MEYREUIL and GRENOBLE, France, Jan 22, 2026 – Scintil Photonics, Presto Engineering and CEA-Leti have secured French government funding for CanopAI project under the France 2030 “i-Demo” program, supported by Bpifrance. The award backs development work spanning semiconductors, photonics, and AI infrastructure, aligned with Europe’s push to expand domestic technology capabilities and reduce external dependence.
Accelerating Photonic Integration for AI and Cloud Systems
The CanopAI project, led by Scintil Photonics, focuses on developing advanced photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for AI infrastructure and data centers. The roadmap targets doubling data throughput every two years while improving power efficiency, latency, and bandwidth density for GPU-to-GPU interconnects.
SHIP (Scintil Heterogeneous Integration Photonics) integrates III-V materials with silicon photonics to produce integrated optical chips. The technology combines lasers, modulators, and monitoring photodiodes on a single die, reducing the need for discrete components. Using SHIP, Scintil produces LEAF Light, a multiwavelength light source designed for single-chip integration and compatibility with silicon photonics manufacturing.
“The CanopAI project is a significant milestone in the industrial readiness of our photonic technology,” said Olivier Potavin, COO of Scintil Photonics. “Through our collaboration with Presto Engineering and CEA-Leti, we are establishing a complete value chain, from design to production, and deploying advanced electrical and optical wafer-level testing solutions. This initiative will further solidify Europe’s position as a leader in photonics and semiconductor innovation.”
Presto Engineering: Bridging Photonic Innovation and Industrialization
Presto serves as CanopAI project’s industrialization partner, applying semiconductor test, qualification, and reliability engineering to enable manufacturing of photonic devices. Presto builds automated electro-optical test systems for wafer- and package-level evaluation of photonic integrated circuits. The systems verify thermal and reliability performance and support volume production of Scintil’s PICs.
“Integrated photonics represents one of the most transformative evolutions in the semiconductor industry,” said Didier Narassiguin, VP of NPI & IP at Presto Engineering. “Through the CanopAI project, we’re tackling key challenges in test and reliability to help ensure that these next-generation photonic technologies can be industrialized efficiently within Europe.”
Through the project, Presto tackles challenges in semiconductor testing, reliability, and volume manufacturing. The work supports innovation as production requirements and industry demands change.
CEA-Leti: Advanced Materials and Integration Expertise
CEA-Leti contributes to the project with advanced III-V material development and integration techniques to optimize substrate reuse and prepare for future manufacturing on 300 mm wafers. “These innovations will enhance the scalability and sustainability of next-generation photonic processes,” added Eléonore Hardy, Silicon Photonics partnership manager at CEA-Leti.
A Collaborative Effort Anchored in French Innovation
The CanopAI project unites the three companies in their fields:
- Scintil Photonics – developing integrated, dense and multi-wavelength light source for AI data centers.
- Presto Engineering – providing expertise in test, reliability and industrialization of semiconductor and photonic devices.
- CEA-Leti – offering R&D support in III-V laser development and silicon photonics integration.
Supporting the France 2030 Vision
Funding from Bpifrance through the France 2030 “i-Demo” program supports innovation across semiconductors, photonics, and AI. The CanopAI project aims to reinforce domestic supply chains while supporting job creation and export competitiveness in Europe’s high-tech sector.
Source: Presto Engineering
About Scintil Photonics
Scintil Photonics develops silicon photonic integrated circuits that combine lasers and optical components for optical interconnect applications. The company designs multiwavelength laser sources and photonic circuits for high-speed data transmission. Its technology supports optical connectivity in computing and data center environments. Scintil serves customers involved in data center infrastructure, semiconductor development, and optical communications systems. These customers address workloads tied to AI and HPC. The company operates as a fabless semiconductor firm and relies on commercial foundries for manufacturing. Its products integrate laser sources onto silicon photonic platforms. Scintil Photonics was founded in 2018. The company is headquartered in Grenoble, France. It also maintains operations in Canada and the United States. Scintil focuses on supporting optical interconnect deployment where dense wavelength integration is required.
About Presto Engineering
Presto Engineering designs and produces integrated circuits for medical, automotive, industrial and communications devices. The company, founded in 2006, is headquartered in Meyreuil, France, with additional sites in the United States, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Asia. Presto develops custom ASICs for medical wearables and diagnostics and supports low-power operation, miniaturization and long-term reliability. The company holds ISO 13485 certification for medical-device development and manages the ASIC workflow, including design, test development, qualification, packaging and volume production. Presto also offers silicon platforms that provide integrated-circuit baselines for new medical designs. The company employs more than 150 people, operates multiple engineering labs in Europe and manages a global supply chain capable of producing over 50 million units annually.
About CEA-Leti (France)
CEA-Leti is a French research institute focused on microelectronics and nanotechnology development and transfer. It conducts applied research in micro and nanotechnologies, sensors, imaging, communications, and integrated systems. The institute serves industries including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, energy, and information technology. CEA-Leti works with startups, mid-sized firms, and large industrial companies to bridge research and manufacturing readiness. Its activities include pilot production, materials characterization, and technology validation with external partners. The organization was founded in 1967. CEA-Leti is headquartered in Grenoble, France. It also maintains offices in the United States, Belgium and Japan. CEA-Leti operates within the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission.