UMC, HyperLight, Wavetek and Jabil announced a partnership on March 13, 2026 to accelerate the deployment of thin‑film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonics in hyperscale artificial‑intelligence data‑center interconnects.
The alliance combines HyperLight’s TFLN Chiplet platform, UMC’s 22‑nanometer and 28‑nanometer specialty foundry platforms, Wavetek’s backend support, and Jabil’s high‑volume manufacturing and system‑integration capabilities to bring low‑loss, high‑bandwidth, energy‑efficient optical components to data‑center customers at volumes that were previously unattainable.
TFLN is projected to reach $1.93 billion by 2029 with a 39.2% CAGR and $11.22 billion by 2033 with a 27.4% CAGR, reflecting the growing demand for optical interconnects that can support the bandwidth and power requirements of AI workloads. The partnership positions UMC and its partners to capture a share of this expanding market by moving TFLN from laboratory innovation to hyperscale production.
"TFLN provides a significant advantage to AI data center networking through reduced power consumption and lower laser requirements. TFLN's fundamental material benefits only grow as optical interconnect speeds scale. With Jabil driving system integration and manufacturing execution, and with UMC and Wavetek supporting scalable device production, we are moving TFLN from innovation into practical, high‑volume deployment for hyperscale data centers today." – Mian Zhang, CEO, HyperLight
"Hyperscale and AI customers must deploy at scale. They are looking for optical technologies that can be manufactured, integrated, and deployed reliably at data‑center volumes. Our collaboration with HyperLight, UMC, and Wavetek brings together advanced photonics, proven manufacturing at scale, and system integration capabilities, enabling TFLN‑based solutions to be deployed at the rack level for AI and hyperscale customers." – Jason Wildt, General Manager and Vice President of Photonics, Jabil
"UMC has supported the transition of TFLN from early development into qualified foundry manufacturing through our work with HyperLight. By extending this collaboration to include system‑level integration with Jabil, we are helping establish a complete manufacturing and deployment path that supports the scale, reliability, and capacity requirements of AI data center infrastructure." – G C Hung, Senior Vice President, UMC
"Wavetek has worked closely with HyperLight over the past several years to translate TFLN from a promising material innovation into a qualified, customer‑ready high‑volume manufacturing line within a CMOS foundry environment. This announcement marks the next major step—building on that proven foundation to support the volume production." – Bruce Lai, Chairman, Wavetek
The partnership solidifies UMC’s position in the advanced semiconductor foundry market, while Wavetek’s expertise in compound semiconductors and photonics provides the necessary backend support to scale TFLN production. Jabil’s high‑volume manufacturing and system‑integration capabilities are critical for delivering the components to data‑center customers at the scale required for AI workloads. The collaboration also highlights the challenges of scaling TFLN production, including supply‑chain constraints and the need for reliable, high‑volume manufacturing processes, but it offers a clear path to mass adoption of TFLN technology in hyperscale data‑center interconnects.
The announcement signals a strategic shift toward photonics for the involved companies and suggests potential future revenue growth as the market for TFLN expands, though it does not represent an immediate earnings event.
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