Who are the key players and newcomers in the global IP race shaping the future of optical links in semiconductor packaging?
Publication January 2026
 |
|
 |
| Download Flyer | Download Sample | Discover the Dashboard |
Key Features
REPORT
PDF file with > 80 slides
- Global patenting trends, including time evolution of patent publications, countries of patent filings, etc.
- Main patent assignees and IP newcomers
- Key players’ IP position and the relative strength of their patent portfolio
- IP leadership evolution of patent assignees since 2020
- IP profile of 10 key players (patent portfolio overview, technical coverage, geographical coverage, notable patents, recent IP activity)
- Technical analysis of core patents (crowded vs. white spaces, emerging trends, targeted value chain segments).
The report is provided under a multi-user license and can be shared internally among employees of the purchasing organization. Subsidiaries and joint ventures are excluded from this license.
DATABASE
Excel file with all >1,300 patents analyzed in the report, including hyperlinks to an updated online database.
DASHBOARD
Interactive dashboard (one-year access for unlimited authorized users)
- Transforming the analysis into a true decision-support tool.
- Enabling free and dynamic exploration of the patent landscape by applicant, technology, country/geographical area, publication period, and legal status.
- Allowing users to instantly drill down into key insights and tailor the analysis to the specific needs of each function (R&D, IP, strategy, business development).
Access to the interactive dashboard is granted for one year (12 months) to an unlimited number of authorized users within the purchasing organization. The dashboard must not be used to produce analyses or reports that are resold, sublicensed, or otherwise made available to any external user or entity outside the purchasing organization.
Co-packaged optics is now a key enabler of next-gen electronics
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping industries at their core, fueling unprecedented data growth and accelerating the demand for energy-efficient computing. As data volumes surge, hardware innovation has become essential, particularly in rethinking data center architectures to deliver faster computation, lower power consumption, higher performance, and reduced latency. In this context, silicon photonics has emerged as a pivotal technology, replacing traditional copper interconnects with high-speed, light-based data transmission. As demand for data-intensive computing continues to rise, the semiconductor industry has built a substantial portfolio of patents aimed at integrating photonic and electronic systems at the package level. Together, these inventions highlight the industry’s transition from conventional electrical interconnects to optical input/output (I/O) architectures that unlock higher bandwidth, lower latency, and improved energy efficiency across compute and networking platforms. Among the most significant advances is Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), an innovative packaging approach that brings optical components directly into or near electronic devices to maximize efficiency and scalability.
Over the past 10 years, CPO and optical I/O technologies has become a key enabler of advanced semiconductor packaging, leading to a strong increase in patenting activity and a significant evolution of the competitive intellectual property (IP) landscape. Major patent owners have strengthened their IP positions in the US, China, and Europe, while pure players have entered the patent landscape. It is now crucial for companies operating in the semiconductor advanced packaging industry to closely examine the technology and competitive landscape from an IP perspective.
In this context, KnowMade is releasing a new patent landscape report to map the patent activity and competitive dynamics shaping this rapidly evolving field. Over 4,000 individual patents from more than 1,300 patent families (inventions) have been selected. This report aims to provide insights into current IP activities, the positions of key IP players, the applications they target in their patents, and how their patent portfolios can support their market strategies.
Understanding the main trends, the key players’ IP position and IP strategy
Through patent analysis, we describe the position of IP players, unveil their strategies to strengthen their IP portfolio, highlight their capability to limit the patenting activity and freedom-to-operate of other firms, identify promising new players, and forecast what would be the future IP leaders. IP competition analysis should reflect the vision of players with a strategy to enter and develop their business in the advanced semiconductor packaging market.
In this report, we provide a comprehensive overview of the competitive IP landscape and latest technological developments related to CPO and optical I/O technology. The report covers IP dynamics and key trends in terms of patents applications, patent assignees, filing countries, patented technologies, and targeted applications. It also identifies the IP leaders, most active patent applicants, and sheds light on under-the-radar companies and new players in this field. Besides, we have identified over 270 key inventions that are most critical in terms of geographic coverage in key technology markets.
A dynamic IP landscape: evolution of leading players’ positions and pure players
TSMC and Intel are leading the patent landscape, increasing patenting activity, and expanding invention protection in key countries. As pioneer Intel has adopted an aggressive strategy to assert its patents. Later TSMC and pure players (Lightmatter, Celestial AI, Ayar Labs, Avicena Tech) joined the IP landscape and developed strategic portfolios.
In recent years, more IP players have become involved in the IP landscape, and OSATs and materials suppliers have entered the IP arena.
In this report, we provide an overview of the IP portfolios held by the key players emerging from the IP landscape and describe the related inventions and technologies.
Useful Excel patent database
This report includes an extensive Excel database with all patents analyzed in this study, including:
- Key patent information (numbers, dates, assignees, titles, abstracts, etc.)
- Hyperlinks to an up-to-date online database (original documents, legal status, etc.)
- Identification of core inventions (i.e., patents clearly focused on CPO for networking/computing performance)
Interactive dashboard (optional)
Optional add-on: One-year access to the interactive dashboard for unlimited authorized users within your organization.
This solution transforms the analysis into a true decision-support tool.
Key features:
- Dynamically explore the patent landscape based on your priorities
- Access clear, interactive visualizations for immediate insights
- Filter and analyze data by players, technologies, countries, dates, and legal status
- Drill down instantly from high-level trends to specific players, technologies, and patents
- Tailor insights to the needs of each team (R&D, IP, strategy, business development)
Benefits:
- Get immediate answers to your key questions
- Save time and accelerate decision-making
- Focus on the insights that matter most
Companies mentioned in the report (non-exhaustive)
Intel, TSMC, Huawei, Broadcom, Cisco, Lightmatter, Avicena, Celestial AI, Rockley Photonics, Ayar Labs, Ranovus, Samsung Group, NVIDIA, Teramount, ZTE, Resonac, Marvell, Nokia, Oracle, Micron, Senko Group, VTT, Alphabet, Accelink Technologies, Ruijie Networks, Eliyan, Mitsubishi Electric, LIPAC, RTX Corporation, HP – Hewlett Packard Development, UnilC (Tsinghua Unigroup), Yangzhou Xinli Integrated Circuit, Juniper, Suzhou Singularity Photon Intelligent Technology, Huagong Tech, NCAP, CEA, ASTAR, Sumitomo Electric, JCET Group, Apple, GlobalFoundries, ASE Group, Nubis communications, Amkor Technology, Lightelligence, Zhejiang Lingxin Optoelectronics Technology, Corning, Zhongshan Meisu Technology, Nano Photonics, Guangbenwei Technology, Wuxi institute of interconnect technology, Li Hong Electronic, Yongjiang Laboratory, SMIC, Tsinghua University, Sky Semiconductor, Elphic, Lightip Technologie, NTT – Nippon Telegraph & Telephone, Innolux, Shanghai Xizhi Technology, United Test and Assembly Center, University College Cork, Lumentum, Hanyang University, Furukawa Electric, Raytek, Hangzhou Guangzhiyuan Technology, Dongguan Luxshare Technology, PICadvanced, SPIL, Wuhan Optics Valley Information Optoelectronics Innovation Center, MACOM Technology Solutions, Ciena, MaxLinear, AIP – Advanced Integrated Photonics, Lyte AI, Browave, Xunyun Electronic Technology, Xperi/Adeia, HKUST – Hong Kong University of Science And Technology, ITRI – Industrial Technology Research Institute.
Related products and services
This report falls under the category of patent landscapes related to Packaging, you might also be interested by:
KnowMade helps decision makers to strategize their business and IP with our comprehensive patent landscape and custom studies.