Moscow launches Russia’s first production line for photonic chips
Test production of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has begun in Moscow, marking Russia’s first dedicated manufacturing effort in this field. The new production complex, based at the Moscow Photonics Centre in Zelenograd, is designed to support both pilot and large-scale manufacturing of photonic chips.
The facility has a planned capacity of up to 2,000 wafers per year and around 500,000 finished chips annually. The project is intended to support domestic demand for high-speed data transmission, telecommunications infrastructure, data centres and emerging applications such as unmanned transport and optical computing.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, the project has received government-backed support to reduce reliance on imported components and accelerate the development of local capabilities in photonics and advanced semiconductor technologies.
Officials said the initiative is expected to create highly skilled jobs and strengthen Russia’s position in industrial photonics, with a focus on next-generation communications networks and sensor technologies.
