SAWNICS Bets on AI Photonics Foundry, Targets Initial Mass Production in Early 2027

[Financial News] SAWNICS, a specialist foundry company for telecommunications RF filters, is expanding into the artificial intelligence (AI) photonics market. The company is discussing foundry projects with multiple overseas AI photonics companies and is targeting initial mass production in 2027. This strategic move will expand its existing RF-focused foundry business into photonics, a key next-generation AI technology.
Industry sources said on the 21st that SAWNICS was recently selected as an implementing institution for a Korea-Switzerland joint research and development (R&D) project under the International Industrial Technology Cooperation Program led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).
The project is centered on SAWNICS and Swiss photonics specialist Luxtelligence (LXT), with the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) also participating. The research will run for three years, from November through October 2029, with total government-funded R&D support of 1.5 billion won.
Using its 150-mm thin-film lithium tantalate (TFLT) wafer process technology, SAWNICS will develop key processes for photonic integrated circuits (PICs), as well as wafer fabrication, process monitoring and yield evaluation technologies. The company plans to combine its manufacturing capabilities with Luxtelligence's photonics technology and commercialize photonics foundry services for customers in Korea and overseas.
SAWNICS said it is currently discussing foundry projects with multiple overseas companies involved in AI photonics. After developing the necessary technologies and consulting with customers, the company aims to begin initial mass production in 2027.
As the rapid increase in AI workloads has highlighted issues surrounding data-transfer speeds and power consumption inside data centers, photonics technology—which uses light to process and transmit data—is also drawing attention. For SAWNICS, the key to securing a new growth engine will be whether it can extend the wafer-processing capabilities accumulated through its existing RF foundry business into the photonics sector.
A SAWNICS official said, "The selection of this Korea-Switzerland international joint R&D project will further strengthen the foundation for global cooperation in SAWNICS's photonics foundry business. We will secure R&D achievements with our Swiss partner and participating institutions in Korea and overseas, and link them to tangible foundry operations and expansion into global markets."
SAWNICS plans to expand its RF-focused business portfolio into photonics by increasing its participation in government R&D projects and cooperation with overseas specialists. In the United States, Nasdaq-listed companies such as Quantum Computing have already entered the photonics market.
[email protected] Kim Hyun-jung Reporter