Intel’s move towards glass substrates is necessitated by the impending limitations of the industry-standard organic substrate. The current norm involves system-in-packages (SiPs) utilizing four chiplets. However, Intel anticipates that glass substrates will enable the creation of 24 x 24 SiPs, dramatically expanding the capabilities of the fastest processors, particularly in the realm of high-performance computing (HPC).
Beyond the sheer transistor-packing potential, glass substrates offer improvements in power delivery to chips, which are becoming increasingly power-hungry. Their flatness enhances depth of focus for lithography, and their superior dimensional stability facilitates more efficient interconnects, enabling multiple chiplets to seamlessly communicate with each other.
Additionally, glass substrates exhibit remarkable heat tolerance, a crucial factor as Intel aspires to realize its ambitious goal of building massive 24 x 24 SiPs.
