In this era of information explosion, every scientific and technological progress may bring us into a whole new world, and this breakthrough of the Chinese scientific research team in the field of photonic chips undoubtedly shows us a new world. This time, we are talking about a new type of "optical silicon" chip, which not only carries the mission of technological innovation, but also carries the expectation of breaking down international barriers and promoting the free flow of science and technology.
At present, the global competition in science and technology is accelerating, and technological blockades and trade barriers are frequently emerging, especially in the high-tech field. However, the research team of the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has successfully developed a new type of "optical silicon" chip with low optical loss and efficient electro-optical conversion characteristics, which is not only an upgrade of its own scientific research strength, but also a strong response to the entire international scientific and technological blockade.
Source: Research team from Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
The successful research and development of this new "optical silicon" chip means that China has entered a new stage of industrialization in the field of photonic chips. Compared with traditional chips, this kind of optical silicon chip shows lower optical loss and more efficient electro-optical conversion ability, showing great application potential. In today's era of data explosion, whether it is computing and processing in data centers, 5G communication, or even the development of artificial intelligence, higher requirements are put forward for the performance of chips. The advent of this new type of chip will undoubtedly set off a revolution in these fields. As the saying goes, if it is not broken, it will not stand, so what is the background of this chip researched?
1. The U.S. ban on Huawei semiconductors
Regardless of the complexity of the technology, the average person's attention to semiconductor chips often stems from headlines or hot events on social media. The U.S. ban on Huawei's semiconductors is one of the focal points. Starting from a simple piece of news, the waves behind this not only involve global supply chain management, but also give Chinese enterprises unprecedented challenges.
According to a May 2020 decision by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. companies will not be allowed to export chips to Huawei unless specifically permitted. Coupled with the worldwide technology blockade and export controls, Huawei's smartphone shipments in 2020 have suffered a severe impact, with annual sales revenue growth slowing to 3.8%, far lower than the 19.1% in 2019 (data source: Huawei's 2020 annual report). It has to be said that this external policy influence has put tremendous pressure on Chinese companies such as Huawei.
In the face of such a dilemma, Chinese companies did not choose to build behind closed doors, but set their sights on more far-reaching scientific research and independent innovation. The successful research and development of "optical silicon" chips is a typical example. Huawei plays an extremely important role in the global semiconductor industry chain. In 2019, Huawei ranked third in the global chip procurement rankings, with a purchase amount of US$19 billion, accounting for 4.4% of the global market share. Through internal R&D and global cooperation, Chinese companies are striving to break through the technological blockade and open up independent and controllable science and technology.
2. China's "optical silicon" chip technology breakthrough
In the face of the new situation of global scientific and technological competition, Chinese researchers have never stopped and continue to make efforts, hoping to lead the trend in the field of high-end technology. In particular, the research team of the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences has made remarkable progress in the field of "optical silicon" chips, which are high-performance photonic chips. The relevant results have been published in authoritative scientific and technological journals in May 2024, which fully demonstrates the feasibility of mass manufacturing of new "optical silicon" chips, which is of far-reaching significance for the chip industry and related applications.
This breakthrough, led by a Chinese research team, provides a practical solution to solve the problem of low-cost and large-scale manufacturing of photonic integrated chips. It is reported that the key technical difficulties of the "optical silicon" chip, including the heterogeneous integration of lithium tantalate crystals and the precise etching of high-efficiency optical waveguides, have been overcome by the Chinese scientific research team. In terms of production efficiency, it can be manufactured through existing semiconductor process lines, which eliminates the need for high-cost custom production lines and reduces the production cost of chips.
Source: International Semiconductor Industry Network
This technological innovation has not only injected new vitality into China's chip industry, but also won a greater voice for China in international competition. Like a heavyweight chess piece from the East, this breakthrough in "optical silicon" chip technology not only broke the international monopoly, but also marked the rise and growing strength of China's scientific research strength.
3. The significance of technological breakthroughs
Seizing the critical moment of the breakthrough in "optical silicon" chip technology, China is showing its determination and strength to take the lead in the field of optoelectronic information. When it comes to artificial intelligence, 5G communications, and even potential quantum computing applications, cannot be separated from optoelectronic chips, the foundation of high-performance and high-speed information processing. With an eye to the future, China's research team has not only solved the current technological bottlenecks, but also brought far-reaching changes to the entire technology field.
Realistically speaking, this technological innovation has greatly strengthened China's competitiveness in the global optoelectronic information industry. According to Xinhua News Agency, China's "Optics Valley", as the world's largest optoelectronic chip R&D and manufacturing base, has achieved a breakthrough in core technology for its self-developed high-performance photonic chips in 2024. This not only means that the speed of information transmission has increased, but also that China has been at the forefront of the world in cutting-edge scientific and technological fields such as quantum computing and optical communication.
At the same time, China's investment in the field of optoelectronic information is also unprecedented. According to a report by the People's Daily, China's research investment in optoelectronics-related fields has grown much faster than other fields. This strong technological and financial promotion has greatly enhanced China's core competitiveness in the field of optoelectronic information, and successfully got rid of its dependence on foreign core technologies. More importantly, it marks the improvement of China's independent innovation capability in the global scientific and technological competition, and has won widespread praise from the international community for China's scientific and technological progress.
Fourth, the U.S. technology crackdown and China's counterattack
In the face of various suppressive measures taken by the United States to suppress China's high-tech development in recent years, China's scientific and technological circles have not chosen to retreat, but have risen to the challenge with a firmer spirit of independent innovation. Among the export controls imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce on China's high-tech sector, nothing has attracted the most attention than the restrictions on Chinese tech giants such as Huawei. Despite the tremendous pressure, Huawei has released a number of important technological achievements during this period, which have become the focus of great attention at home and abroad.
According to overseas network reports, in September 2023, Huawei's "new" coincided with the visit of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Raimondo to China, and netizens regarded it as a bloody story of "a Jedi counterattack under U.S. suppression". In addition, in the face of the "de-sinicization" actions of the United States and its allies, China has also launched a strong counterattack in the field of science and technology. For example, in response to the U.S. technological blockade of China's gallium and germanium, two key raw materials for chip manufacturing, China announced that it would control the export of these key raw materials, demonstrating its determination to have a say in key scientific and technological fields.
Such measures not only demonstrate China's strength and resilience in the face of external pressure, but also demonstrate China's ability to innovate independently in science and technology. As many experts have pointed out, U.S. sanctions on Chinese high-tech companies have instead stimulated the innovation potential of China's tech community, prompting China to achieve technological breakthroughs and self-sufficiency in key areas such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence.
5. China's scientific and technological innovation and future prospects
China has always regarded scientific and technological innovation as the core driving force of national development, and has continued to increase its policy and capital investment in recent years. According to the report "China's scientific and technological innovation capacity has been significantly enhanced", since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, China's science and technology policy implementation has made remarkable achievements, especially in key core technology research. R&D investment in semiconductors, quantum information, artificial intelligence and other fields has grown rapidly, and many fields have achieved from catching up to parallel, and even leading in some subdivisions.
In addition to internal R&D promotion, China is also actively integrating into the global innovation network and actively expanding international scientific and technological cooperation, with a view to sharing innovation achievements with the world. As mentioned in the article "Overview: China's Scientific and Technological Innovation Moves Forward with the World", China's scientific research work on global challenges has not only been recognized by international peers, but also narrowed the distance between China and the world's scientific and technological powers, and has become an important force in promoting global common development.
epilogue
China's scientific and technological development has a long way to go. In the struggle for scientific and technological hegemony, China will pay more attention to independent innovation, increase the pre-research and prediction of future science and technology, and ensure that it occupies a favorable position in the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. According to the analysis of the People's Daily, building a system with scientific and technological innovation as the core will be a key step for China to steadily move towards the goal of becoming a scientific and technological power. In the face of the complex international situation, China will win a wider space for development in the field of science and technology through independent innovation, and contribute Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to promote the common development of human society.
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