https://blogs.cisco.com/sp/optics-in-the-data-center-powering-ever-increasing-capacity-demands

This is from ciso blog, bold is mine.

The optics industry still largely relies on a “discrete” set of components with very cumbersome testing and assembly processes. If we contrast that with the semiconductor industry – where extremely complex functions are integrated into silicon (ASICs) using highly automated processes that have very little to no reliance on human interaction – we see an opportunity to leverage these processes in the processing of “photonic signals” rather than “electrical signals” that semiconductor processes naturally manage. The promise of silicon photonics is to leverage the semiconductor industry processes to more fully automate the process of optics manufacturing.

Cheers

libran