CPO Test Won’t Scale Without Standardization

Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) is emerging as a key technology in next-generation computing, particularly in AI data centers, where it offers higher bandwidth, lower power consumption, and reduced latency. ... Read original →

The rapid advancement of CPO technology is triggering cascading effects across the semiconductor supply chain. At 3nm and below nodes, silicon photonics integration and chip-level optical interconnects are becoming critical for AI data centers, yet the lack of standardized testing processes is slowing mass production. Packaging vendors like Amkor and Intel Foundry are bearing increased costs from duplicated test equipment investments, while companies such as NVIDIA and Broadcom, despite aggressive scaling, struggle with insufficient yield learning due to outdated STDF formats for optical data. This standard gap raises operational risks and undermines supply chain resilience. Competitors may respond by forming technology coalitions or leveraging IP monopolies to gain competitive edge. In the next 12 to 24 months, without unified test specifications and data interfaces, CPO adoption will remain fragmented, with early standardizers likely to dominate the emerging ecosystem.