Key Findings
JNTC of South Korea and TOPPAN of Japan have announced a strategic partnership to develop next-generation glass substrate technology for AI chips. This collaboration aims to overcome the inherent limitations of traditional organic substrates in advanced packages combining AI accelerators and High-Bandwidth Memory (HBM), thereby establishing cutting-edge, high-density packaging solutions.
Technical & Application Details
As AI accelerators and HBM are integrated into advanced packages, their increasing performance demands lead to larger overall package sizes and significantly higher internal wiring densities. In these extreme conditions, conventional organic substrates encounter several critical challenges:
- **Increased Signal Loss:** Dielectric losses in organic materials become substantial at high frequencies, degrading signal integrity.
- **Warpage Issues:** Thermal history during manufacturing processes and mismatches in coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between materials cause substrates to warp, impacting yield.
- **Dimensional Stability Challenges:** As miniaturization progresses, the insufficient dimensional stability of organic materials hinders high-precision stacking.
- **Fine-Pitch Wiring Limits:** Organic materials face processing limitations in forming ultra-fine wiring patterns.
In contrast, glass substrates are gaining significant attention as a next-generation packaging material due to their advantageous properties. Glass offers exceptionally high dimensional stability, a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), and low dielectric loss, making it ideal for high-density, high-speed signal transmission. JNTC and TOPPAN plan to combine their respective expertise and technological capabilities to accelerate the design, development, and manufacturing of AI chip packaging solutions using glass substrates. This partnership is expected to significantly enhance the performance, reliability, and long-term stability of AI chips.
Background & Context
The rapid advancements in AI and HPC (High-Performance Computing) necessitate continuous innovation in semiconductor packaging technology. The escalating issues of power consumption and heat dissipation in AI data centers mean that the choice of packaging materials directly impacts overall system performance and cost. Glass substrates offer a compelling balance of cost and performance, positioned between organic substrates and silicon interposers, and are recognized as an essential component for achieving future AI chip performance improvements. This partnership between leading Japanese and Korean companies underscores Asia’s central role in semiconductor technological innovation.
Strategic Significance & Outlook
The JNTC and TOPPAN collaboration is poised to accelerate the maturation and widespread adoption of glass substrates for AI chips. This joint development is expected to help overcome key challenges in glass substrate technology (e.g., technical barriers for Through-Glass Vias (TGV)), thereby speeding up commercialization. In the long term, glass substrates have the potential to become a mainstream choice for AI chip packaging, paving the way for substantial improvements in the overall performance and energy efficiency of AI systems. This innovation will strengthen the foundation for AI to perform more complex tasks and be applied across a wider range of industries.
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