French startup Scintil Photonics has started providing its innovative laser chips to customers for testing, marking a significant step in the development of optical technology for AI servers.
The company’s chips utilize optical signals to transfer data, a technology anticipated to simplify the connection of multiple chips in AI servers. This development is particularly relevant as Nvidia is scheduled to discuss its plans for co-packaged optics at a developer conference next week.
The demand for all-optical systems is driving the need for laser chips made from indium phosphide, a material that is currently in short supply for AI data centers. This scarcity has led Nvidia to invest $2 billion each in Lumentum and Coherent earlier this month, highlighting the industry’s efforts to address this bottleneck.
Scintil Photonics had previously secured funding from Nvidia as part of a $58 million funding round last year. The company’s technology involves packaging indium phosphide lasers with other optical elements into a single chip, a process that is expected to enhance the efficiency of data transfer in AI applications.
In collaboration with Israel-based Tower Semiconductor as its manufacturing partner, Scintil aims to significantly scale up its production. The startup plans to produce hundreds of thousands of chips per month by 2028, indicating a substantial ramp-up in its manufacturing capabilities.
According to Matt Crowley, Scintil’s CEO, the company is currently in discussions with six to seven companies that are interested in utilizing its technology by 2028. While Crowley declined to name these companies due to nondisclosure agreements, he emphasized the uniqueness of Scintil’s manufacturing process.
“The way we make it is fundamentally different,” Crowley stated. “We can mass produce them … and we can satisfy a big chunk of the market,” highlighting the company’s confidence in its ability to meet the growing demand for its laser chips.
