News: Optoelectronics
27 August 2025
Xscape and Tower unveil first optically pumped on-chip multi-wavelength laser platform for AI data-center fabrics
Specialty analog foundry Tower Semiconductor Ltd of Migdal Haemek, Israel and Xscape Photonics Inc of Fort Lee, NJ and Santa Clara, CA, USA (which is funded by industry leaders such as NVIDIA and Cisco, and develops silicon photonics interconnects for AI data centers) have announced the successful prototyping and validation kit availability of what is claimed to be the industry’s first on-chip, optically pumped, multi-wavelength laser source. Built on Tower’s mature, high-volume PH18 silicon photonics platform, the solution supports CWDM and DWDM wavelength grids and is tailored for AI data-center fabrics, where bandwidth density, power efficiency and scalability are essential.
The optical interconnect market for AI data centers is expected to grow, driven by the rising demand for high-speed, low-latency connectivity in hyperscale AI deployments. According to market analayst firm LightCounting, sales of optical transceivers and LPO/CPO for AI clusters are expected to double from 2024 to more than $10bn in 2026, then reach $20bn by 2030.
Tower and Xscape says that their latest development enables a path toward high performance, high reliability, lower cost and a simplified supply chain by monolithically embedding programmable multi-color lasers on-chip, pumped optically by a single CW external laser. It also eliminates the need to source multiple externally modulated lasers or require hybrid III-V integration. Xscape’s solution simplifies design, reduces latency and component count, and is said to be especially impactful for GPU-to-GPU and GPU-to-HBM optical links in AI clusters. Leveraging Tower’s high-volume modular PH18 platform, the solution offers a seamless upgrade path for existing customers, fully compatible with established photonic components such as modulators and detectors.
“Our close collaboration with Tower has allowed us to bring to market a highly differentiated, manufacturable and scalable solution,” says Xscape’s CEO Vivek Raghunathan. “By building on Tower’s proven and qualified high-volume PH18 platform, we’ve eliminated the need for costly hybrid laser integration and delivered the first monolithically integrated, multi-color laser source directly on-chip. This will transform how AI fabrics are architected going forward,” he adds.
Based on its proprietary CombX technology (a programmable laser source device that allows end users — especially those already designing with Tower’s PH18 platform — to easily integrate high-performance laser sources, significantly reducing packaging complexity and component count), Xscape is developing the multi-color laser platform ChromX. The laser source is compatible with existing silicon photonic modulators and detectors, opening a seamless path toward fully integrated optical interconnect for AI data-center fabrics.
“Tower’s multi-sourced and high-volume silicon photonics platform has once again demonstrated its ability to support advanced custom solutions for AI and data-center customers at scale,” says Ed Preisler, VP & general manager of Tower Semiconductor’s RF business unit. “This new solution exemplifies how our flexible, modular technology ecosystem enables rapid prototyping and high-volume production adoption for emerging AI and data-driven markets.”
Tower starts producing 1.6Tbps transceivers on latest silicon photonics platform
