French CEA joins hands with Power Semiconductor to jointly develop MicroLED optical communication integration solutions

On April 3, French microelectronics research institute CEA-Leti and system integrator CEA-List jointly announced today that they have reached a major strategic cooperation with Power Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (PSMC).

The cooperation will make full use of CEA-List’s design experience in RISC-V architecture and CEA-Leti’s professional accumulation in the field of silicon photonics technology to introduce high-bandwidth communication and high-performance computing technology into Power Semiconductor’s mature 3D stacking and interposer platforms to jointly create advanced solutions for the next generation of artificial intelligence systems.

Currently, the semiconductor industry is facing multiple technical bottlenecks, including the physical limitations of traditional copper interconnect processes, increasingly tight power consumption constraints, and the market's urgent desire for flexible and scalable computing architectures. By integrating short-range, high-bandwidth optical links for energy-saving data transmission, combined with customizable RISC-V processor architecture, the three-party cooperation will effectively solve these challenges and create a new model for high-performance data transmission and computing architecture.

The deputy director of the CEA-List Digital Integrated Circuit Design Department pointed out that RISC-V is reshaping the field of processor design with its openness, flexibility and cost advantages. Its customizable nature enables industrial partners to tailor solutions to specific needs. This cooperation will provide customers with a customized computing platform that can not only meet performance indicators but also take into account power consumption efficiency.

CEA-Leti CEO said that Micro LED technology plays a vital role in this cooperation. Micro LED will use low-power gallium nitride LED solutions to significantly improve the throughput of optical communications.

Power Semiconductor's chief technology officer said that this cooperation has greatly expanded the application fields of Power Semiconductor's 3D stacking and interposer technology by introducing efficient RISC-V computing IP and high-bandwidth silicon photonic chip communication technology. By combining the top expertise of France's two major CEA research institutes with Power Semiconductor's manufacturing technology, the two parties will jointly provide customers with wafer foundry services for next-generation artificial intelligence applications, helping the continued innovation and development of the AI ​​industry.