From Co-Packaged Optics to Nanolasers: Photonics Moves Inward

CEA-Leti, Scintil Photonics, and NcodiN show how optical interconnects are moving from data center racks toward co-packaged optics and chiplet-level communication.

By Pat Brans, EE Times | July 29, 2026

As AI processors become assemblies of GPUs, memory stacks, and specialized chiplets, the optical link is no longer just a data center networking component. It’s becoming part of advanced packaging. CEA-Leti, Scintil Photonics, and NcodiN are each working on a different stage of that transition, from multi-wavelength laser sources for co-packaged optics to nanolasers designed for photonic interposers.

Historically, silicon photonics in data centers has been associated with the front panel of the rack, said Eléonore Hardy, partnership manager at CEA-Leti. Electronics inside the rack perform the computing, while optical transceivers convert electrical signals into photons that can travel through fiber across the data center or beyond.

Hardy said the interconnects now drawing attention are “closer to the chiplets, closer to the GPU, CPU, and memories.” These links are inside the rack, inside advanced packages, and across interposers. Today, many still use copper. But, she said, they are “starting to switch to being also the domain of the photons.”

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