France funds CanopAI photonic interconnects for AI datacenters

Scintil Photonics, Presto Engineering and CEA-Leti announce that their joint CanopAI project has been awarded funding by the French government under the France 2030 “i-Demo” program supported by Bpifrance.

• Main announcement & scope: The CanopAI project has been awarded funding under the France 2030 “i-Demo” program supported by Bpifrance, led by Scintil Photonics with industrialization partner Presto Engineering and research partner CEA-Leti; the project will develop next-generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and optical GPU-to-GPU interconnects that aim to double data throughput every two years and deploy wafer-level electrical and optical testing solutions.
• Roles, technical details & program context:Presto Engineering will provide automated electro-optical test and reliability solutions for wafer and package levels; Scintil will use its SHIP™ heterogeneous integration and LEAFLight™ dense multiwavelength source; CEA-Leti contributes III-V material development and bonding techniques to prepare for 300 mm wafer manufacturing. The funding sits within the broader France 2030 investment plan (total envelope €54 billion), but the press release does not state the specific grant amount awarded to CanopAI or a project timeline.