Marvell is expanding its partnership with GlobalFoundries to increase silicon germanium wafer production in Vermont, supporting optical components for AI data-centre networks. The agreement matters because faster networking is pushing data centres away from copper towards optical connections, while Marvell seeks to scale its role in a rapidly growing market.

The additional capacity will support near- and co-packaged optics and next-generation pluggable transceivers. GlobalFoundries says its technology has been validated at 200Gbps per lane, enabling 1.6Tbps transceivers, with 3.2Tbps products planned; copper is effectively limited to around 400Gbps per lane and distances of roughly 1.25 metres. Other companies are also investing heavily, including Nvidia’s $2bn investments in Lumentum and Coherent, and Coherent’s planned fourfold increase in indium phosphide wafer production.