With a total investment of 5 billion, China's first silicon photonics Foundry platform officially started construction in Suzhou

On March 24, the Suzhou Starkey Photonics Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Starkey Photonics") silicon photonics project invested and constructed by Suzhou Changguang Huaxin Laser and Semiconductor Innovation Research Institute Co., Ltd. held a groundbreaking ceremony.

According to reports, the total investment in the project is 5 billion yuan, with an investment of 1.2 billion yuan in the first phase. It is planned to complete the line by the end of 2026. Based on its 8-inch 90nm integrated circuit manufacturing capabilities, Starkey Photonics will overcome the core bottleneck of domestic silicon photonic chip and optoelectronic integrated mass production manufacturing, and is expected to be put into production in early 2027.

Qichacha information shows that StarKey Photonics was established in Suzhou High-tech Zone in May 2025 with a registered capital of 104 million yuan. It was jointly sponsored by Changguang Huaxin, Hengtong Optoelectronics, Donghui Optics and other companies.

Changguang Huaxin stated that the establishment of Starkey Photonics aims to build the country’s first professional silicon photonic integrated chip mass production factory (Foundry) to provide independent and controllable manufacturing capabilities for the domestic industrial chain.

The company will build a silicon photonics production line and heterogeneous integration platform based on the 8-inch 90nm process, build a collaborative innovation platform and industrial chain for domestic laser, silicon photonic chip, electronic chip and other enterprises, promote the coordinated development of upstream and downstream, and comprehensively serve cutting-edge fields and markets such as optical communications, optical interconnection, optical sensing, optical display, and optical computing.