Research reported by imec outlines a roadmap for scaling optical interconnects as AI systems outgrow copper wiring. Electrical links, efficient only over millimeters, are becoming a bottleneck. The proposal moves optics progressively closer to silicon — from pluggable modules into the package and, eventually, into the wafer stack itself. This is early research on a long-term engineering roadmap.
Every AI response, translation, or video recommendation depends on moving data between chips fast enough. Copper links waste energy and heat up over longer distances, which limits how large AI systems can get. Light-based links use less energy over distance. Solving this roadmap shapes the cost, speed, and power footprint of the AI services people use daily.
✦ The future of AI may run on light, not wires.