Corning launches glass optical interconnect technology, targeting the CPO market
On June 24, Corning officially launched the Glass Bridge optical interconnect component at the AI Data Center Optical Communication and Interconnect Technology Conference held at POSCO Tower Yeoksam in Seoul. This is a glass optical connector that directly connects photonic integrated circuits (PIC) and optical fibers, targeting primarily the Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) and glass substrate semiconductor packaging markets.
Ko Joo-hyun, Vice President of Corning Optical Communications, stated: “Demand for optical fibers keeps growing, and requirements for higher density and performance are constantly increasing. By integrating technologies ranging from fibers, cables, connectors to optical coupling in the GlassWorks AI platform, we are meeting the needs of next-generation data centers.”
Solving the “Size Gap”: The Core Logic of Glass Bridge
Glass Bridge aims to solve the longstanding physical adaptation problem between photonic chips and optical fibers.
On-chip optical waveguide width is only a few hundred nanometers, while the optical fiber core width is several microns—a difference of tens of times. It's like trying to precisely insert a strand of hair into the eye of a fine needle—direct docking is nearly impossible, so an intermediate transition structure is needed.
Glass Bridge serves as this “transitional bridge.” Corning uses wafer-level ion-exchange waveguide technology to form an optical path inside the glass, precisely guiding the light transmitted by the optical fiber into the photonic chip.
This design brings three direct benefits:
- Achieving high-density optical I/O interfaces at the PIC front end
- Simplifying alignment and assembly procedures between optical fibers and photonic devices
- Eliminating traditional pluggable transceivers or long fiber array units (FAU)
The first product supports a core pitch of 30 microns or more for photonic chips, with a targeted coupling loss of less than 2dB.
CPO Architecture and Glass Substrate: Next Layout Steps
In addition to Glass Bridge, Corning also showcased a next-generation CPO architecture that combines glass substrates with optical interconnects.
This design forms optical waveguides on a glass substrate equipped with Through Glass Vias (TGV), connecting flip-chip photonic devices. This solution directly matches the semiconductor packaging industry's move to glass substrates. Glass substrates, due to their excellent flatness, low dielectric loss, and high-density routing capability, are regarded as an important direction for next-generation advanced packaging.
Currently, Corning is jointly developing Glass Bridge with multiple partners. Last year, Corning announced a collaboration with GlobalFoundries in the field of optical interconnect technology for AI data centers.
GlassWorks AI Platform: End-to-End Coverage from Chip to Campus
Corning simultaneously launched the GlassWorks AI platform, positioned as an all-in-one optical communication solution for AI data centers.
The platform covers optical interconnection infrastructure within data centers, between racks, and across campuses, with product lines including optical fiber, cables, connectors, FAU, and alignment modules.
In terms of production capacity and commercial layout, Corning has recently expanded its investment in optical communications manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, Texas, and Poland, and has signed multi-billion dollar long-term supply agreements with hyperscale cloud providers such as Meta, NVIDIA, and Amazon.
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