Samsung and Qualcomm develop organic bridge packaging for AI chips

Samsung and Qualcomm are developing an “organic bridge” technology intended to make AI processors more powerful and cheaper to produce, according to TechRadar’s Christian Cawley.

The work uses organic materials to connect layers of microcircuits instead of silicon or other inorganic materials. The approach, called 2.1D packaging, is aimed at reducing fabrication costs in AI chips, where 2.5D packaging is commonly used. In 2.5D designs, silicon, glass, or ceramic provides connectivity between layers.

The organic bridge is a smaller adaptation of a technology used in PCB manufacturing. Made from resin or polymer, it connects multiple microcircuit dies and provides insulation. The source reports that it can improve bandwidth, be produced more easily at scale, and reduce supply-chain pressure linked to silicon.

Development appears to have started around October 2024, when a patent for “interconnected bridge” technology was filed. TheElec suggests other Samsung customers are interested in developing 2.1D products with Samsung Electro-Mechanics, although that report is not presented as confirmed.

Samsung is not the only company working on the approach. Intel Foundry Services and TSMC are also developing 2.1D packaging, after TSMC’s earlier focus on 2.5D. Samsung and Qualcomm appear to have been working together for about one year, so production-ready AI chips using 2.1D packaging may still be some time away.