Forum Notes: TSMC — Applications and Development of AI and Advanced Packaging in Data Centers and Electronics

Speaker: 徐國晉, Vice President

TSMC

Topic: Applications and Development of AI and Advanced Packaging Technology in Data Centers and Electronic Products

Event: SEMICON Taiwan 2024 Silicon Photonics International Forum

Date: 2024-09-03

• Progress in silicon photonics technology:

  • Silicon photonics' path from research to real-world application integrates optical and electronic components together and uses packaging technology to interconnect systems.

  • He noted that silicon photonics will gradually mature over the next 5 years, especially in data transmission applications, with expected market growth exceeding 40%.

• Demands of the AI era:

  • In the AI era, data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) place higher demands on data rates and energy efficiency. Future core components such as CPUs and GPUs will use silicon photonics to achieve shorter-distance, more efficient data transmission.

  • He stressed the importance of reducing power consumption, noting that AI applications account for about 3.5% of global energy consumption.

• Applications of advanced packaging technology:

  • The talk showcased different types of packaging technology and explained how component-to-component interconnects can use optical engines to shorten distances and improve efficiency.

  • The core technologies he mentioned include optical engines, edge couplers and FAUs, and he emphasized the importance of optical packaging technology for future high-performance computing platforms.

• Ecosystem and future development:

  • TSMC is collaborating with multiple partners, especially EDA (electronic design automation) vendors, to support multiphysics analysis and design and drive innovation in real-world silicon photonics applications.

  • Ecosystem development is key to turning research innovation into market products, and it was one of the focal points of the talk.

• Q&A:

  • An audience member asked about power loss inside data centers; 徐國晉 replied that he focuses mainly on the component level and is less familiar with the system level.