Summary in 10 Seconds The optical interconnect approach stands out in the Instinct MI500 series. AMD plans to release the MI500 family in 2027; In the official framework, CDNA 6, 2 nm and HBM4E stand out. AMD acquired the Enosemi team in 2025 and strengthened the co-packaged optics side. GlobalFoundries, on the other hand, emphasizes higher data rate and better power efficiency in the silicon photonics platform. New details about the Instinct MI500 series on the AMD front show that the real leap forward in this generation will not only be in raw processing power.
The table on the agenda points to a design in which the optical side is positioned much more centrally, this time against the interconnection problem that has been growing in data centers for years. The critical point here is this: AMD has officially indicated the MI500 series for 2027. The company talks about CDNA 6 architecture, advanced 2 nm manufacturing process and HBM4E memory for this family. In the latest supply chain information, it is seen that GlobalFoundries has taken an important role again in the co-packaged optics side.
The big change in MI500 is not in the GPU, but in the data path around it. In AI accelerators, the problem is no longer just to produce larger GPUs. The real bottleneck is how fast and how efficiently these chips can communicate with each other and the rest of the system. This is where the co-packaged optics approach comes into play. Adding a light-based data transport layer instead of or alongside electrical-based copper connections opens a new door in terms of delay, bandwidth and power consumption.
When purchasing Enosemi last year, AMD clearly stated that it was investing in this area. In AMD’s official statements, a broader framework is given for the MI500 family for now. The company announced that this series will arrive in 2027, will be based on CDNA 6 architecture, will use advanced 2 nm process technology and will come with HBM4E memory. He also shared in his CES 2026 presentation that the MI500 series is on track to increase artificial intelligence performance by up to 1000 times compared to the MI300X released in 2023.
Why is co-packaged optics so important? As the number of GPUs increases, it is not enough to just enlarge the processing units. Delivering data to those processing units becomes an engineering problem in itself. That’s why optical connections are talked about. As AMD highlighted in its Enosemi move, co-packaged optics can deliver higher bandwidth density and better power efficiency compared to traditional methods. Especially in AI systems built at rack scale, this difference means direct scalability.
The official technical framework on the GlobalFoundries side also supports this. The company cites 5 to 10 times higher power efficiency on its silicon photonics platform than long-distance electrical interconnects. Same platform; It offers higher data rates, lower signal loss, 2.5D packaging support and an integrated solution structure for data center-class optical interconnects. So, what we are talking about here is not a single component, but directly the communication backbone of new generation AI systems.
Why is it remarkable that the name GlobalFoundries has come to the fore again? One of the interesting aspects of this news is the company history. GlobalFoundries was born as a continuation of the structure created by the separation of AMD’s manufacturing operations in 2009. In other words, the possible division of labor talked about today is not just a new supply chain choice. It reveals a picture that intersects again, this time on the axis of silicon photonics and advanced packaging, with a manufacturer that has historical ties with AMD.
In the latest information reflected in the industry, it is stated that GlobalFoundries stands out in the production of photonic integrated circuits to be used for MI500. However, AMD has not yet publicly detailed the full production flow, packaging chain and final product configuration of the optical layer. What is clear on the official side is that MI500 is on the 2027 roadmap and AMD now sees optical interconnects as a strategic area.
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