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Intel, SK Group, and FICT advance toward mass production of glass substrates for advanced packaging
Friday, March 27, 2026 at 06:40 AM
Industry leaders Intel, SK Group, and FICT are accelerating the commercialization of glass substrates for semiconductor packaging. This technology transition aims to address the limitations of traditional organic materials in high-performance AI chip applications, with multiple firms now moving toward mass production capabilities.
Context
As of March 2026, the semiconductor industry is reaching a critical inflection point as Intel, SK Group (through its subsidiary Absolics), and FICT transition glass substrate technology from research to mass production. This shift addresses the physical limitations of traditional organic substrates, which suffer from warpage and interconnect density constraints as AI chip packages expand. Glass offers superior thermal stability and flatness, enabling a 50% reduction in power consumption and a 30% improvement in signal performance for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI workloads.
Intel is moving toward a full market launch of its glass solutions, having recently demonstrated functional devices capable of booting modern operating systems. Simultaneously, SK Group's Absolics is initiating high-volume manufacturing at its U.S.-based facilities, leveraging a unique process that embeds multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) directly into the glass core. These advancements are expected to scale the glass substrate market from $1 billion in 2025 to roughly $4.4 billion by 2036, providing the necessary infrastructure for next-generation HBM and GPU integration beyond 2030.
Sources (11)
Intel Unveils Industry-Leading Glass Substrates to Meet Demand for More Powerful Compute - Intel NewsroomJapan-based suppliers capitalize on emerging glass substrate as ...A Clear Advantage: Precision Glass Carrier Inspection For AI And HPC MarketsProgram - ECTCA Review of Glass Substrate Technologies | MDPIAbsolics: How Glass Substrates Are Powering the AI Revolution | SKGlass Core Substrates: From R&D breakthrough to platform technology | AT&SGlass Substrates: A Disruptive Economic Force - FuzeHub
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