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primarysourced Photonics sector POET
POET
~8 min read · 1,789 words ·updated 2026-04-29 · confidence 74%

POET Technologies — foundry relationships

Updated: 2026-04-29 Status: ✓ Verified via POET press releases. Tower Semiconductor is not a POET foundry partner; the verified silicon-foundry relationship is with SilTerra (Malaysia). The user-prompt assumption that POET fabs at Tower has been corrected against primary sources. Cross-references: Platform overview · DenseLight acquisition · supply chain map

1. Manufacturing-stack summary

POET operates an asset-light fabless model:

StagePartner / facilityLocationStatusRole
Si waveguide foundry (front-end)SilTerra Sdn BhdKulim, Malaysia✓ Active since 20188” Si Optical Interposer wafer fabrication
III-V wafer / chip supplyMitsubishi Electric, Almae Technologies (Accelink-affiliated), Sivers Semiconductors, othersJapan, France, Sweden✓ ActiveEML, DFB, EAM lasers and modulators
CMOS IC supplySemtech (FiberEdge TIA) + driver IC suppliersMultiple✓ ActiveDriver, TIA, MUX/DMUX
Back-end assembly + test (BE-A&T)Globetronics Manufacturing Sdn Bhd (GMSB)Penang, Malaysia✓ Active since 2024-12-23Wafer-level optical-engine assembly + test
Back-end second sourceNationGate Solutions Sdn BhdMalaysia✓ Active since 2025-06-24Second back-end manufacturing partner
Back-end legacySuper Photonics Xiamen (SPX)Xiamen, China✓ Wholly owned 2024-12-31Back-end assembly + test (China-market and overflow)

The combined Globetronics + NationGate + SPX capacity is targeted at >1 million optical engines per year for 800G and higher rates per POET FY2024 Q4 / February 2025 business update. ✓

2. SilTerra Malaysia — silicon-foundry partner

2.1 Partnership history

POET and SilTerra announced a Master Collaboration Agreement on 2018-04-09 ✓ (POET press release; Semiconductor Digest).

Per the announcement:

  • Co-development of fabrication processes and manufacturing of POET’s Optical Interposer Platform
  • Bring up critical waveguide processes previously developed by POET on newly purchased equipment at SilTerra’s 8-inch silicon foundry
  • Location: Kulim, Malaysia
  • Capability: standard 8-inch silicon foundry process flow with custom POET waveguide module added

2.2 Why SilTerra (and not Tower / GlobalFoundries)

POET selected SilTerra over alternatives like Tower Semiconductor (which has its own PH18 silicon-photonics platform) and GlobalFoundries (which has its Fotonix 45SPCLO) because:

  • Process customization access: SilTerra is willing to host a custom waveguide module developed by POET, whereas Tower PH18 and GF Fotonix are productized SiPh PDKs that require designing within the foundry’s process — POET retains greater design freedom
  • Cost and capacity: SilTerra is a smaller specialty foundry with available 8-inch capacity; Tower and GF Fotonix would compete for capacity with each foundry’s own customer base (Marvell, Broadcom, hyperscaler CPO programs)
  • Geographic positioning: SilTerra Malaysia anchors POET’s “China Plus One” strategy — it provides a non-China silicon-foundry option, complementary to the wholly owned SPX facility in Xiamen for China-market orders ✓ (Q4 2024 update)

⚠ The qualitative reasoning above is partially inferred; primary-source comparative explanations from POET management have not been compiled exhaustively.

2.3 Status as of 2025–2026

The SilTerra partnership remains active and strategic. Per the POET Chairman’s February 2025 letter:

“POET’s acquisition of SPX gives it full control of its technology while enabling the company to shift manufacturing toward Malaysia and away from China, reducing geopolitical risk to growth, while building on its established foundry relationship with SilTerra Malaysia in a familiar and friendly market.” ✓

2.4 SilTerra ownership note

SilTerra was historically Khazanah Nasional-owned (Malaysian sovereign wealth fund). It was reportedly acquired by Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX) in 2021 — verify current ownership for cross-check. ⚠ Ownership status not separately validated in this audit.

3. Globetronics Manufacturing — primary back-end partner

3.1 Agreement summary

POET signed Master Agreement, Optical Engine Purchase Agreement, and Deed of Consignment with Globetronics Manufacturing Sdn Bhd (GMSB) on 2024-12-23 ✓ (POET press release).

Per the announcement:

  • 3-year term Master Agreement
  • POET defines designs exclusively; GMSB assembles and tests Optical Engines on POET specifications
  • Initial project plan and SOW covers installation/start-up of consigned tools (POET absorbs cost)
  • POET issues purchase orders under the OEPA; pricing based on specific engine type
  • Globetronics Technology Berhad (parent) allocated RM 7.7M (~US$1.7M) for additional CapEx for POET-related production over 2025–2027
  • Penang, Malaysia location

3.2 Q2 2025 ramp status

Per Q2 2025 earnings disclosure, POET’s operation at Globetronics had progressed to the point that it shipped its order backlog of sample 800G optical engines to existing customers by early June 2025. ✓ (NationGate announcement referencing Globetronics progress, 2025-06-24)

3.3 Capacity

The Globetronics-equipped facility targets initial capacity of 1 million POET optical engines annually ✓ (Q4 2024 / February 2025 update).

4. NationGate Solutions — second back-end source

POET signed manufacturing agreement with NationGate Solutions Sdn Bhd on 2025-06-24 ✓ (POET press release).

Per the announcement:

  • Adds capacity additional to the Globetronics agreement
  • Same Malaysia geographic anchor for “China Plus One” strategy
  • ⚠ Specific consigned-tool / capex terms not separately disclosed at the level of the Globetronics agreement

5. Super Photonics Xiamen (SPX) — wholly owned, post-Sanan exit

5.1 History

The SPX joint venture was established with Xiamen Sanan Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd. (an InP / GaN epitaxy specialist), formed during the post-DenseLight-divestiture period as a China-market manufacturing channel for POET optical engines. Sanan held a minority stake (24.8% at end-of-life of the JV); POET held the controlling majority. ✓ (Earlier JV disclosures)

5.2 Wholesale acquisition (2024-12-31)

POET acquired Sanan’s remaining 24.8% on 2024-12-31 ✓ (POET press release).

Terms:

  • Equity transfer: US$6.5M total consideration paid over 5 years interest-free, first payment 2025-10-31, last 2029-10-31, increasing annually
  • Concurrent equipment purchase agreement: US$3.8M cash for production equipment previously procured by Sanan and leased to SPX
  • Total transaction: ~US$10.3M ✓

5.3 Strategic rationale

Per the press release:

“Strengthens POET’s ‘China Plus One’ strategy and complements its recent manufacturing agreement with Globetronics in Malaysia, with the combined facilities having capacity exceeding one million optical engines annually for 800G and higher speed transceivers needed in AI clusters.” ✓

The wholesale acquisition closes the prior JV dependency on a Chinese semiconductor partner (a reduction in geopolitical and intellectual-property risk), while keeping the operational facility for the China market addressable through a wholly owned channel.

6. III-V supplier ecosystem (laser and modulator chips)

POET’s optical engines flip-chip-bond externally sourced III-V active devices. Disclosed III-V suppliers:

6.1 Mitsubishi Electric

POET works with Mitsubishi Electric to integrate 400G EMLs (electro-absorption modulated lasers) into 1.6 Tbps optical engines ✓ (POET FAQ June 2024).

POET-Mitsubishi was disclosed as the III-V partnership enabling the most advanced EML-laser chip-scale integration to date.

Co-development agreement signed 2018-06-21 ✓ (Press release; Semiconductor Today).

Almae Technologies is a spin-off from III-V Lab (Nokia / Thales / CEA-Leti), majority-owned by an affiliate of Accelink Technologies (a Chinese laser-optics specialist). Almae provides:

  • InP epi wafers for high-speed optical-fiber lasers
  • Foundry services for both epitaxial supply and device fabrication
  • 2,000+ m² of clean rooms with several thousand semiconductor wafers annually capacity

6.3 Sivers Semiconductors (Stockholm)

POET-Sivers strategic collaboration announced 2025-09-29 ✓ (POET press release).

Sivers contributes high-power distributed feedback (DFB) laser technology integrated onto the POET Interposer for External Light Source (ELS) modules in CPO applications. Demonstrations targeted H1 2026.

6.4 Quantum Computing Inc (QCi)

POET-QCi co-development agreement announced 2025-11-11 ✓ (POET press release).

QCi contributes thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) 400G/lane modulators integrated onto the POET Interposer for the 3.2 Tbps optical engine. POET funds the modulator development; H2 2026 completion target.

⚠ QCi is a relatively unusual name in the photonics modulator space — it is primarily a quantum-computing-focused company that has expanded into TFLN. The technical credibility of QCi’s 400G/lane TFLN claim awaits independent demonstration.

6.5 Other III-V suppliers (historical / inferred)

⚠ POET’s earlier (2019–2022) optical-engine prototypes likely used InP devices from a broader supplier set including Sumitomo Electric, NEL, Lumentum (when not directly competitive), and Innovium-spinout suppliers. Specific identifications not catalogued. Follow-up audit task.

7. CMOS IC ecosystem (driver, TIA, DSP)

7.1 Semtech FiberEdge

Receiver TIAs at 200G/lane PAM4 sourced from Semtech FiberEdge ✓ (POET-Semtech 2025-10-06 release).

7.2 Driver IC suppliers

⚠ Specific high-speed driver IC sources for POET’s 200G/lane PAM4 transmitter engines are not fully disclosed in the public record. Likely sources include:

  • Macom Technology Solutions (datacom modulator drivers)
  • Broadcom (linear and PAM4 drivers)
  • Inphi/Marvell (historical, pre-cancellation)
  • In-house Semtech driver IP via the receiver collaboration extension ⚠ Inferred; not separately verified.

7.3 DSPs

POET-supplied optical engines do not include the DSP — DSPs are sourced separately by the module-maker customer from Marvell, Broadcom, MaxLinear, or Credo (depending on the customer’s architecture choice). The cancelled Marvell-Celestial AI engagement was significant precisely because it was a rare instance of POET selling into a Marvell-DSP-anchored architecture (Celestial AI’s Photonic Fabric) — most other POET engagements pair with a non-Marvell DSP. ⚠ Customer-by-customer DSP-sourcing detail is not fully public.

8. Geographic and geopolitical posture

POET’s operating posture is explicitly aligned with “China Plus One” sourcing diversification:

  • Primary Malaysia stack (SilTerra silicon-foundry + Globetronics back-end + NationGate back-end second source) → non-China silicon supply chain
  • SPX Xiamen wholly owned → preserved China-market operational capability
  • III-V supply diversification across Japan (Mitsubishi), France (Almae, Accelink-affiliated), Sweden (Sivers) → multi-region laser supply
  • Toronto HQ + Singapore subsidiary → Canadian / Singapore IP-holding structure

This posture insulates POET from US-China export-control friction (relevant to AI-cluster optical components destined for Chinese hyperscalers), and positions the company well for both US-domestic (CHIPS Act-aligned) and China-domestic optical-module manufacturers as customers. ✓

9. Forward audit task list

  1. SilTerra ownership verification — confirm Khazanah → DNeX transfer status and any further changes ⚠
  2. Globetronics + NationGate capacity utilization rates — pull from POET 6-K filings if disclosed ⚠
  3. III-V driver IC supplier identification — confirm specific Macom / Broadcom / Semtech relationships ⚠
  4. Pull FY2024 20-F Item 4 “Information on the Company” for any updated foundry / supplier disclosure language ⚠
  5. Catalogue post-cancellation customer DSP-pairing to inform whether the Marvell loss reroutes engagements toward Broadcom-DSP customers ⚠

10. Cross-references

Sources