CONNECT WITH US
Wednesday 28 January 2026
Lightmatter and GUC Partner to Produce CPO Solutions for AI Hyperscalers
Collaboration combines GUC's ASIC design leadership with Lightmatter's industry-leading 3D CPO platform to redefine AI infrastructure scalability.Lightmatter, the leader in photonic interconnect solutions for AI, and Global Unichip Corp. (GUC), the Advanced ASIC leader and a key enabler for hyperscaler AI infrastructure, today announced a strategic partnership to bring commercial Passage 3D Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) solutions to market.The collaboration integrates Lightmatter's revolutionary Passage photonic interconnect with GUC's state-of-the-art ASIC design services and advanced packaging expertise. This joint solution is specifically engineered to overcome the critical connectivity bottlenecks currently limiting the scaling of next-generation AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads for the world's largest data center operators."The fundamental architecture of computers is changing. The world has hit a wall in per silicon area performance, the network is becoming the computer, and that network needs to run on light. GUC has unmatched ASIC engineering execution in this rapidly-evolving landscape. Pairing their silicon expertise with our photonic interconnects provides the industry with a concrete path to escape the energy and performance traps of legacy signaling, enabling the massive scale-up required for tomorrow's intelligence," said Nick Harris, founder and CEO of Lightmatter.Redefining AI Interconnect with PassageThe integrated solution will leverage GUC's advanced node chiplet and packaging workflows to incorporate Passage, a silicon photonics-based platform that sets a new standard for AI interconnect performance. Passage delivers unprecedented bandwidth density and power efficiency for XPU and switch chip-to-chip communications, pushing the performance boundaries of world's largest and most complex foundation models.These advantages mark a decisive evolution beyond existing solutions, which are fundamentally constrained by physical I/O limits - or "shoreline" - of the chip, restricting the maximum bandwidth and radix per optical engine (OE). By seamlessly extending the scale-up domain of AI clusters acrossmultiple racks, the Passage platform substantially improves training time and token throughput for the next wave of frontier AI models."To enable our hyperscale customers to deliver the most competitive services, we need partners with proven, superior technology," said Igor Elkanovich, CTO of GUC. "Integrating Lightmatter's Passage CPO platform into our world-class ASIC designs allows us to bring to market a jointsolution that fundamentally redefines AI interconnect. Our combined expertise solves complex challenges - architectural, thermal, mechanical, and signal integrity, and ensures that customers receive a robust, power-efficient, and scalable CPO platform that accelerates their path to large-scaleAI deployment."Analyst Perspective on Market Impact"Optical interconnect is no longer a luxury; it is a necessity for hyperscale AI to continue its exponential growth path," said Dr. Wei-Chung Lo, Deputy General Director at Electronic & Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories (EOSL) of Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Taiwan. "The combination of GUC's extensive experience in custom AI silicon design for top-tier cloud providers and Lightmatter's innovation signals to the market that the supply chain is maturing, providing a credible blueprint for hyperscalers to address the critical bandwidth and power constraints of the next generation of AI clusters."For more information, visit.
Wednesday 28 January 2026
Seoul Business Agency Hosts Global Innovation Forum Showcasing Startup Ecosystem
The Seoul Business Agency (Seoul Business Agency (SBA), CEO Hyun Woo Kim), a small business support organization dedicated to revitalizing Seoul's startup ecosystem and discovering promising startups, announced that it held the Global Innovation Forum, the largest country pavilion–led global startup ecosystem networking event at CES, on Wednesday, January 7, the second day of CES.The event marked the first country-based startup competition and networking program at CES. It drew strong attention with a more substantive program than in previous years, through collaboration with seven countries that lead the global startup ecosystem: the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, Canada, and France.The Global Innovation Forum began with the goal of using CES, the world's largest exhibition, as a platform to naturally connect startup ecosystems across countries. The initiative was first launched in 2025 under the name "Seoul Innovation Forum," through cooperation among five national pavilions - the Republic of Korea (Seoul), Taiwan, Switzerland, Japan, and the Netherlands - participating in CES. As the first event built on the solidarity of Eureka Park–participating countries at CES, it carried special significance.?A "national pavilion" refers to an exhibition pavilion established and operated by a national institution participating in CES.The success of the Seoul Innovation Forum stemmed from its demonstration of the potential to evolve beyond individual booth exhibitions into a country-to-country cooperation platform, where global national pavilions gathered in one place and representative innovative startups from each country participated in an IR pitching competition. Building on this success, the program was strengthened and rebranded as the "Global Innovation Forum" from 2026, enabling CES-participating startups to experience more stable and expanded opportunities for global collaboration.The 2026 Global Innovation Forum was held based on close cooperation among startup support organizations from seven countries. The event was led by the combined efforts of the host organization, Seoul Business Agency (SBA) of the Republic of Korea, Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), Switzerland Global Enterprise (S-GE), Israel Economic and Trade Office, Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Quebec Government Office of Canada, and Business France.The Global Innovation Forum opened with an IR pitching competition featuring startups selected by each participating country. Following the positive response last year, the competition was held again this year in the same format, with each participating country - the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, Canada, and France - selecting outstanding domestic startups to deliver IR pitches to judges and on-site attendees.Going beyond last year's format, which limited judging to global media representatives, this year's competition featured a judging panel composed of both global media and venture capital (VC) professionals. This change expanded investment opportunities for participating companies and enhanced the competition's credibility. Participating startups positively evaluated the event, noting that it enabled them to introduce their technologies to VCs to pursue investment opportunities and effectively promote their products and technologies to global media.A total of 20 global media representatives and six venture capital professionals participated as judges in the IR pitching competition, evaluating the advanced technologies and visions of startups from seven countries based on criteria such as investment attractiveness and global promotional potential.As a result of the competition, the Grand Award (first place) was presented to Firsthabit from the Republic of Korea (Seoul Pavilion). The Scale-up Award (second place) was awarded to Hua Tec International from Taiwan, represented by Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA). The Impact Award (third place) went to CubicSpace from Canada, represented by the Quebec Government Office. The winners received trophies along with prize money of USD 3,000, USD 2,000, and USD 1,000, respectively.Firsthabit, a company from the Seoul Integrated Pavilion that won the Grand Award, said, "We did not expect to win, so this feels like a great reward for all the hard work we have put in. With CES 2026 and the Global Innovation Forum award as a turning point, we plan to seriously pursue entry into the U.S. market."Even startups that did not receive awards shared positive feedback, saying, "The Global Innovation Forum was a place where startups with diverse cultural and technological backgrounds came together to share insights and strengthen their determination to open global market channels."The panel discussion that followed featured representatives from participating countries who introduced their respective startup support programs and discussed agendas for the global startup ecosystem. It was a meaningful occasion where the nurturing know-how of organizations that have led the global startup ecosystem by showcasing innovative startups at CES each year was shared in one place.The significantly strengthened networking session compared to previous years also stood out. In addition to judges, global venture capital firms, media, startups, and startup support organizations visiting CES participated, creating a lively exchange and reinforcing the event's status as the largest global networking program at CES.During the networking session following the competition, participants freely exchanged views and shared insights on key issues in the tech industry. Startups attending the event welcomed the opportunity to connect with major players in the startup ecosystem and expressed plans to actively leverage the networks formed that day as a bridge to attract investment and enter global markets. This moment demonstrated that the event meaningfully contributed to enhancing the outcomes of startups' CES participation.In addition, startups that wished to do so were given the opportunity to take the stage for a one-minute PR speech, effectively introducing their innovative technologies to stakeholders across the startup ecosystem. This element also received high praise.Hyun Woo Kim, President and CEO of the Seoul Business Agency, said, "We hope the Global Innovation Forum will establish itself as a symbolic program representing cross-country cooperation and global startup exchange within CES." He added, "We will continue to develop the forum so that it becomes the most closely watched event by all players in the global startup ecosystem visiting CES, including media, venture capital firms, startups, and national pavilion representatives."
Thursday 22 January 2026
MOSS Introduces an AI-Assisted DAW Built to Support Human Creativity
MOSS is an AI-assisted digital audio workstation designed to make professional-quality music production more accessible - without replacing the artist.While more people than ever are creating music, production remains a major barrier. Traditional DAWs demand years of technical expertise, complex plugin workflows, and interfaces that have changed little over the past two decades. For many musicians, these challenges prevent ideas from ever becoming finished songs."Making great music shouldn't be bound to years of expertise or expensive studios," says Hansol Sohn, CEO of MOSS.To address this, MOSS embeds an AI co-producer directly into the DAW workflow. Rather than generating music autonomously, the system focuses on assistance. It analyzes musical context - including genre, arrangement, and sonic balance - to support decisions such as sound selection, mix balance, effect configuration, and mastering chains. Creative control always remains with the artist.Technically, MOSS combines a modern multi-track audio engine with real-time signal processing and AI-driven decision support. The AI layer translates musical intent into production-ready settings, helping creators achieve consistent, release-ready results without deep engineering knowledge.Built for professional musicians, students, hobbyists, and first-time creators alike, MOSS lowers the technical barrier to music production and enables more artists to finish, share, and release their work.As AI continues to reshape creative tools, MOSS positions itself as a human-centered alternative - using intelligence to enhance the creative process rather than automate it.