News: Optoelectronics
26 September 2025
STARLight project chosen for EU CHIPS funding
Led by STMicroelectronics of Geneva, Switzerland, the STARLight consortium — consisting of 24 technology companies and universities from 11 European Union countries — has been selected by the European Commission under the EU CHIPS Joint Undertaking initiative.
The project STARLight (300mm Silicon Technology for Applications Relying on Light with Photonics Devices) brings together a consortium of industrial and academic partners to position Europe as a technology leader in 300mm silicon photonics (SiPho) technology by establishing a high-volume manufacturing line, developing leading-edge optical modules, and fostering a complete value chain. From now until 2028, STARLight aims to develop application-driven solutions focusing on key industry sectors such as data centers, AI clusters, telecommunications, and automotive markets.
“Silicon photonics technology is critical to put Europe at the crossroads to the AI factory of the future and the STARLight project represents a significant step for the entire value chain in Europe, driving innovation and collaboration among leading technology companies,” says Remi El-Ouazzane, president, Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF products Group at ST.
Addressing key challenges
The development of advanced photonic integrated circuits (PICs) will tackle several challenges:
- high-speed modulation: creating highly efficient modulators capable of operating at speeds exceeding 200Gbps per lane is a key focus;
- laser integration: developing efficient and reliable on-chip lasers is critical for integrated systems;
- new materials: various advanced materials will be explored with actors like SOITEC, CEA-LETI, imec, Université Paris-Saclay, III-V Lab, Lumiphase, and integrated on a single innovative silicon photonics platform, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI), lithium niobate (LNOI), and barium titanate (BTO);
- packaging and integration: optimizing the packaging and integration of PICs with electronic circuits is essential to optimize signal integrity and minimize power consumption.
Applications-based innovations
- Datacenters/Datacom — The STARLight project has an initial focus to build datacom demonstrators for data centers, based on PIC100 technology, capable of handling up to 200Gb/s with key actors including ST, SICOYA and THALES. It will also develop prototypes for free-space optical transmission systems, designed for both space and terrestrial communication. Additionally, the project will leverage the multi-disciplinary experience of major contributors to shape the research effort towards a 400Gbps-per-lane optical demonstrator using new materials, targeting the next generation of pluggable optics.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) — The project aims to develop a cutting-edge photonic processor optimized for tensor operations, such as matrix vector multiplication and multiply-accumulate, with superior characteristics in terms of size, data-processing speed, and energy consumption compared with existing technologies. Since neural networks – the core algorithms behind AI – rely heavily on tensor operations, enhancing their efficiency is critical for AI processing performance.
- Telecommunications — The project plans to develop and showcase silicon photonic devices specifically designed for the telecoms industry. Ericsson will focus on two concepts to improve mobile network efficiency. The first involves the development of an integrated switch to enable optical offload within radio access networks, allowing for more efficient handling of data traffic. The second concept explores radio-over-fiber technology to relocate power-intensive processing ASICs away from antenna units, providing enhanced capacity and savings in embodied CO2. Additionally, MBRYONICS will develop a free space-to-fiber interface at the reception of free space optical (FSO) communication.
- Automotive/sensing — The project will also demonstrate how it performs in sensing applications, and the close relationships of LiDAR sensor maker STEERLIGHT with leading car manufacturers will help make this an industrial reality. Within the project, THALES will develop sensors that accurately generate, distribute, detect and process signals with intricate waveforms to demonstrate key functionalities. More broadly, the outcomes of this project are also intended to benefit the wider ecosystem of indoor and outdoor autonomous robot manufacturers.
The STARLight consortium members acknowledge co-support from the European Union and their respective national authorities.
The complete list of participants in the STARLight consortium is: Aixscale Photonics; Almae Technologies; Ansys; Aristotelio Panepistimio el y Thessalonikis (AUTH); French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, CEA); Design and Reuse (D&R); Ericsson; Helic Ansys Hellas Monoprosoph AE; III-V Lab; Interuniversitair Micro-Electronica Centrum (IMEC); Keysight Technologies; Knowledge Development for Pof S.L.; Lumiphase; MBRYONICS; NVIDIA; NcodiN; Die Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (RWTH Aachen); Sicoya; SOITEC; STEERLIGHT; STMicroelectronics; THALES; Università degli Studi di Pavia; Université Paris-Saclay.
