Marvell acquires Polariton Technologies

(CONNECT) Marvell Technology, Inc., a California-based provider of semiconductor solutions for data infrastructure, has announced the acquisition of Polariton Technologies. Polariton Technologies is a spin-off of the Department of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich(ETH), which develops high-speed, low-power silicon photonic devices based on plasmonics.

The acquisition strengthens Marvell's end-to-end connectivity portfolio in the fields of electro-optics, photonics, switching and customized semiconductor solutions. Polariton Technologies' plasmonic technology offers advanced modulation capabilities that enable continuous scaling of state-of-the-art optical interconnect platforms.

The background to the takeover is the growing demand for bandwidth due to the scaling of artificial intelligence. Data center infrastructures therefore require ever more powerful optical connections, especially for scale-across and data center interconnect (DCI) applications. Plasmonics for electro-optical products offers considerable advantages over conventional silicon photonics, as it enables optical connections with higher density and massively parallel operation with extremely low energy consumption per bit.

"The acquisition of Polariton adds differentiated modulation technology and a highly specialized team to our optical roadmap. This investment reflects our commitment to innovation across multiple technology approaches as we continue to expand our leadership position in high-speed connectivity," Sandeep Bharathi, President of the Data Center Group at Marvell, is quoted in the press release. ce/ja