Request for Information: Very Large-scale Photonic Integration (VLPI)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Microsystems Technology Office (MTO) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking innovative insights into Very Large-scale Photonic Integration (VLPI) technologies. This Special Notice specifically targets universities, research centers, companies, and government-sponsored laboratories to provide information on the feasibility, manufacturability, and application space of VLPI. DARPA emphasizes its interest in disruptive ideas and concepts that significantly advance beyond current practice, explicitly stating that incremental improvements or descriptions of existing capabilities without clear advancement vision are not of interest. The RFI focuses on two primary technical areas: unique applications enabled by VLPI photonic circuits with system-level benefits and current limitations in design automation for VLPI photonic circuit design. Responses to this RFI may inform future DARPA program development in this advanced technology area.

The primary objective of this RFI is to gather information on breakthrough approaches to VLPI that could enable transformative capabilities, particularly focusing on minimizing electro-optical conversions and advancing design automation methodologies for manufacture-aware automated design and large-scale circuit simulation. Interested parties must submit their responses by July 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time to the designated email address DARPA-SN-25-88@darpa.mil. Submissions are limited to seven pages using 11-point font and must be formatted as unprotected Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or PDF files, including a cover page, technical areas discussion, and optional summary slides. The RFI is open to a broad range of organizations including academic institutions, private companies, research centers, and government-sponsored laboratories without specific eligibility restrictions. DARPA encourages potential respondents to engage further through DARPAConnect and participate in the upcoming MTO Spark Tank event scheduled for July 24-25 in Aurora, Colorado.