NVIDIA puts Spectrum-X photonic switches into mass production using TSMC COUPE

Top News · Reported · ctee.com.tw · translated from Chinese

As bandwidth demands rise, copper links lose more signal, and boosting transmission power adds heat. NVIDIA announced in August that its Spectrum-X Ethernet photonic switch had entered mass production using TSMC's COUPE platform.

Here's what changed:

• Co-packaged optics (CPO) puts optical-electrical conversion and the switch chip on the same substrate, shortening the electrical path.
• Fiber connects inside the server, with the design intended to reduce power use and improve transmission speed and bandwidth.
• TSMC's COUPE stacks electronic and photonic integrated circuits, then co-packages them with the switch chip.
• The supply chain includes TSMC for silicon-photonics processing, SPIL for packaging and testing, and Foxconn for complete switch assembly.

One catch: optical components are heat-sensitive, but nearby chips generate substantial heat. Temperature changes can shift optical wavelengths and refractive index, so CPO needs micro-scale thermal isolation and management for stable operation.

Sources: ctee.com.tw