The competition for glass substrates is heating up, with Intel vying for the world’s first mass production position.

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Intel is accelerating the commercialization of glass substrates. Meanwhile, forces from South Korea, China, and elsewhere are making simultaneous efforts, officially igniting a race to become the world's first mass producer of glass substrates.

On May 26, according to technology media TrendForce citing Forbes, Intel’s factory in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, is expected to become its first mass production base for glass substrates, and could thus win the crown as the world’s first mass production facility. Currently, Intel's glass substrates are only supplied through a pilot line in Chandler; mass production in Rio Rancho will mark a key leap for this technology from the lab to large-scale manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Intel has already begun offering silicon photonics manufacturing services in Rio Rancho to external wafer foundry customers and unveiled its first glass substrate prototypes featuring co-packaged optics (CPO) technology, with commercialization targeted for 2030.

According to reports, the strategic value of glass substrates is becoming sharply prominent with the explosive demand for AI computing power. Traditional organic core substrates face bottlenecks such as increased warpage and decreased integration yield in large-size packaging, while glass—thanks to its flat surface and coefficient of thermal expansion closer to silicon materials—is becoming an important alternative in advanced packaging. For investors betting on AI infrastructure, whoever achieves mass production first will gain a head start in the next-generation high-end packaging supply chain.

Rio Rancho: Intel’s Bet on Mass Production

Intel’s commercialization path for glass substrates is gradually taking shape.

According to Forbes, the Rio Rancho plant is seen as Intel’s first candidate site for glass substrate mass production. The plant previously handled major production tasks for Intel’s EMIB (Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge) advanced packaging and Foveros 3D chip stacking.

In the field of silicon photonics, Intel has made substantial moves to open up, starting to offer silicon photonics manufacturing services in Rio Rancho to external foundry clients. According to Wccftech, Intel’s first glass substrate prototypes with CPO technology were unveiled recently, with commercialization planned for 2030.

This layout highly aligns with Intel’s overall foundry strategy. Citing channel sources, Forbes reports that AWS and Cisco are already existing customers of Intel’s advanced packaging foundry services, while Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla are reportedly in discussions for potential partnerships.

In addition, Intel’s foundry division has established a strategic partnership with SK Hynix in the HBM memory field, and reached a cooperation agreement with Amkor Technology— which is expanding capacity in Arizona and is expected to provide supporting services for new local wafer fabs for both Intel and TSMC.

Technology Drivers: Why the Time for Glass Substrates is Now

The AI super cycle’s surge in packaging needs is reshaping the entire substrate supply chain landscape.

According to TrendForce, traditional ABF organic substrates are made by laminating resin, glass fiber cloth, and copper foil, but are prone to warping during reflow soldering, which reduces the integration yield in large-size packaging.

Glass substrates have two main advantages: First, higher surface flatness, which is beneficial for fine circuit processing; second, a coefficient of thermal expansion closer to silicon, effectively easing thermal stress during packaging.

This makes glass an ideal candidate material for high-density interposer or substrate applications, especially well-suited for AI accelerator chips that require large-size, highly integrated packaging.

Pressure on the supply side is also accelerating industry transformation. According to Wccftech, substrate shortages driven by AI demand have caused Ajinomoto, one of the industry's largest suppliers, to raise ABF substrate prices, with tight supply further pushing the industry to seek next-generation packaging solutions.

Global Race: South Korea and China Join In

Intel is not fighting alone. The global race for the mass production of glass substrates is unfolding on multiple fronts simultaneously.

According to South Korean media Business Post, Absolics, a subsidiary of SKC, is expected to start commercial production of glass substrates by the end of this year, making it likely to be the world’s first to achieve commercial mass production. Samsung Electro-Mechanics, according to The Elec, is operating a glass substrate pilot line at its Sejong factory in Chungcheongnam-do with the goal of mass production after 2027.

Chinese companies are also stepping up their efforts. According to ETNews, Chinese display panel giant BOE is working with U.S. Corning to jointly advance future growth businesses including glass substrates, optical communications, and perovskite.

From the competitive landscape, Absolics enjoys a first-mover advantage in timing, while Intel differentiates itself by deeply integrating glass substrates with CPO technology and leveraging its foundry ecosystem for synergy. Samsung Electro-Mechanics’ mass production schedule is relatively later, while Chinese firms are still in the early collaboration stages.

For market participants, the core focus in the glass substrate race lies in: the ability to meet mass production timelines, and the degree of technical alignment with customer needs.

Analysts point out that Intel setting 2030 as the node for CPO glass substrate commercialization is relatively long-span, but its customer resources accumulated in advanced packaging—particularly existing collaborations with AWS and Cisco, as well as potential deals with other technology giants—provide relatively clear demand support for its commercialization path. If Absolics can start mass production as scheduled by the end of this year, it will be the first to validate the large-scale feasibility of glass substrates, sending a significant signal to the whole industry.

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