Tower Semiconductor and LightIC Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Silicon Photonics for Automotive, Robotics and Physical AI

Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (NASDAQ/TASE: TSEM), a leading foundry of high‑value analog semiconductors, has announced a strategic collaboration with LightIC Technologies to broaden the use of silicon photonics beyond AI‑infrastructure into automotive sensing and Physical AI markets. The partnership will leverage Tower’s mature silicon photonics foundry platform to support LightIC’s advanced Frequency‑Modulated Continuous‑Wave (FMCW) LiDAR solutions, including the Lark™ long‑range automotive LiDAR and the compact FR60™ LiDAR designed for robotics and Physical AI applications. According to research by Yole Group, the global automotive LiDAR market is expected to grow from $859 million in 2024 to $3.6 billion by 2030, with the broader LiDAR industry forecast to reach $6.3 billion by 2027. Silicon photonics, widely used in AI data‑center networking, is now being adapted for coherent sensing applications, integrating optical functions for precise ranging and velocity detection directly on silicon. Tower’s platform aims to enhance optical integration with improved size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP‑C) efficiency, helping transition velocity‑aware LiDAR technology from development into scalable production. Executives from both companies highlighted that this collaboration is key to delivering commercially viable 4D FMCW LiDAR solutions suitable for real‑world automotive, robotics and Physical AI deployments. #SiliconPhotonics #LiDAR #AutomotiveTech #PhysicalAI #SlimScan #GrowthStocks #CANSLIM