3D photonic chip delivers a record 114 Tbps optical bandwidth
Lightmatter has announced Passage™ M1000, a groundbreaking 3D photonic chip designed for next-generation XPUs and switches, delivering a record-breaking 114 Tbps of total optical bandwidth for demanding AI infrastructure applications.
Measuring over 4,000 square millimetres, the M1000 reference platform is a multi-reticle active photonic interposer that facilitates the world’s largest die complexes in a 3D package, ensuring connectivity to thousands of GPUs within a single domain.
Lightmatter has collaborated closely with industry leaders, including GlobalFoundries (GF) and Amkor, to ensure production readiness for customer designs based on the M1000 reference platform. The Passage M1000 3D photonic chip utilises the GF Fotonix™ silicon photonics platform, which enables seamless integration of photonic components with high-performance CMOS logic into a single die, resulting in a production-ready design that can scale effectively with AI demands.
In current chip designs, interconnects for processors, memory, and I/O chiplets are bandwidth-limited because electrical I/O connections are confined to the edges of these chips. The Passage M1000 addresses this limitation by offering electro-optical I/O virtually anywhere on its surface for the die complex stacked on top.
Pervasive interposer connectivity is facilitated by an extensive and reconfigurable waveguide network that transmits high-bandwidth WDM optical signals throughout the M1000 reference platform. With fully integrated fibre attachments supporting an unprecedented 256 fibres, the M1000 offers an order of magnitude higher bandwidth in a smaller package size compared to conventional Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) and similar offerings.
“Passage M1000 is a breakthrough achievement in photonics and semiconductor packaging for AI infrastructure,” said Nick Harris, founder and CEO of Lightmatter. “We are delivering a cutting-edge photonics roadmap years ahead of industry projections. Shoreline is no longer a limitation for I/O. This is all made possible by our close co-engineering with leading foundry and assembly partners and our supply chain ecosystem.”
“GF has a long-standing strategic partnership with Lightmatter to commercialise its breakthrough photonics technology for AI data centres,” said Dr Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “The M1000 photonic interposer architecture, built on our GF Fotonix platform, sets the pace for photonics performance and will transform advanced AI chip design. Our advanced manufacturing capabilities and highly flexible, monolithic silicon photonics solution are instrumental in bringing this technology to market.”
Key features of the M1000 include:
- 8-tile 3D active interposer with integrated programmable waveguide network.
- 3D integrated electrical integrated circuits containing a total of 1024 Electrical SerDes.
- 56 Gbps NRZ modulation.
- 8 wavelength WDM transmission on waveguides and fibers.
- 256 optical fibers edge attached with 448 Gbps bandwidth per fiber.
- 1.5 kW power delivery in integrated advanced package (7,735 mm2).
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