. Twenty-four leading technology companies and universities from 11 EU countries are joining efforts, driven by STMicroelectronics.

“Silicon Photonics technology is critical to put Europe at the crossroads to the AI factory of the future and the STARLight project represents a significant step for the entire value chain in Europe, driving innovation and collaboration among leading technology companies,” said Remi El-Ouazzane, President, Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products Group at STMicroelectronics. “By focusing on application-based results, the project aims to deliver cutting-edge solutions for datacenters, AI clusters, telecommunications, and automotive markets.” 

Silicon photonics is a preferred technology to support datacenters and AI clusters optical interconnects for scale-out and scale-up growth, as well as for other technologies such as LIDAR, space applications and AI photonic processors that require better energy-efficiency and power efficient data transfer. It combines the high-yield manufacturing capabilities of CMOS silicon, commonly used in electronic circuits, with the benefits of photonics, which transmits data using light, the media release said.

“At CEA, we are thrilled to contribute to the STARLight project by accelerating the development of innovative photonic technologies and components,” said Sébastien Dauvé, CEO, CEA-Leti. “Our expertise in heterogeneous III-V on Silicon integration will help overcome current limitations and meet future application needs.” 

“STARLight offers imec the opportunity to further explore alternative material options to scale its silicon photonics platform to higher transceivers data rates,” said Philippe Absil, Vice President R&D at imec. “Imec will leverage its expertise in advanced process development and photonics device research to identify the most suitable technology for the next generations of PIC for optical interconnects.”