Collaboration combines GUC's ASIC design leadership with Lightmatter's industry-leading 3D CPO platform to redefine AI infrastructure scalability.Lightmatter, the leader in photonic interconnect solutions for AI, and Global Unichip Corp. (GUC), the Advanced ASIC leader and a key enabler for hyperscaler AI infrastructure, today announced a strategic partnership to bring commercial Passage 3D Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) solutions to market.The collaboration integrates Lightmatter's revolutionary Passage photonic interconnect with GUC's state-of-the-art ASIC design services and advanced packaging expertise. This joint solution is specifically engineered to overcome the critical connectivity bottlenecks currently limiting the scaling of next-generation AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads for the world's largest data center operators."The fundamental architecture of computers is changing. The world has hit a wall in per silicon area performance, the network is becoming the computer, and that network needs to run on light. GUC has unmatched ASIC engineering execution in this rapidly-evolving landscape. Pairing their silicon expertise with our photonic interconnects provides the industry with a concrete path to escape the energy and performance traps of legacy signaling, enabling the massive scale-up required for tomorrow's intelligence," said Nick Harris, founder and CEO of Lightmatter.Redefining AI Interconnect with PassageThe integrated solution will leverage GUC's advanced node chiplet and packaging workflows to incorporate Passage, a silicon photonics-based platform that sets a new standard for AI interconnect performance. Passage delivers unprecedented bandwidth density and power efficiency for XPU and switch chip-to-chip communications, pushing the performance boundaries of world's largest and most complex foundation models.These advantages mark a decisive evolution beyond existing solutions, which are fundamentally constrained by physical I/O limits - or "shoreline" - of the chip, restricting the maximum bandwidth and radix per optical engine (OE). By seamlessly extending the scale-up domain of AI clusters acrossmultiple racks, the Passage platform substantially improves training time and token throughput for the next wave of frontier AI models."To enable our hyperscale customers to deliver the most competitive services, we need partners with proven, superior technology," said Igor Elkanovich, CTO of GUC. "Integrating Lightmatter's Passage CPO platform into our world-class ASIC designs allows us to bring to market a jointsolution that fundamentally redefines AI interconnect. Our combined expertise solves complex challenges - architectural, thermal, mechanical, and signal integrity, and ensures that customers receive a robust, power-efficient, and scalable CPO platform that accelerates their path to large-scaleAI deployment."Analyst Perspective on Market Impact"Optical interconnect is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for hyperscale AI to continue its exponential growth path," said Dr. Wei-Chung Lo, Deputy General Director at Electronic & Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSL) of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan. "The combination of GUC's extensive experience in custom AI silicon design for top-tier cloud providers and Lightmatter's innovation signals to the market that the supply chain is maturing, providing a credible blueprint for hyperscalers to address the critical bandwidth and power constraints of the next generation of AI clusters."For more information, visit.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) officially announced the launch of the 2026 Best AI Awards during a press conference held on January 20, 2026. This prestigious competition serves as a strategic platform to bridge Taiwan's software innovation with its world-class semiconductor industry, aiming to solidify the nation's position as a global hub for artificial intelligence.Championing the Next Wave: Agentic AISpeaking at the launch, Director General Kuo Chao-Chung of the Department of Industrial Technology highlighted a pivotal shift in the industry. "AI is moving beyond traditional discriminative and generative models toward 'Agentic AI' - autonomous systems capable of independent planning, reasoning, decision-making, and task execution," Kuo stated. To encourage this evolution, the 2026 awards will prioritize projects focusing on Agentic AI and AI model lightweighting, ensuring that software solutions are both intelligent and hardware-efficient.Competition Highlights and Incentives The 2026 Best AI Awards are divided into two primary tracks: AI Applications and IC Design. Registration is open from now until March 16, 2026, with the final competition set for April 25, 2026.Financial rewards are substantial, with corporate winners eligible to secure up to NT$1 million. Student teams also have significant incentives, with potential prizes reaching up to NT$300,000.Beyond direct cash prizes, winning Taiwanese companies benefit from enhanced R&D support, receiving an additional 10% subsidy bonus when applying for the "A+ Industrial Innovative R&D Program." Furthermore, these awards serve as a springboard for startup growth by providing domestic winners with priority access to the Startup Terrace Kaohsiung.International teams and global companies are incentivized through specialized support designed to integrate them into Taiwan's technology ecosystem. In addition to competing for the top cash prizes, winning global entities receive streamlined eligibility for Taiwan’s Employment Gold Card, as well as priority access to Startup Terrace Kaohsiung to support residency applications. These benefits are designed to facilitate global talent recruitment while enabling international startups and professionals to establish operations, scale their businesses, and build a long-term presence in Taiwan.Finalists gain valuable market exposure by being showcased at major international platforms such as InnoVEX. This placement is intended to facilitate critical business matching and attract potential investment from global stakeholders in the AI and semiconductor industries.A Proven Track Record of SuccessThe inaugural edition of the awards attracted over 1,000 teams and has already yielded significant commercial results. Previous winners, such as Zhen-Sheng Semiconductor and ProsperX Medical Technology, have successfully raised NT$180 million and NT$100 million respectively following their participation. Established firms like Etron Technology also reported that the awards significantly boosted their visibility among global system manufacturers.The MOEA invites students, startups, and established enterprises to showcase their innovations and join Taiwan's thriving AI ecosystem. By fostering a "Software-Hardware Synergy," Taiwan aims to redefine the global semiconductor supply chain through AI-driven intelligence.For more information on registration and competition guidelines, please visit the official website or follow the official LinkedIn page for the latest updates.