Taiwan allocates NT$500 million to advance light-based chip technology

台灣撥款5億元推進矽光子晶片技術

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said the government has allocated NT$500 million (US$15.5 million) in next year’s budget to advance Taiwan’s development in silicon photonics.

Silicon photonics is a technology that uses light, rather than electricity, to transmit data through computer chips. This enables faster and more efficient data flow, a key advantage for applications such as AI, cloud computing, and 5G networks.

The council and the Ministry of Economic Affairs met on Wednesday to discuss Taiwan’s strategy for developing silicon photonics, per CNA.

While Taiwan holds a strong advantage in semiconductors, gaps remain in areas such as photonic chip design, high-speed packaging, verification, and key materials, Wu noted. To address these challenges, he said the council will collaborate with relevant agencies to accelerate the establishment of a verification platform and enhance the development of related materials and equipment.

Wu also highlighted that the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute established a new research facility earlier this month to support these efforts. This new facility is crucial for supporting the advancement of advanced semiconductor packaging technologies, which are critical for strengthening silicon photonics development.

Chou Chung-pin (周崇斌), an official from the ministry, explained that traditional single-channel fiber optic transmission has a maximum speed of 100 Gbps, with a total transmission speed limit of 25.6 Tbps. In comparison, silicon photonics can achieve a much higher total transmission speed of 409.6 Tbps.

Chou added that last year the ministry supported several Taiwanese tech companies, including ProMOS Technologies, Vanguard International Semiconductor, and MediaTek, in investing in photonic chip design, laser processing, and the development of high-speed integrated circuits.