Netherlands – Taiwan TechBridge Call: Four New Innovation Projects By Two Innovation Ecosystems

The global demand for AI, faster connectivity and quantum computing is increasing the need for photonic technologies. Breakthroughs in individual components are not enough. The challenge is to integrate light-based technologies into systems that can be manufactured, connected, cooled and deployed at scale. The Netherlands & Taiwan’s TechBridge Call has one shared ambition: bringing integrated photonics closer to real-world impact.

This is where the Netherlands and Taiwan complement each other.

• The Netherlands brings expertise in photonic chip design, production and packaging, including advanced material platforms such as indium phosphide and silicon nitride.
• Taiwan brings strengths in semiconductor manufacturing, electronics, advanced integration and a powerful industrial ecosystem.
• TechBridge connects these complementary capabilities, helping companies and research organisations to develop new technologies through collaborative R&D.

The four newly selected projects address different parts of this challenge: wireless connectivity, AI-era optical communications, quantum computing and the connections that make photonic systems work.

Via the TechBridge programme partners are not simply exchanging knowledge; but developing technologies together.

Meet the four TechBridge innovation projects
1. PhoDAS: Connecting the next generation
Application: wireless communications

Partners: Sabratha (The Netherlands) and TMYTEK (Taiwan).

Goal: Developing manufacturable, photonics-enabled millimetre-wave radio units for future 5G and 6G indoor wireless systems, using thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonics for fronthaul.

Future wireless systems need more than faster radio technology. They need scalable ways to move signals between radio units and the wider network. Through PhoDAS, Dutch company Sabratha and Taiwanese partner TMYTEK are joining forces to develop manufacturable, photonics-enabled millimetre-wave radio units for future indoor wireless systems. A collaboration exploring how integrated photonics can help enable tomorrow’s wireless connectivity.

The impact: Enabling scalable, high-performance wireless connectivity as data demands grow.

2. MAP-Connect – Enabling mass production of ultra-low-loss photonic chip connections
Application: Optical connectivity

Partners: MicroAlign (The Netherlands), Largan (Taiwan).

Goal: Developing mass-producible, ultra-low-loss fiber-array connectivity for photonic chips.

Precision optical connections are essential for coupling light into and out of photonic chips. Achieving low losses while making these connections suitable for mass production is a significant challenge. MAP-Connect brings together Dutch partners MicroAlign and Taiwanese partner Largan to develop mass-producible, 40-channel polarisation-maintaining (PM) fibre-array connectivity for photonic chips. Because scaling photonic chip solutions also requires the manufacturing technologies that connect them to the world.

The impact: Tackling the precision optical connections needed to manufacture and scale photonic chip systems reliably.

3. QSPAD: Enabling the quantum future
Application: Quantum photonics

Partners: QuiX Quantum (The Netherlands) and Brillink (Taiwan)

Goal: developing photonically integrated, near-room-temperature single-photon detectors for fault-tolerant quantum computing.

Single photons are central to many quantum technologies, but developing practical, integrated detectors remains an important engineering challenge. With QSPAD, Dutch company QuiX Quantum and Taiwanese partner Brillink are collaborating on photonically integrated, near-room-temperature single-photon detectors for fault-tolerant quantum computing. To tackle a key challenge on the path towards scalable quantum technologies.

The potential impact: Addressing a key component challenge in building more practical, scalable quantum technologies.

4. HEROIC: Moving data at AI scale
Application: High-speed optical interconnects

Partners: Formerica OE and Hon Hai Research Institute (Taiwan), SMART Photonics and Eindhoven University of Technology (The Netherlands)

Goal: developing a 3.2-terabit-per-second optical transceiver module, with 400 Gbps per lane, using heterogeneous integration, flip-chip technology and immersion cooling.

As AI infrastructure grows, ultra-high-speed optical communications become increasingly important. HEROIC brings together Formerica OE and Hon Hai Research Institute from Taiwan with SMART Photonics and Eindhoven University of Technology from the Netherlands. Their ambition: develop a 3.2T optical transceiver module delivering 400 Gbps per lane, combining heterogeneous integration with flip-chip and immersion-cooling technologies. A joint effort to advance next-generation optical interconnects.

The potential impact: Advancing ultra-high-speed optical communications for increasingly demanding computing and data infrastructure.

Four projects, one shared ambition: Scaling integrated photonics
Different technologies. Different applications. One common challenge: turning promising photonic innovations into solutions that can be integrated, manufactured and scaled. PhoDAS addresses wireless access, HEROIC addresses high-speed data transport, QSPAD addresses quantum technology, and MAP-Connect tackles a critical manufacturing and connectivity challenge. Together, they illustrate the breadth of integrated photonics.

This aligns closely with the purpose of the TechBridge call, which aims to connect expertise from the Netherlands and Taiwan across materials, photonic chip design and manufacturing, electronics integration, packaging and applications, with a focus on high-volume production and market potential. TechBridge is a mechanism for building long-term R&D partnerships, strengthening innovation value chains and creating pathways towards commercial applications.