TAIPEI (TVBS News) — WIN Semiconductors Corp. (穩懋半導體) sees growing opportunities from the convergence of AI data centers and low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite communications as both industries expand, the company's Associate Director of Technology Marketing Chuck Huang (黃智文) said Tuesday (Sept. 1).
GaN targets next-generation satellite communications
AI data centers face mounting challenges related to power consumption and heat dissipation, while satellite communications encounter greater signal losses as systems move to higher-frequency bands. Huang said compound semiconductors could help address both sets of constraints.
Huang said silicon carbide (SiC) has relatively low electron mobility, while indium phosphide (InP) has limitations in voltage handling. Gallium nitride (GaN), by contrast, offers a combination of high-frequency performance and high breakdown voltage, making it a strong candidate for next-generation satellite communication systems.
WIN Semiconductors has developed a 0.1-micron GaN-on-SiC high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) process, according to Huang. The company aims to use the technology to capture opportunities in next-generation satellite communications, where higher-frequency operation is expected to drive demand for more advanced semiconductor processes.
Data center shift from copper to optical links
The rapid expansion of AI computing is also putting greater pressure on energy infrastructure. Huang said power availability and energy efficiency are becoming major constraints on AI development, particularly as power generation and grid infrastructure struggle to keep pace with data center expansion.
Within data centers, the limitations of copper-based electrical connections are accelerating a shift toward optical transmission, a transition Huang described as a “Cable to Fiber” revolution.
WIN Semiconductors provides optical communications technologies for AI data centers across different transmission distances, including vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), continuous-wave (CW) lasers, electro-absorption modulated lasers (EMLs) and indium phosphide (InP) photonic integrated circuits (PICs).
The company is also developing higher-power laser solutions in the 200-milliwatt to 400-milliwatt range, which Huang said could help reduce power consumption associated with data transmission inside data centers.
InP wafer production expected to scale up
Demand for InP materials currently exceeds supply, Huang said, adding that he expects the industry to shift from 4-inch to 6-inch wafers over the next three to five years as demand increases.
WIN Semiconductors said its in-house epitaxy (Epi) capabilities, electron-beam lithography technology and 6-inch wafer mass-production capacity position it to provide foundry services to customers seeking to scale InP-based optical technologies.