News: Optoelectronics
20 December 2024
Sivers and Ayar Labs expanding partnership for high-volume manufacturing of optical I/O solutions for scalable cost-effective AI infrastructure
Sivers Semiconductors AB of Kista, Sweden (which supplies RF beam-formerICs for SATCOMs and photonic lasers for AI data centers) is in advanced discussions with its strategic customer Ayar Labs of San Jose, CA, USA (which provides silicon photonics-based chip-to-chip optical connectivity solutions) to partner on the next phase of engagement focused on manufacturing at scale to support deployment of Ayar Labs’ in-package optical interconnect solutions.
Successful large-scale deployment of high-bandwidth, energy-efficient AI data centers will require a move from copper to optical I/O interconnects, a necessity now widely acknowledged by many in the industry including ecosystem pioneers such as Nvidia, AMD, Intel and several hyperscalers, notes Sivers. The emphasis is shifting from initial development of solutions to the enablement of a robust manufacturing eco-system in the next couple of years to support deployments at scale. Ayar Labs is a key innovator developing optical I/O solutions for AI data centers.
“Ayar Labs, a strategic customer of Sivers Semiconductors, intends to expand its relationship with Sivers Semiconductors through NRE [non-recurring engineering] and pre-purchase of products to prepare for high-volume deployment of optical I/O to address bandwidth bottlenecks in AI infrastructure,” says Ayar Labs’ CEO Mark Wade.
“Having recently announced closing their $155m Series D round led by Advent Global Opportunities, Light Street Capital and with participation from Nvidia and other top-tier chip companies, Ayar Labs is positioned extremely well strategically, technically and financially to be a very significant customer for Sivers’ high-performance laser arrays as shipment volumes are expected to ramp in the next 18–24 months,” comments Sivers Semiconductors’ CEO Vickram Vathulya. “The continued enthusiasm and funding from top-tier chipmakers, foundries and investment firms into Ayar Labs is a testament to the market conviction in their optical I/O solution as a breakthrough innovation for AI data centers,” he adds. “Sivers’ high-performance laser arrays are critical enablers for optical I/O solutions in AI data centers. We are enthusiastic about the potential for our strategic partnership with Ayar Labs and look forward to this next stage of our collaboration centered around achieving manufacturing readiness and production scale."
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