GlobalFoundries expanded its silicon-photonics design capability with the acquisition of InfiniLink, a Cairo-based startup specializing in high-speed connectivity silicon, including SerDes, optical transceiver chipsets, and monolithic photonics designs. The company said InfiniLink’s engineering team and IP portfolio will strengthen GF’s ability to support hyperscalers and networking vendors seeking tighter integration of optical engines, pluggables, and co-packaged optics (CPO) as AI datacenters shift toward higher-bandwidth, lower-pJ/bit architectures.
InfiniLink’s design assets will be integrated into GF’s silicon-photonics organization to engage customers earlier in the system-architecture process, including link budgets, packaging trade-offs, and full optical-engine module designs. The acquisition follows GF’s Nov. 18 announcement of its plan to acquire Advanced Micro Foundry (AMF) in Singapore. Together, the deals give GF both expanded manufacturing scale (via AMF) and deeper connectivity-silicon design capability (via InfiniLink) as the company develops a multi-year roadmap targeting 400G/λ platforms, next-generation pluggables, and CPO.
GF said InfiniLink’s expertise will accelerate customer co-development for integrated connectivity chipsets and complete optical engines, with an emphasis on shortening design cycles for hyperscale platforms. The combined portfolio also supports adjacent markets, including sensing, LiDAR, industrial systems, and early-stage quantum-computing photonics.
• InfiniLink adds SerDes, optical-chipset IP, and monolithic silicon-photonics design experience
• Acquisition expands GF’s ability to engage customers at the architecture level for optical engines
• Complements GF’s previously announced AMF deal by adding design depth to its photonics capacity
• Supports pluggable, CPO, and 400G/λ roadmaps across AI datacenters and long-haul transport
• Positions GF to serve adjacent sensing, LiDAR, industrial, and emerging quantum markets
• Integrated U.S. and Singapore footprints support in-region manufacturing and supply resilience
“We’re excited to partner with companies that share this vision,” said Kevin Soukup, SVP of the Silicon Photonics Business at GlobalFoundries. “With the latest acquisitions of AMF and InfiniLink, GF is building a globally competitive, innovation-driven platform that helps customers move data faster and more efficiently.”
🌐 Analysis
InfiniLink stands out geographically and historically in the optical-connectivity sector. Founded in Cairo, the company grew out of Egypt’s strong base of mixed-signal IC talent—an ecosystem anchored by multinational R&D centers and university programs focused on high-speed circuits. Over the past decade, several Egypt-based design teams have contributed to SerDes, transceiver, and RF front-end development for global semiconductor companies, and InfiniLink emerged from this environment with a focus on advanced connectivity IP for optical modules.
InfiniLink is a Cairo-based silicon photonics startup developing high-performance optical interconnect chips for data centers and AI infrastructure. Founded in 2020 by CEO Mohamed El-Said, a former researcher in photonic integrated circuits, and CTO Ahmed Khalil, an alumnus of Ain Shams University’s nanophotonics program, the company focuses on low-power, high-bandwidth optical transceivers and co-packaged optics (CPO) designs built around proprietary modulation architectures and PIC layouts. Its platform targets next-generation AI clusters where copper reaches its physical limits, and its IP portfolio includes advanced driver ICs, digital signal-processing blocks, and wafer-level PIC integration methods. Though small and privately held, InfiniLink gained early traction through partnerships with regional semiconductor institutes and participation in EU-MENA photonics research programs. GlobalFoundries’ acquisition of the company in 2025 gave GF both a new R&D presence in Egypt and access to InfiniLink’s specialized optical-connectivity designs, complementing GF’s broader silicon-photonics strategy and the separate acquisition of Singapore-based AMF.
