Since its inception in the 80s, silicon photonics has evolved significantly, transitioning from the development of high-confinement waveguides to a technology that integrates materials, processes, and packaging techniques from the CMOS industry. This evolution has solidified its dominance in the transceiver market. Despite this success, silicon photonics remains a technology in active development, with numerous potential applications on the horizon, promising abundant opportunities for expansion. The demand for faster data processing in areas like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is expected to drive the adoption of silicon photonics in the coming years. With conventional computing architectures reaching their physical limits, there is a growing need for faster data transmission. Silicon photonics, with its ability to facilitate high-speed communication, is poised to meet this demand. Beyond data centers and telecommunications, silicon photonics holds promise in areas such as optical LiDAR systems, quantum computing, optical computing, and medical applications. However, challenges such as cost, standardization, and regulatory hurdles need to be addressed for widespread adoption in these sectors. The silicon photonics market is expected to experience rapid growth, driven by the demand for high-data-rate pluggable modules and the scaling of ML models using optical I/O in ML servers. By 2028, the market is forecasted to exceed $600M, representing a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 44% from 2022. This growth trajectory underscores the increasing importance and versatility of silicon photonics in meeting the demands of modern computing and communication systems, but also in sensing applications. The presentation will cover market forecasts for communication, computing, and sensing applications, along with insights into the industrial landscape and the latest technological trends in Silicon Photonics.
Eric Mounier, PhD is Chief Analyst, Photonics & Sensing at Yole Group. With more than 30 years’ experience within the semiconductor industry, Eric provides daily in-depth insights into emerging semiconductor technologies such as quantum technologies, the Metaverse, terahertz, photonics, and sensing. Based on relevant methodological expertise and a significant technological background, Eric works closely with all of Yole Group’s teams to highlight disruptive technologies and analyze business opportunities through technology & market reports and custom consulting projects. Eric has spoken at numerous international conferences, presenting Yole Group’s vision of emerging semiconductor technologies, markets, and applications. Previously, Eric held R&D and Marketing positions at CEA-Leti (France). Eric Mounier has a PhD in Semiconductor Engineering and a degree in Optoelectronics from the National Polytechnic Institute of Grenoble (France).