Shanghai Jiao Tong University Wuxi Photonics Chip Research Institute (CHIPX) has announced the release of LightSeek — the world's first professional large model for the entire photonic chip workflow. Based on a trillion-parameter multimodal architecture, LightSeek integrates real process data from CHIPX's own pilot line, compressing the "design-simulation-fabrication-testing" cycle from the traditional 6-8 months to just one month, with a sevenfold improvement in overall R&D efficiency, officially ushering in the era of "AI vertical models" for photonic chips.
Professional Foundation: 110nm Pilot Line + Hundreds of Thousands of Real Data
Process Source: China's first 110nm, 6/8-inch CMOS-compatible photonic chip pilot line (launched in September 2024, equipped with 110 top international devices)
Data Scale: Tens of thousands of 6-inch lithium niobate thin film wafers have been fabricated, covering all nodes from design to testing, forming a closed loop of "data-model-process"
Parameter Level: Trillion-parameter multimodal large model, supports mixed input of text, diagrams, and simulation curves, completing cross-domain "translation" with a single model
Core Function: Full-Chain Intelligent Assistant
Requirement → Device: Automatically outputs device architecture, process window, and simulation files based on input specifications
Manufacturing → Optimization: Real-time prediction of process deviations, providing parameter adjustment suggestions to reduce trial runs
Testing → Analysis: Automatically interprets test curves, identifies anomalies, and generates reports, supporting export to JMP/Python
Document Generation: One-click output of PDK update notes, process cards, and project presentation PPTs
Actual Performance: 1 Month vs 8 Months
Cycle: Traditional outsourcing fabrication 6-8 months → LightSeek completes design + simulation + fabrication + testing in 1 month
Cost: Trial run count reduced by 40%, manual labor hours decreased by 60%
Yield: The first batch of three silicon photonic modulator chips achieved a 12% increase in first-run yield
Open Strategy: Full-Chain Open Source for Models, Interfaces, and Equipment
Model Openness: LightSeek-Lite (70B) weights and inference code will be commercially released in Q1 2025
Interface Openness: Provides REST API and Python SDK, allowing enterprises to seamlessly integrate with their own EDA/PDK systems
Equipment Connection: Collaborates with domestic equipment manufacturers to build an "agent-device" protocol, supporting real-time writing of process parameters
Standard Co-Creation: Initiates the "Photonic Chip AI Design White Paper" 2025 edition together with Huawei, ZTE, and the Institute of Microsystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Industry Significance: The "ChatGPT Moment" for Photonic Chips
Photonic chips are regarded as a key area to transcend Moore's Law, but the fragmentation between design and manufacturing, along with data silos, leads to slow iteration and high costs. LightSeek trains a vertical large model using real production data, effectively equipping the industry with a "24/7 senior process expert," and is expected to replicate the success path of EDA+AI in logic chips. As demand for thin-film lithium niobate and silicon photonic integration surges, vertical AI models may become the new infrastructure for the photonic chip sector.
Next Steps: Private Models + Equipment Agents
In 2025, CHIPX will expand its 8-inch pilot line and add 200 more devices, aiming to integrate the full "design-packaging" workflow into the model and achieve the vision of "one-week chip delivery." AIbase will continue to track the release of its open-source models and the progress of industry cloud deployment.
Experience Address: https://lightseek.chipx.org/