A patent surge, Nvidia’s shove, and a 2026 CPO rollout crank up the pressure.

TSMC has charged into silicon photonics and is trampling Troubled Chipzilla’s toes. Japanese reports say TSMC has filed nearly twice as many US patents in the latest silicon photonics field as Intel.

More coming

Nvidia has confirmed that its next-generation Rubin AI chips are already in the fabs and ready to hit volume production in the second half of 2026.