Samsung Electronics has reportedly won IBM’s foundry order for its next-generation Power11 data center CPU, produced on an enhanced 7nm (7LPP) process. The node, the world’s first to adopt EUV lithography, enables finer circuit patterns with up to 23% better performance and 45% lower power consumption than earlier technologies.

The explosive growth in AI computing demand is driving increased needs for GPUs, ASICs, and other components, accelerating the rapid development of global data center infrastructure. Traditional electronic signal interconnects are struggling to meet the high bandwidth and low latency requirements of big data exchange. Silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) technologies have thus become critical to next-generation AI advancements.

As Taiwan cements its role at the heart of the global semiconductor supply chain, the head of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Cheng-wen Wu, recently led a delegation of officials and media on a rare visit to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) massive production hub in the Southern Taiwan Science Park.