Driven by the objective needs of AI development, expectations for the mass production of glass substrates are becoming increasingly clear. Recently, the Indian government announced that chip giant Intel and 3D Glass Solutions (3DGS) will invest approximately $3.3 billion (about 22.3 billion yuan) to establish a semiconductor substrate manufacturing facility in the eastern state of Odisha. The plant, planned for the Bhubaneswar-Khurda region, is expected to be completed within five to six years. It will focus on producing glass substrates for advanced packaging technologies, high-density interconnect substrates, and other related semiconductor technologies. The Indian government has committed to providing billions of dollars in subsidies, which is projected to create over 1,800 direct high-skilled jobs. Founded in 2005, 3DGS is a U.S. semiconductor technology company that entered the advanced semiconductor packaging field after 2014, possessing technologies such as Integrated Passive Devices (IPD) and glass-based 3D packaging (3DHI). In April of this year, a packaging facility supported by Intel broke ground in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, with an expected annual production capacity of 50 million glass substrate 3D packaging units upon reaching full capacity.
Intel's deployment of glass substrates is not limited to India. Recent reports indicate that Intel plans to transform its Rio Rancho facility in New Mexico into the world's first mass production base for glass substrates. According to the latest progress, the company has established a glass substrate pilot line at its Chandler campus in Arizona. With reserved expansion space, the Rio Rancho facility will introduce a true mass production line for glass substrates to support its EMIB packaging technology. Additionally, citing industry sources, ETNews reported that Intel is currently advancing large-scale procurement orders for "materials, components, and equipment" with global supply chain partners, with several supply contracts already signed. The current investment scale amounts to trillions of won, focusing on expanding EMIB capacity and advancing technology upgrades, including the integration of glass substrate packaging solutions.
Globally, major players are accelerating the push for glass substrate mass production. Zhongtai Securities points out that TSMC's CoWoS pilot line is set to launch this year, with mass production expected by the end of 2028, and NVIDIA is likely to be among the first customers. Samsung Electro-Mechanics plans to achieve mass production in 2027, anticipating a rapid penetration period by 2028. 2026 is expected to mark the beginning of the commercialization era for glass substrates. Orient Securities notes that the application of glass substrates in advanced packaging is expected to gradually mature, and they can also be used as recording media in HDDs. Due to high demand for large-capacity storage, the proportion of HAMR technology in solid-state drives is expected to continue rising. HAMR technology uses a new type of medium magnetic technology on each disk, enabling data bits to become smaller and denser than before while maintaining magnetic and thermal stability. The high-temperature characteristics of HAMR technology may make heat-resistant glass substrates a key alternative to traditional aluminum platters.
The latest forecast from SEMI, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, suggests that initial production of glass substrates may begin around 2028, driven by growing demand for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC). According to the report, glass substrates are expected to enter early production around 2028 for specific high-performance applications before expanding to broader and more complex semiconductor packaging architectures. Between 2028 and 2040, the glass substrate market is projected to achieve a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 67.2%.