The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded a $9.05 million definitive contract to International Business Machines Corporation (IBM, TJ Watson Research Center) for the Heterogenous Adaptively Produced Photonic Interfaces (HAPPI) program on March 11, 2025, with an ultimate completion date of March 10, 2028.
The contract is priced on a cost-plus-fixed-fee basis with no set-aside. The originating solicitation, posted September 10, 2024, seeks innovative proposals for high-density three-dimensional chip-to-chip and intra-chip optical routing in integrated photonic microsystems. The program includes two phases: an initial 18-month phase to prove feasibility of 3D routing in integrated photonics, followed by an 18-month phase demonstrating array density and manufacturability. Performers must demonstrate optical loss per link less than 1 dB, link arrays up to 1,000 x 1,000 channels, operation within a 400–1800 nm wavelength range, integration of active material platforms into functional links, and a minimum of 4 waveguide layers per chip. The total HAPPI program is funded at $30 million across multiple awards.