For a long time, it was believed that the advancement of Co-packaged Optics (CPO) technology might not be good news for Printed Circuit Board (PCB) manufacturers, as the two technologies are somewhat competitive. At this year’s TPCA Printed Circuit Board Show in Taipei, the editor had the opportunity to discuss this topic with several leading PCB manufacturers.
Among all exhibitors, Compeq Manufacturing was the only one that explicitly showcased PCBs for AI servers, high-speed optical modules, and CPO switches. Through discussions with the company’s responsible personnel, the editor obtained the following key insights:
The application of CPO in the AI field is presumably irreversible, likely to become more prevalent in the 3.2T era in roughly 3 to 5 years.
From Compeq’s perspective, they do not expect the rapid advancement of CPO technology.
The realization of CPO is closely tied to the progress of silicon photonics technology, and we must wait for the maturation of silicon photonics.
PCB technology itself has made significant strides in recent years. In terms of materials, manufacturing processes, heat dissipation, and other aspects, it is increasingly capable of supporting high-speed signal transmission and high-density applications.
Module manufacturers, AOC (Active Optical Cable) manufacturers, and others have recently put forward high process requirements, which need time to digest and absorb—achievements cannot be made overnight. Additionally, the realization of 3.2T optical modules will first depend on the technical choices of module manufacturers.
Even if CPO becomes a reality, PCB manufacturers will not lose the entire optical module market; a considerable portion of applications will still adopt pluggable solutions.
The development of glass substrate technology, which could disrupt traditional PCB solutions, still requires time.
Regarding concerns about the current AI bubble: on one hand, AI is indeed different from the era around 2000, with practical applications—especially in factory intelligence. On the other hand, major companies are seeking mutual guarantees, similar to recent collaborations such as that between OpenAI and Nvidia.
Also at the show, an interesting theme was the heterogeneous integration of PCBs and semiconductors. The next step for PCBs may first be to serve as carrier boards for semiconductor chips. As semiconductor packaging technology evolves, PCB technology is also advancing, and their coexistence is likely to be a long-term industry landscape.