【Domestic News】Pateo Partners with FYUST on Silicon Photonics and Gallium Oxide

      On June 17, 2026, PATEO (2889.HK) and the new-type research-oriented university Fuzhou Fuyao University of Science and Technology (hereinafter “FYUST”) officially signed a cooperation agreement. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Fuyao Group Chairman Cao Hui, PATEO founder and Chairman Ying Yilun, and FYUST Executive Vice President Zhang Fuli. Jiang Jianzhong, Dean of the School of Advanced Materials and New Energy at FYUST, and Ma Yong, General Manager of PATEO’s Domestic Business Division, signed the agreement on behalf of both parties.

      According to the agreement, the two sides will jointly conduct in-depth R&D in core material domains including electro-optic modulator materials, silicon photonic integration, and fourth-generation semiconductors. The collaboration also plans to commercialize research outcomes. The initiative targets the convergence point of AI computing power and optical communications, aiming to establish a full “materials–chip–commercial application” closed-loop value chain.

      Against the backdrop of global AI expansion and the rapid transition of intelligent vehicles toward centralized computing architectures, both computing infrastructure and in-vehicle communication systems are undergoing a profound “optical revolution.” With exponential scaling of large-model training clusters and the massive data throughput required by advanced autonomous driving, replacing electrical interconnects with optical systems (“optical replacing copper”) and enabling optoelectronic convergence have become inevitable paths to overcome computing bottlenecks and latency constraints. In this technological competition shaping next-generation intelligent terminals and AI infrastructure, photonic chips and their upstream materials represent a critical bottleneck and a strategically important frontier fiercely contested by global tech leaders, with domestic substitution urgently needed.

      Following its recent planned acquisition of a photonic chip company in cooperation with Ping An Capital, PATEO has rapidly initiated upstream technical integration and strategic positioning. The collaboration with FYUST marks a shift beyond device-level manufacturing toward upstream foundational materials in optical communications.

      Under the agreement, PATEO will provide R&D funding to FYUST, focusing on breakthroughs in three key directions within the School of Advanced Materials and New Energy: electro-optic modulator materials, silicon photonic integration, and fourth-generation semiconductor materials.

Electro-optic modulator materials

      Both parties aim to solve the low-cost fabrication challenge of large-area, high-quality, highly texture-oriented strontium barium niobate (SBN) thin films. In particular, they will address lattice mismatch and interface defect issues during direct growth on silicon substrates. This targets a key “bottleneck” in optical communications—active core materials—enabling a significant technological upgrade.

Silicon photonic integration

      The collaboration will focus on developing low-cost, CMOS-compatible fabrication technologies for large-scale silicon photonic devices. The team will explore all-silicon-compatible approaches such as GeSi (germanium–silicon) or strained silicon to overcome silicon’s intrinsic low light-emission efficiency, reduce reliance on III–V compound materials, and meet the reliability certification requirements of Tier-1 customers in AI data centers.

Fourth-generation semiconductor materials

      The two parties will jointly study the fabrication technology of fourth-generation semiconductor materials, specifically gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) single-crystal growth processes. The goal is to develop low-cost, large-diameter Ga₂O₃ single-crystal fabrication technologies and enable applications across multiple downstream frontier technology fields.

Commercialization mechanism

      The agreement introduces an equity-linked structure forming a highly commercially oriented “research-as-venture” model. It stipulates that once laboratory-stage progress is achieved, both parties agree to transfer research outcomes into a jointly established company for commercial deployment. This deep capital linkage not only anchors top-tier scientific achievements from FYUST but also ensures rapid translation of technology into market-ready products in intelligent cockpit systems, in-vehicle communications, and AI data center applications.

      In addition to technological and capital integration, the two sides will jointly apply for national and provincial-level research projects, undertake corporate horizontal research programs, and co-build innovation platforms to enhance the capability of joint research laboratories.

      This rare full-industry-chain closed-loop strategy is highly consistent with PATEO’s “software–hardware–chip–cloud” integrated development strategy. On May 29, PATEO signed a strategic cooperation agreement with NVIDIA, discussing cutting-edge fields including in-vehicle AI, autonomous driving, next-generation computing platforms, and optical communications. On June 2, PATEO, together with Ping An Capital, proposed a cash acquisition of a high-performance communication IC design company, further extending upstream into the chip domain.

      From a planned acquisition in the photonic chip sector to partnering with FYUST on foundational materials, PATEO is gradually building a full-stack capability spanning materials R&D, chip design, system integration, and AI applications.

      PATEO stated that this cooperation with FYUST represents another key step in completing its optical communication ecosystem following its planned acquisition. Through continuous deepening of its “software–hardware–chip–cloud” strategy, the company is progressively forming a full-stack capability. With these initiatives, its presence in optical communications is becoming clearer, which is expected not only to strengthen its leadership in intelligent cockpit systems but also to open a new growth trajectory amid the rise of AI computing and optical communications, reflecting its ambition to transform from a single-device supplier into a platform-based “technology + industry” company.