Xscape Photonics and Tower Semiconductor Introduce On-Chip Multi-Wavelength Laser for AI Datacenter Connectivity

Tower Semiconductor and Xscape Photonics announced the successful prototyping and validation kit availability of an on-chip, optically pumped, multi-wavelength laser source, developed on Tower’s PH18 Silicon Photonics platform. The solution supports CWDM and DWDM wavelength grids and is designed for AI datacenter fabrics, addressing needs for bandwidth density, power efficiency, and scalability.

The platform, named ChromX by Xscape Photonics, uses proprietary CombX technology to create a programmable laser source that integrates with existing silicon photonic modulators and detectors. It is pumped by a single continuous wave (CW) external laser, eliminating the need for multiple externally modulated lasers or hybrid III-V integration. This approach reduces component count by 70%, power consumption by 50%, and simplifies the supply chain, particularly for GPU-to-GPU and GPU-to-HBM optical links in AI clusters. The solution is compatible with Tower’s PH18 platform, allowing existing customers to adopt it without redesigning systems.

According to LightCounting, the optical interconnect market for AI datacenters is projected to reach $10 billion by 2026, doubling from 2024, and $20 billion by 2030, driven by demand for high-speed, low-latency connectivity in hyperscale AI deployments. Xscape Photonics, funded by NVIDIA and Cisco, has introduced the Eagl...