Wuhan-based JFS Laboratory has announced that it reached a milestone that could help China overcome restraints imposed by traditional chip-design technology. The lab achieved a breakthrough in silicon photonics, as it was able to light up a laser light source integrated with a silicon-based chip, the first time this was successfully done in China.
The achievement means that China has filled “one of the few blanks” in its optoelectronics technology, the People’s Daily reported. Silicon photonics rely on optical signals instead of electric signals for transmission. It aims to address the restraints imposed by current technology, as the transmission of electric signals between chips is approaching its physical limit, the lab said.
Established in 2021 with CNY8.2 billion in government funding, JFS is one of China’s key institutions tasked with pursuing technological breakthroughs. Major players in the global semiconductor industry have devoted resources into advancing silicon photonics, which is believed to hold the future to making better chips for data and graphics processing, as well as artificial intelligence (AI). Still, businesses have faced challenges in translating scientific breakthroughs into commercial products, the South China Morning Post reports.
