Optical I/O on critical path of AI growth

Artificial intelligence is rapidly permeating every layer of modern technology, with compute demands projected to accelerate even further. This surge in AI workloads places unprecedented pressure on scaling, memory bandwidth, power efficiency, thermal management, and high‑speed connectivity. Integrated photonics is emerging as a critical enabler to address these challenges. Innovations across integrated photonic, spanning scale‑up and scale‑out fabrics, are reshaping the roadmap for pluggable optics, co‑packaged optics (CPO), and next‑generation optical interconnects.

In this introduction, we highlight how imec is positioned at the core of these advancements. From breakthroughs in heterogeneous integration and advanced 3D, imec is building the mature platforms for scalable manufacturing of high‑performance photonic integrated circuits. In this executive overview, we will show the trajectory from leading‑edge research to mature PIC platforms available today, demonstrating how imec’s ecosystem is accelerating the transition from innovation to real‑world impact.