Intel sees glass as a vital material in the race to power AI

An Intel engineer holds a test glass core substrate panel at Intel's Assembly and Test Technology Development factories in Chandler, Arizona, in July 2023. Intel’s glass push is coming from its packaging research and production facilities, a little-known part of its technology lineup. The Santa Clara, California-based company is trying to raise the profile of the business, part of a broader effort to attract customers to its manufacturing operations. — Intel Corporation

Intel Corp is betting on an unexpected material to help the world’s computers handle ever-growing artificial intelligence workloads: glass.

As processors become larger and more complex, their ability to communicate with the rest of the computer is going to become a chokepoint, according to Intel researchers. Glass-based substrates, which sit between the chip and connecting components, are the answer to this challenge, the company says.