izmo Microsystems and IIT Madras have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding for Phase II of the Centre for Programmable Photonic Integrated Circuits and Systems (CPPICS), backed by ₹99.94 crore in funding from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The five-year program, titled Silicon Photonics Enabled Cutting-edge Technology Research and Applications (SPECTRA), aims to advance silicon photonics technologies from research towards commercially deployable products. The project focuses on photonic integrated circuit design, fabrication, characterization, advanced packaging, testing, and system integration.

Project structure and funding

The Phase II initiative represents a significant expansion of the collaboration between industry and academia under government funding. The program is designed to address critical infrastructure needs for AI and high-performance computing by developing next-generation optical interconnects.

Targeting 1.6 Tbps optical engines

The program targets commercially viable photonic technologies across four major application areas: high-speed optical transceivers for data centers, microwave photonics for advanced wireless communications, quantum photonics, and photonic computing for AI.

Key technical targets include:

• A 1.6 Tbps silicon photonics transceiver engine operating at 1550 nm for high-performance computing and data-center routing.
• Microwave photonic engines operating beyond 50 GHz.
• Integrated QRNG/QKD systems and photonic processors for AI workloads.
• A silicon photonics Process Design Kit incorporating more than 100 IP blocks for 200 mm wafer platforms.

The initiative comes as global sales of optical transceivers reached $26.8 billion in 2025, with the market estimated at approximately $40 billion in 2026. Silicon-photonics-based transceivers are expected to represent more than half of the market for the first time.

izmo to drive packaging and industrialization

A key challenge in silicon photonics is converting fabricated photonic chips into reliable, manufacturable optical systems. CPPICS Phase II specifically envisages development of a volume photonics packaging ecosystem in collaboration with izmo Microsystems.

izmo's role progresses from packaging architecture and co-packaged optics (CPO) interface definition to PIC-EIC co-integration, fiber alignment, production-grade packaging, process optimization, prototype assembly, and reliability validation. The roadmap targets a certified co-packaged optics design rule and service capability, creating a pathway from research through packaging, qualification, and system-level deployment.

Dinanath Soni, Director at izmo Microsystems, stated that the challenge is no longer only designing the photonic chip but converting it into a reliable product requiring precision packaging, fiber attachment, electronic-photonic integration, thermal management, and high-speed testing.

Building on CPPICS Phase I

CPPICS Phase II builds on the first phase, which achieved more than 95% of its planned milestones and generated research, IP, and prototypes across programmable photonics, microwave photonics, and quantum technologies. Phase II expands the program toward technology translation, industrialization, and commercialization, with applications spanning data centers, telecommunications, defence, quantum technologies, and advanced computing.

Through this collaboration, izmo intends to strengthen its advanced photonic packaging capabilities and participate in the emerging global market for silicon photonics and high-speed optical interconnects.