China's Domestic Glass Substrate Breakthrough! Huawei Partners with BOE and Visionox to Unlock Key Advanced Packaging Technology, Mass Production by 2027

A significant breakthrough has emerged in China's semiconductor advanced packaging supply chain. Display giant BOE revealed during a recent investor briefing on Thursday, July 30, that its 8.6th-generation glass substrate pilot line has achieved stable mass production of 510×515mm TGV (Through-Glass Via) glass carriers. Samples are being continuously delivered to Huawei's HiSilicon and Songshan Lake Research Institute for reliability verification under the 'Tao Law V2' advanced packaging architecture. This includes die stacking for Kirin mobile chips and co-packaging tests integrating Ascend AI computing chips with HBM and CPO optical interconnects.

Compared to traditional organic substrates, glass substrates have a coefficient of thermal expansion closely matched to silicon wafers, significantly mitigating warpage and high-frequency signal loss in high-power AI chips—making them a core material for next-generation advanced packaging.

Industry sources indicate that Huawei has led the formation of a domestic glass substrate R&D consortium, with BOE as the core carrier manufacturer, collaborating with panel makers like Visionox to build a TGV research and industrialization ecosystem. According to the roadmap, small-scale trial integration into Ascend AI chips is planned for the second half of this year, with mass commercialization expected by 2027, later expanding to smartphone SoC packaging. This timeline positions China approximately one year ahead of Korean peers.

Supply chain confirmation further reveals that BOE has mastered core TGV processes including via formation, micro-via copper filling, and multi-layer RDL routing. The company has signed a long-term technical validation agreement with Huawei. On the materials front, BOE has secured a 3-year supply deal with U.S.-based Corning for semiconductor-grade glass substrates, prioritizing Huawei's testing projects. Current samples are undergoing rigorous testing, including thermal cycling and full-load aging, though mass shipment has not yet begun. Internal process validation has passed entirely, clearing key obstacles to mass production.

The collaboration between Huawei and BOE fills the gap in China's domestic high-end computing packaging glass substrates, strengthening the commercialization foundation for CoPoS panel-level packaging and advancing supply chain autonomy. While no official joint announcement has been made, and mass production remains subject to uncertainty, the progress marks a pivotal step toward self-reliance in advanced semiconductor packaging.