At the ISSCC 2026 conference in San Francisco, imec introduced a groundbreaking 7-bit 175GS/s analog-to-digital converter (ADC), achieving the highest sampling speed reported to date.

Fabricated in a 5nm FinFET process, the chip occupies a compact 250×250 µm² area and achieves an energy efficiency of just 2.2 pJ per conversion step. This represents a significant breakthrough in simultaneously delivering ultra-high speed, small footprint, and low power consumption.

The development directly addresses critical needs in AI-driven data center optical networks, where traditional high-speed ADCs suffer from exploding die area and increased losses beyond 100GS/s. Two patented technologies enable this performance: an innovative linearization method corrects signal distortion, while a switched-input buffer efficiently drives a 2048-channel time-interleaved array.

imec plans to extend this research to next-generation 3nm designs and explore 1.4nm node solutions, continuing to push the boundaries of high-speed data converter performance.

ICgoodFind : imec's 175GS/s ADC sets a new benchmark for high-speed data conversion. Its combination of speed, size, and efficiency directly addresses the bandwidth bottlenecks in next-generation AI data center interconnects.