UMC Lands Photonic Chip Orders for Singapore Plant
Taiwan's UMC reportedly secured silicon photonics orders from Zhongji Innolight and SILITH, with production expected in Singapore.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Semiconductors
United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) reportedly secured photonic integrated circuit orders from Zhongji Innolight and Tencent-backed SILITH, with initial orders potentially totaling up to 10,000 wafers. Production is expected at UMC's Singapore facility, and UMC declined to comment on specific customers or orders.
Why it matters
The reported orders reflect growing demand for silicon photonics chips used in high-speed optical interconnects, a market UMC is seeking to enter as the first Taiwanese foundry reportedly offering both volume production and cost advantages for key optical communication chips.
Initial orders could reach 10,000 wafers at prices reportedly seven times those of conventional CMOS processes, and SILITH has cumulative 100G and 200G per-channel PIC shipments exceeding 8 million units. UMC's roadmap targets 300G per lane near term and 400G per lane eventually, though the source does not confirm when those specifications will be reached.
The players
United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC)
Taiwanese semiconductor foundry that reportedly secured the photonic integrated circuit orders and is expanding its silicon photonics production.
Zhongji Innolight
Leading global supplier of data center optical transceiver modules, reportedly among the customers placing orders with UMC.
SILITH
Tencent-backed photonics company with cumulative shipments of 100G and 200G per-channel PICs exceeding 8 million units, reportedly among the customers placing orders with UMC.
The details
UMC is reportedly the first Taiwanese foundry able to offer both volume production and cost advantages for key optical communication chips, and it has validated its 1.6T optical transceiver platform with multiple hyperscalers. The company also announced plans to expand silicon photonics production at its P4 facility in Singapore and at planned P7 and P8 facilities in the Southern Taiwan Science Park.
Timeline
Equipment installation at the new facilities is expected to begin in late 2028.
UMC targets full photonic integrated circuit capacity by 2030.
The Tech Race
UMC's move positions it against rival foundries in the race to supply 1.6T optical transceivers used by hyperscale data centers, a platform it has already validated with multiple hyperscalers. The expansion marks a shift from prototype validation toward volume manufacturing as silicon photonics replaces conventional optical components in high-speed interconnects.
Faster optical interconnects built on these chips could eventually support quicker data transfer in cloud services used by consumers. The source does not indicate any near-term change to consumer device pricing or availability.
The takeaway
Silicon photonics is moving from validation into volume production, and foundry capacity decisions made now will shape which suppliers can meet hyperscale optical demand later this decade.
Further reading
Explore more Semiconductors coverage to see how foundries are scaling photonic chip production.
