Sonics Unveils Quantum Photonics Foundry at Quantum Korea 2025: Swiss Science Foundation Shows Strong Interest

Revolutionary Breakthrough in Quantum Technology

Sonics, a leading Korean wireless communication filter foundry specialist, made headlines at the prestigious Quantum Korea 2025 exhibition by unveiling its cutting-edge quantum photonics foundry technology. The company participated in the event held from June 24-26, 2025, at the Yangjae aT Center in Seoul, marking a significant milestone in Korea's quantum technology advancement. This groundbreaking showcase attracted considerable attention from international stakeholders, particularly the Swiss Science Foundation and Swiss Agency for Education and Innovation (SERI), signaling strong global interest in Korea's quantum capabilities.

The Quantum Korea 2025 event, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT, serves as the nation's premier quantum technology exhibition, bringing together major domestic quantum technology organizations and companies. Sonics' participation alongside Swiss quantum photonics fabless company Luxtelligence (LXT) in a joint booth demonstrated the growing international collaboration in quantum photonics development. This strategic partnership highlights the global nature of quantum technology advancement and Korea's emerging role as a key player in this revolutionary field.

TFLN Technology: The Game-Changer in Quantum Computing

At the heart of Sonics' presentation was their TFLN (Thin Film Lithium Niobate/Lithium Tantalate) based photonics foundry process, a technology that promises to revolutionize data centers and quantum computing applications. TFLN represents a significant advancement over traditional materials, offering superior performance characteristics that address critical challenges in modern computing infrastructure. This ferroelectric heterojunction wafer, created by bonding thin-film lithium niobate or lithium tantalate to silicon wafers, provides exceptional optical properties while maintaining flexibility and reduced thickness compared to conventional lithium niobate materials.

The technical advantages of TFLN technology are remarkable and game-changing for the industry. Compared to silicon photonics, TFLN offers four times higher bandwidth capacity while reducing power consumption by up to 40%. This dramatic improvement in energy efficiency addresses one of the most pressing concerns in modern data centers, where power consumption has become a critical operational challenge. Additionally, the fast switching capabilities of TFLN significantly reduce latency in quantum computing applications, potentially accelerating the development and deployment of practical quantum systems.

Strategic Partnership with Swiss Innovation Leader

The collaboration between Sonics and Luxtelligence represents a strategic alliance that combines Korean manufacturing expertise with Swiss quantum photonics innovation. Luxtelligence, a spin-off company from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) quantum photonics laboratory, was founded by PhD researchers who possess unique expertise in TFLN and TFLT core design, processing, and measurement technologies. The company also holds valuable photonics Process Design Kit (PDK) capabilities, making it an ideal partner for Sonics' foundry expansion plans.

Earlier this year, Sonics and Luxtelligence signed a comprehensive business agreement for mass production of TFLN-based Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), with technology transfer and production setup scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025, targeting mass production by 2026. This timeline aligns with the growing global demand for advanced photonic solutions in AI and quantum computing applications. The partnership enables Sonics to expand from its traditional RF foundry business into the quantum computing and AI-essential photonics foundry sector, positioning the company at the forefront of next-generation technology manufacturing.

Global Market Response and Industry Recognition

The international response to Sonics' quantum photonics foundry technology at Quantum Korea 2025 was overwhelmingly positive, with particular interest shown by Swiss scientific institutions and global customers. The Swiss Science Foundation and Martina Hirayama, Director of the Swiss Agency for Education and Innovation (SERI), expressed significant interest in the technology, indicating potential for expanded Swiss-Korean collaboration in quantum technologies. This high-level attention from Swiss institutions is particularly noteworthy given Switzerland's leading position in quantum research and development.

Global customers also engaged in meaningful discussions with Sonics representatives during the exhibition, exploring potential applications and collaboration opportunities. The company's stock price reflected this positive market reception, with shares rising 16.60% to 2,985 won following the announcement of the MOU with Luxtelligence earlier in January 2025. This market response demonstrates investor confidence in Sonics' strategic pivot toward quantum photonics and the potential for significant revenue growth in this emerging sector.

Competitive Landscape and Global Context

Sonics' entry into the quantum photonics foundry market comes at a time when global competition in this sector is intensifying. Quantum Computing Inc., a US-based company, opened its thin-film lithium niobate optical chip foundry in Tempe, Arizona, in May 2025, representing the first operational facility of its kind in the United States. This development highlights the strategic importance of quantum photonics manufacturing capabilities and the race among nations to establish domestic production capacity for critical quantum technologies.

The global quantum photonics market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by increasing demand from data centers, telecommunications, advanced sensing, and quantum computing applications. NVIDIA's Jensen Huang's recent discussions with TSMC regarding next-generation silicon photonics development further underscores the critical importance of photonics technology in AI and quantum computing advancement. Sonics' positioning in this market, particularly with its TFLN technology advantages, places the company in a strong competitive position to capture market share in this rapidly expanding sector.

Future Prospects and Strategic Implications

Looking ahead, Sonics' expansion into quantum photonics foundry services represents a strategic transformation that could significantly impact the company's growth trajectory. The global data traffic has increased 30-fold over the past decade due to AI technology advancement, creating substantial challenges for data center infrastructure in terms of power consumption and speed improvement. TFLN-based optical communication chips are emerging as a key solution for next-generation data center transceiver markets, positioning Sonics to benefit from this growing demand.

The company's management has expressed strong commitment to expanding participation in global events to promote their technology capabilities and secure potential customers. This international expansion strategy, combined with their advanced TFLN technology and strategic partnership with Luxtelligence, positions Sonics as a potential global leader in quantum photonics foundry services. The successful demonstration at Quantum Korea 2025 and the positive response from international stakeholders provide a strong foundation for the company's ambitious growth plans in the quantum technology sector.

Investment Implications and Market Outlook

The quantum photonics foundry market represents a significant investment opportunity, with Sonics positioned to capitalize on the convergence of AI, quantum computing, and advanced telecommunications technologies. The company's stock performance following the Luxtelligence partnership announcement demonstrates strong investor interest in quantum technology investments. Industry analysts view photonics technology as essential for both AI semiconductor development and quantum computing applications, creating multiple growth vectors for companies like Sonics.

The strategic importance of domestic quantum technology manufacturing capabilities cannot be overstated, particularly in the current geopolitical environment where technological sovereignty has become a national priority. Sonics' development of quantum photonics foundry capabilities contributes to Korea's technological independence and positions the country as a key player in the global quantum technology supply chain. As quantum computing transitions from research laboratories to commercial applications, companies with established foundry capabilities and proven technology partnerships will be well-positioned to capture significant market value in this transformative industry.