Imec unveils 150 GSa/s DAC achieving 300 Gb/s data transmission

Imec, in collaboration with IDLab at Ghent University and the University of Antwerp, presented a 7-bit 150 GSa/s Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) at the 2025 Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits. Fabricated in a 5nm FinFET CMOS process, the DAC achieves data rates up to 300 Gb/s using PAM-4 modulation, addressing the need for faster and more power-efficient data center links.
The DAC supports the increasing demand for high-speed data transfer in data centers, driven by data-intensive applications like machine learning and AI. Wireline communication systems rely on DACs and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) to process analog and digital signals for transmission over physical links. As data volumes grow, higher-speed converters are required to maintain efficiency, while conventional architectures often face signal degradation and power inefficiencies.

Pic1 : IMEC New DAC

PIC2: Micrograph of the die

Imec’s DAC operates at a 150 GSa/s sample rate and uses PAM-4 modulation, a preferred scheme in data centers for faster data transfer without additional bandwidth. The design, implemented in a 5nm CMOS node, targets data rates above 200 Gb/s, with potential to reac...