NTT Consortium Developing Mass-Production Tech for Optical Chiplets
NTT, Inc. (NTT), NTT Innovative Devices Corporation (NTT Innovative Devices), Japan Semiconductor Corporation (Japan Semiconductor), Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Furukawa Electric), and SHINKO ELECTRIC INDUSTRIES CO., LTD. (Shinko Electric Industries) today announced that a four-company joint R&D proposal led by NTT Innovative Devices has been selected under the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)’s Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / Development of Manufacturing Technologies for Advanced Semiconductors. The project aims to establish mass-production technologies for photonics-electronics convergence (PEC) devices that support next-generation AI and data-intensive computing. The participating companies will jointly develop mass-production technologies for optical chiplets, with NTT serving as an advisor.
The rapid adoption of generative AI is driving unprecedented growth in demand for data processing across AI data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. At the same time, rising power consumption associated with chip-to-chip communications has emerged as a major challenge. As a result, PEC technologies, which enable high-speed data transfer with significantly lower power consumption, are attracting increasing attention worldwide.
Against this backdrop, NTT has been leading research and development of optical chiplet2 packaging technologies that use light to connect semiconductor packages and semiconductor chips under NEDO’s Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / Development of Manufacturing Technologies for Advanced Semiconductors since fiscal year 2023. NTT serves as the lead company for this initiative, which has advanced the development of optical chiplet technologies for next-generation semiconductor systems.3
Under the project, the participating companies will develop innovative manufacturing technologies for semiconductor devices incorporating optical chiplets to enable the high-capacity, low-power data transmission required by next-generation AI computing platforms. The project aims to achieve more than a tenfold increase in manufacturing productivity compared with current R&D-stage processes.
To accomplish this goal, the participating companies will combine their expertise in optical semiconductors, silicon photonics, optical interconnects, semiconductor packaging, and mass production processes. They will establish and evaluate a pilot production line designed for future commercial manufacturing. NTT will participate in the project as an advisor, promoting industry collaboration and supply chain development to help accelerate the commercialization and large-scale production of PEC devices.
The selected R&D project and the roles of the participating companies are outlined below.
Announcement Date: October 20, 2026
| Program | R&D Project | Participants |
|---|---|---|
| Research and Development Project of the Enhanced Infrastructures for Post-5G Information and Communication Systems / Development of Manufacturing Technologies for Advanced Semiconductors | (d8) Development of Semiconductor Device Manufacturing Technology Using Photonics Chiplet Implementation Technology [GX] | NTT Innovative Devices Japan Semiconductor Furukawa Electric Shinko Electric Industries |
[Roles of Participating Companies]
| NTT | As an advisor, NTT will promote industry collaboration and supply chain development to establish mass-production technologies for PEC devices. |
|---|---|
| NTT Innovative Devices | Development of manufacturing, testing, and packaging technologies required for the mass production of optical chiplets. |
| Japan Semiconductor | Development of mass-production technologies for silicon photonics optimized for heterogeneous material integration in optical chiplets. |
| Furukawa Electric | Development of mass-production technologies for compound semiconductor-based optical devices for optical chiplets. |
| Shinko Electric Industries | Development of optical chiplet packaging technologies and mass production processes, including in-process inspection technologies. |
Through the project, the participating companies will establish mass-production technologies for optical chiplets spanning the entire manufacturing value chain, from photonic device fabrication and testing to optical interconnects and advanced packaging, in anticipation of the emerging market for PEC devices.
These efforts will enable the high-speed, high-capacity, and low-power data transmission required by next-generation AI computing infrastructure while accelerating the commercialization of PEC devices and strengthening Japan’s domestic semiconductor manufacturing capabilities.
The project will also foster collaboration among companies and research institutions involved in the development and production of PEC technologies, helping to establish a globally competitive supply chain. Through these initiatives, the participating companies aim to contribute to reducing the growing energy consumption of data centers driven by the rapid adoption of generative AI and to supporting the realization of a more sustainable information and communications society.
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