Keysight Expands Photonics Design Ecosystem with GlobalFoundries PDK

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Key Terms

photonic integrated circuit technical

A photonic integrated circuit is a tiny chip that routes and processes light signals instead of electrical currents, like an electronic microchip but built to use photons. It matters to investors because these chips can make data transmission and sensing much faster, more energy-efficient and cheaper at scale, potentially enabling new high-growth products and cutting operating costs across communications, computing and sensing industries.

silicon photonics technical

Silicon photonics is the technology that uses tiny structures etched into silicon chips to generate, control and detect light for moving data and sensing, essentially putting optical fiber functions onto a computer chip. For investors, it matters because it can dramatically increase data speed and energy efficiency in data centers, telecom networks and advanced sensors, potentially lowering costs and enabling new products much like replacing many metal wires with faster, low-power optical highways.

electro-optical-electrical (EOE) technical

Electro-optical-electrical (EOE) describes a signal path that is converted from an electrical form into light for transmission and then back into an electrical form at the other end, like turning a voice into a flashlight beam and then back into sound. Investors care because these conversions affect speed, power use, complexity and cost in networks and data centers, so EOE technology influences product performance, margins and capital spending for companies in communications and cloud infrastructure.

transmission dispersion eye closure quaternary (TDECQ) technical

Transmission Dispersion Eye Closure Quaternary (TDECQ) is a numerical test that measures how much an advanced four-level optical signal (PAM4) has been blurred or degraded by the transmission system compared with a clean reference. Think of it like measuring how much a photograph has become fuzzy after being copied several times; the higher the TDECQ value, the worse the signal quality, which matters to investors because it affects a product’s real-world performance, reliability, interoperability and regulatory or industry compliance risks.

eye diagram technical

An eye diagram is a visual snapshot that stacks many cycles of a digital signal on top of each other to show how cleanly information can be transmitted; the open “eye” shape reveals timing accuracy and signal noise. For investors, it acting like a sharpness check for a company’s communications or chip technology: a clearer eye implies fewer errors, better product performance, lower compliance and warranty risk, and potentially higher manufacturing yields and customer satisfaction.

signal integrity technical

Signal integrity is the ability of an electronic wire, circuit or connector to carry data signals cleanly and reliably without distortion or errors, like keeping a phone call clear despite background noise. For investors, it matters because poor signal integrity leads to malfunctioning or slower products, higher development and warranty costs, and can limit a company’s ability to sell into high‑speed markets such as data centers, telecom and advanced consumer electronics.

co-packaged optics technical

Co-packaged optics are optical components—lasers and fiber interfaces—physically packaged together with a network switch’s main processing chip so light-based data links sit much closer to the chip instead of traveling over long electrical traces. For investors, this matters because it can dramatically cut power use, boost data speed and density, and lower system costs in large data centers and telecom equipment, much like moving a power outlet next to a heavy appliance to avoid long, inefficient extension cords.

oscilloscope technical

An oscilloscope is an electronic test instrument that displays how electrical signals change over time, like a seismograph that shows tremors but for voltages and currents. Investors care because companies that design, build or use complex electronics rely on oscilloscopes for product development, quality control and troubleshooting, so demand and spending on these instruments can signal R&D intensity, manufacturing health and potential revenue streams.

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06/03/2026 - 11:00 AM

Enables engineers to simulate photonic integrated circuits and validate optical link performance in a single environment

SANTA ROSA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) announced support for GlobalFoundries’ (GF) silicon photonics process technology in its Advanced Design System (ADS) Photonic Designer, expanding its foundry ecosystem for photonic integrated circuit (PIC) development. Designers can move from PIC design to full electro-optical-electrical (EOE) system simulation within a single environment, validating how photonic circuits perform at the optical link level before tapeout.

As silicon photonics moves into volume production across data centers, AI infrastructure, and optical communications, designing a photonic integrated circuit is only part of the challenge. Engineers need to confirm its performance within an EOE system. Traditional workflows separate these steps, forcing teams to move between PIC design tools and system simulation platforms. This introduces risk and delays validation until late in the development cycle.

Keysight’s PDK for ADS Photonic Designer addresses this by connecting PIC design with system level EOE simulation. Engineers can now design photonic circuits on GF’s platform, then validate full optical link behavior, including eye diagram analysis and signal integrity metrics such as transmission dispersion eye closure quaternary (TDECQ), without switching tools. Built on physics based models aligned to GF’s silicon photonics process, the PDK ensures that PIC simulations correlate to fabricated silicon, while validation at the system level ensures the desired channel link performance is achieved.

These PIC and system performance are critical for high-speed optical interconnect architecture development, and further down the design process where photonic and electronic performance must be verified together. Engineers designing optical transceivers and co-packaged optics can use Keysight FlexDCA oscilloscope software during design to ensure the best possible simulation to measurements correlation and the best possible predictive results.

Key benefits include:

Faster time to first design: Foundry aligned, physics-based models for GF’s silicon photonics process are ready for immediate use, so teams can start working without building or calibrating component libraries from scratch.
Achieve compliance before tapeout: By simulating with Keysight instrument software, FlexDCA based measurements and TDECQ analysis, engineers reduce design to test correlation variables ensuring the best possible predictive results.
Earlier system level insight: By shifting left engineers can evaluate how PIC performance affects the optical link early during architecture development, which can reduce design iterations and time to market.

Vikas Gupta, Senior Fellow, Silicon Photonics Product Line at GlobalFoundries, said: “As silicon photonics moves into broader deployment for AI infrastructure and high-speed optical communications, designers need workflows that connect device innovation with system-level performance from the start. By enabling our silicon photonics platform in Keysight’s ADS Photonic Designer, we’re helping customers accelerate development, reduce design risk and scale their optical interconnect solutions more effectively.”

Niels Faché, Senior Vice President, Keysight’s Design Engineering Software, said: “The silicon photonics industry has moved past the point where circuit design and system validation can live in separate workflows. Engineers building for AI and data center infrastructure need to see system-level link performance from day one, not after fabrication."

The GlobalFoundries CLO PDK for ADS Photonic Designer is available now.

Resources

Web Page: ADS Photonic Designer

About Keysight Technologies

At Keysight (NYSE: KEYS), we inspire and empower innovators to bring world-changing technologies to life. As an S&P 500 company, we’re delivering market-leading design, emulation, and test solutions to help engineers develop and deploy faster, with less risk, throughout the entire product life cycle. We’re a global innovation partner enabling customers in communications, industrial automation, aerospace and defense, automotive, semiconductor, and general electronics markets to accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. Learn more at Keysight Newsroom and www.keysight.com.