Micro LED optical communication has reached a new cooperation

Recently, microelectronics research institute CEA-Leti and system integrator CEA-List announced that they have reached a strategic cooperation with Power Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. This cooperation will introduce high-bandwidth communication and efficient computing technology into Power Semiconductor's mature 3D stacking and interposer platforms, aiming to provide solutions for the next generation of artificial intelligence systems.

Image source: JC Bonté - CEA

Currently, the semiconductor industry is facing increasingly severe challenges, including the physical limits of traditional copper interconnects, increasingly stringent power budgets, and the urgent need for flexible and scalable computing architectures. By integrating short-distance, high-bandwidth optical links to achieve energy-saving data transmission, combined with a customizable RISC-V processor architecture, this collaboration can directly address these constraints and create a new model for high-performance data transmission and computing architecture.

Power Semiconductor's chief technology officer said that this cooperation will introduce high-efficiency RISC-V computing IP and high-bandwidth silicon photonic chip communication technology into Power Semiconductor's 3D stacking and interposer technology. By combining the technical advantages of the three parties, we can provide customers with wafer foundry services for next-generation artificial intelligence applications.

In addition, CEA-Leti CEO pointed out that Micro LED is a key technology in the cooperation, which will use low-power gallium nitride LED solutions to improve optical communication throughput.

The deputy director of CEA-List’s digital integrated circuit design department believes that the customizable features of RISC-V enable manufacturers to develop solutions that meet the Mongolian people’s own needs. The collaboration will provide customers with a customizable computing platform that meets performance metrics while balancing power efficiency goals.

Image source: P Despesse - CEA

It is worth noting that in addition to Power Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Taiwanese manufacturers such as TSMC, Nitron Technology, and Fucai Optoelectronics have also been increasing their efforts in Micro LED optical communication technology in the past two years. For example, TSMC will cooperate with the American start-up Avicena in 2025 to jointly develop optical interconnect solutions based on Micro LED; Nitron Technology announced in 2026 that it will cooperate with Optical Technology, a member of the Shixin ecosystem, to jointly develop a new generation of AI optical interconnect platform; Ficai Optoelectronics announced that it will exhibit the Micro LED AI high-speed optical communication technology achievements jointly developed with AU Optronics and Dingyuan at Touch Taiwan 2026...

Taken together, the current Micro LED optical communication has not really left the laboratory. The core bottlenecks are concentrated in technology adaptation, yield improvement, cost control and industry chain coordination. As core participants, LED companies provide irreplaceable support for Micro LED CPO to move from "laboratory" to "industrialization".