Taiwan-based contract manufacturer United Microelectronics Corp (TPE:2303) has begun mass production of silicon photonics wafers at its 12-inch wafer fab in Singapore, according to a company statement released on Tuesday.
The company delivered the first batch of silicon photonics wafers from its Singapore fab to Singapore-based partner silicon photonics fabless firm Silith Technology.
UMC said the partnership combined Silith's photonics design expertise with its 12-inch wafer production capacity and process capabilities to support high-volume production of the Singaporean company's 1.6 terabits per second (1.6T) silicon photonics platform.
In addition to the commercialization of the first silicon photonics product for a customer, UMC said it is making its own 12-inch silicon photonics platform available for customer product development in 2027.
The company's shares jumped nearly 10% in Wednesday's trade.