Global Unichip Corp. (GUC) and Ayar Labs have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the integration of co-packaged optics (CPO) into next-generation ASIC designs for hyperscale, AI and high-performance computing systems. The collaboration brings together GUC’s advanced ASIC and packaging capabilities with Ayar Labs’ optical I/O technology, as demand increases for higher-bandwidth, lower-latency interconnects across data center and AI infrastructure.
The companies plan to incorporate Ayar Labs’ TeraPHY optical engines directly into GUC’s advanced packaging and design flows. The move is intended to address the scaling limits of electrical signaling, which is increasingly challenged by the bandwidth and power requirements of large AI workloads and next-generation networking systems.
GUC said the joint effort includes development of a new XPU multi-chip package in which optical engines are attached to the package’s organic substrate, replacing conventional electrical interconnects. According to the companies, the design enables more than 100 Tbps of full-duplex optical bandwidth—significantly higher than current device capabilities.
The architecture uses UCIe-S (64 Gbps) links between the optical engines and I/O chiplets through the MCP substrate and UCIe-A (64 Gbps) for communication between the I/O chiplet and the main AI die via local silicon interconnect bridges. The companies said the integration also accounts for signal integrity, power delivery and thermal management requirements associated with large, high-density packages.
Thermal optimization is conducted at the XPU package level, and a redesigned stiffener supports the optical engines while enabling detachable fiber connections and meeting mechanical stress specifications.
Ayar Labs said the partnership highlights the increasing importance of optical connectivity as data-center operators scale AI clusters and as electrical I/O approaches its performance limits. The company noted that CPO is expected to play a significant role in future systems requiring high-capacity interconnects.
GUC and Ayar Labs said the collaboration aims to provide a pathway for hyperscalers and system vendors preparing for next-generation architectures, where optical I/O may become essential to system-level efficiency and bandwidth scaling.
