On October 20, NTT and four other companies announced
that they will step up development of mass production technology
for optical chiplets, which connect semiconductor chips and other components with light.
A joint proposal by four companies, led by NTT Innovative Devices,
has been selected for a NEDO project.
The companies will build a pilot line and aim to improve productivity
by more than 10 times compared with the research and development stage.
The Announcement: Toward Technology for Reliably Manufacturing Light-Connected Components
An optical chiplet is a device that densely integrates
photonic integrated circuits and electronic integrated circuits.
It replaces electrical signals with optical signals
for data transmission between computing chips such as CPUs and GPUs.
The announcement cites the growing power consumption of chip-to-chip communication
in AI data centers and high-performance computing systems as a challenge.
Electrical transmission faces increased power consumption
as transmission distance grows, as well as limits on bandwidth.
The announcement positions optical chiplets as a core technology
for overcoming these constraints
and achieving higher capacity and ultra-low power consumption
in servers and data centers.
Since fiscal 2023, NTT has served as the lead proposer
in research and development of optical chiplet packaging technology
under the same NEDO project.
This time, NTT Innovative Devices is the lead proposer,
and the companies will develop mass production technology
that covers everything from manufacturing and inspection
to optical connection and semiconductor package assembly in an integrated way.
They plan to proceed with evaluation and verification
with application to actual factories in mind.
This is not an announcement that mass production has begun
or that the productivity improvement has been achieved.
Each Company’s Role: Sharing the Work from Optical Semiconductors to Packaging and Inspection
NTT Innovative Devices will develop the manufacturing, inspection,
and packaging technologies needed for mass production of optical chiplets.
Japan Semiconductor, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage,
will be responsible for mass production technology for silicon photonics
suited to integrating different materials.
Furukawa Electric will develop mass production technology
for compound optical semiconductors,
and Shinko Electric Industries will develop mass production processes
including packaging and in-process inspection technologies.
NTT, as an advisor, will promote collaboration among companies
and the formation of a supply chain.
Selected for a NEDO Project: Supporting Domestic Design and Manufacturing Capabilities
The selected theme is “Development of manufacturing technology
for semiconductor devices using optical chiplet packaging technology,”
positioned under the development of advanced semiconductor manufacturing technology
within the Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures
for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems.
On October 20, NEDO announced that it had reviewed one proposal
and decided on the organization to carry out the project.
The project aims to secure technology that will allow
advanced semiconductors used in future information and communication systems
to be designed and manufactured in Japan.
According to NEDO, the project period is, in principle,
within five years (60 months) from the start of research and development.
LC Signal’s Perspective: Building the Manufacturing Process Alongside Communication Performance
This effort divides the work among multiple companies,
covering not only optical semiconductors but also connection,
packaging, and in-process inspection.
Putting components that communicate with light into practical use
requires not only better performance
but also processes that can supply them reliably.
We will watch how far the pilot line can turn
the productivity target into concrete results.
Key Sources
-
Joint announcement by NTT and four other companies (Japanese), October 20, 2026:
次世代AIコンピューティングを支える光電融合デバイスの量産技術開発を本格化
～光チップレットの革新的生産技術の研究開発がNEDO事業に採択～
(Stepping up development of mass production technology
for photonics-electronics convergence devices supporting next-generation AI computing:
R&D on innovative production technology for optical chiplets
selected for a NEDO project) -
NEDO official announcement (Japanese), October 20, 2026:
「ポスト5G情報通信システム基盤強化研究開発事業／
先端半導体製造技術の開発（補助）」の実施体制の決定について
(Decision on the implementation structure for the Research and Development Project
of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems /
Development of Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology (Subsidy))
This article was prepared with AI assistance using publicly available information
as of October 21, 2026.
Announcement dates follow the dates shown on the official pages.
The productivity improvement of more than 10 times is a research and development target,
not an achieved result.
“LC Signal’s Perspective” reflects this publication’s interpretation
of the available information.