EUROPE'S FIRST DEDICATED BACKEND PHOTONICS FOUNDRY
The future of AI runs on photonics. Thema Foundries is Europe's only dedicated backend photonics foundry, built from the ground up to deliver what the industry has been waiting for: production-scale on-chip laser integration.
The Bottleneck Holding AI Back.
The Bottleneck Holding AI Back.
AI data centers are hitting a wall. Moving data between thousands of GPUs at the speeds modern AI demands has outpaced what copper can physically deliver. The solution is light. Silicon photonics transceivers replace copper with optical interconnects, moving data faster, further, and at a fraction of the energy cost.
But there is a catch. Silicon cannot emit laser light on its own. It needs Indium Phosphide lasers bonded directly onto the chip. Achieving this at production scale, with the precision and yield the industry demands, is the unsolved bottleneck that has held the entire field back.
Until now...
Solving What Others Couldn't
Solving What Others Couldn't
✕ LASER SOURCE: EXTERNAL
✕ TIME TO MARKET: 18-24 MONTHS
✕ YIELD: <30%
✕ PACKAGING: BULKY
✕ LASER SOURCE: EXTERNAL
✕ TIME TO MARKET: 18-24 MONTHS
✕ YIELD: <30%
✕ PACKAGING: BULKY
✓ LASER SOURCE: ON-CHIP
✓ TIME TO MARKET: ACCELERATED
✓ YIELD: PRODUCTION GRADE
✓ PACKAGING: HERMETIC
✓ LASER SOURCE: ON-CHIP
✓ TIME TO MARKET: ACCELERATED
✓ YIELD: PRODUCTION GRADE
✓ PACKAGING: HERMETIC
Thema Foundries is Europe’s answer to crack this problem. Not as a research exercise. Not as a pilot program. A production facility engineered from the ground up for one purpose: delivering reliable, scalable, high-yield backend photonics manufacturing to companies building the future of AI infrastructure.
About us
About us
Thema Foundries is a dedicated integrated photonics foundry located in Oudenaarde, Flanders, Belgium. Situated near world-class research institutes like imec, UGent, and TU Eindhoven, Thema is deeply integrated within the Flanders photonics ecosystem, alongside key players such as Luceda Photonics, Sentea, HHI and many others.
Building on a strong history, Thema Foundries utilises nearly 40 years of continuous semiconductor fabrication expertise, starting from the site’s establishment as Mietec in 1983 and continuing through operations under OnSemi.
This provides access to decades of practical manufacturing knowledge and a highly skilled leadership and workforce experienced in running profitable, high-volume FAB operations, product development for Telecom, automotive and full-fledged testing.
Recently established through the acquisition of these existing facilities, Thema Foundries is founded by a strong combination of high-tech investors and recognized experts with deep experience in the design and production of high-volume photonic components, specifically focusing on demanding applications like transceivers for AI, data center, and telecommunications markets.
What We Do
What We Do
Laser Integration
Test and Validation
Incubation and Scale-Up
PROTOTYPE → PILOT → PRODUCTION
ON-CHIP INTEGRATION • III–V ON SILICON • ZERO FULL-WAFER BONDING
FULL OPTICAL + ELECTRICAL • EVERY DEVICE • PRODUCTION GRADE ONLY
PROTOTYPE TO PRODUCTION • FULL INFRASTRUCTURE ACCESS • EXPERT GUIDANCE
A Different Category Entirely.
A Different Category Entirely.
The photonics manufacturing landscape remains fragmented. General foundries treat photonics as secondary. Research institutions offer expertise without scale. Asian OSATs offer volume without specialization.
No facility in Europe combines all three. Until us.
| Thema | Research Institute | Asian OSATs | General Foundries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production Scale | Yes | No | Yes | Partial |
| Laser Integration | Yes | Limited | No | No |
| European Based | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Full Backend Stack | Yes | No | Partial | No |
| Photonics Dedicated | Yes | Partial | No | No |
Founded by a strong combination of high-tech investors and recognized experts with deep experience in the design and production of high-volume photonic components, Thema is purpose-built for the most demanding applications in AI, data center, and telecommunications markets.
For fabless photonics companies, Thema means one partner for the entire backend stack. For investors, it means a category-defining infrastructure play at the intersection of AI, photonics, and European sovereign manufacturing.
By the numbers
By the numbers
Precision, scale, and consistency across every stage.
5,000m²
of cleanroom space for precise manufacturing
43,888m²
total facility area supporting operations
40+
years of experience in semiconductor fabrication
>98%
yield rate for reliable production
The Future, In Production
The Future, In Production
Partner with [Europe's first pure-play photonics foundry], Whether you are a fabless design lab looking for a production partner or an investor looking to understand the opportunity, we would love to talk.
