CORNERSTONE

What CORNERSTONE does

CORNERSTONE is an open-access silicon photonics rapid prototyping foundry hosted by the University of Southampton in partnership with the University of Glasgow and the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), founded in 2014 through an EPSRC grant. The organisation operates seven photonics technology platforms — SOI 220nm (passive and active variants), SOI 340nm, SiN 300nm, SiN 200nm (visible), Ge-on-Si, Suspended-Si, and a Student platform — using deep-UV projection lithography and now also a new E-beam lithography capability. Its core offering is Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) services, allowing academic, startup, SME, and industrial users to share wafer fabrication runs and reduce prototyping costs and lead times, supplemented by bespoke fabrication batches, deep-UV lithography services, Process Design Kits (including the open-source CORNERSTONE Open Platform on GitHub and the SiNQ quantum PDK), design consultancy, and training courses delivered in partnership with PhotonHub.

The business model combines grant-funded infrastructure with fee-based service revenue. Approximately £11 million in EPSRC and Innovate UK funding underwrites the new CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC), launched in February 2025, while MPW runs are priced on a per-die basis (e.g., £8,875–£57,420 depending on platform and die area) with a 50% subsidy for UK universities through May 2029 and a 50% first-time-user discount for UK SMEs. Customer segments span academic researchers, photonics startups (inSpek, Wave Photonics, Zero Point Motion, Aquark Technologies, Light Trace Photonics), and large industrial accounts (BT), with distribution supported by partnerships with EUROPRACTICE, JEPPIX, the PIXP Europe Consortium, and CSA Catapult. The organisation is led by Prof. Graham Reed and Prof. Callum Littlejohns, with Prof. Andy G Sellars holding government advisory roles on the UK Semiconductor Advisory Panel and UKTIN, reinforcing CORNERSTONE's positioning as the UK's flagship silicon photonics prototyping hub.

Name

CORNERSTONE

Legal name

CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre, University of Southampton

Website

https://cornerstone.sotonfab.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CORNERSTONE is a UK university-hosted open-access silicon photonics prototyping foundry offering Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) services across seven technology platforms to academic researchers, startups, SMEs, and industrial customers. Founded in 2014 and operated by the University of Southampton, University of Glasgow, and STFC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Silicon Photonics Foundry Services

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic / Photonics Foundries (Silicon Photonics/LED/Laser) (HDAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

R&D / Prototyping & MPW Shuttle Foundries (HDAHACAI), Foundry Platform & Design Enablement Services (PDK/DFM/Process Qualification) (HDAHACAJ)

Keywords

• Silicon photonics foundry
• Multi-project wafer services
• Photonic integrated circuits
• Deep-UV lithography
• Process design kits

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) Services: Fabrication services where multiple customers share wafer costs through organized MPW batch runs with published schedules and pricing
2. Bespoke Fabrication Batches: Custom fabrication batches with tape-out dates tailored to customer requirements
3. Deep-UV Lithography Service: Standalone lithography service for external customers
4. Design Consultancy: Technical consulting services for photonic integrated circuit design
5. Training Courses: Hands-on training programs including PhotonHub Experience Centre courses and custom workshops

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CORNERSTONE operates an open-access, licence-free silicon photonics rapid prototyping foundry hosted at the University of Southampton. It provides Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) fabrication services across seven technology platforms (SOI 220nm, SOI 340nm, SiN 300nm, Visible SiN 200nm, Ge-on-Si, Suspended-Si, and Student), supplemented by bespoke fabrication batches, deep-UV projection lithography services, Process Design Kits (PDKs), design consultancy, and hands-on training courses.

Product overview

CORNERSTONE is an open-source, license-free silicon photonics rapid prototyping foundry offering a platform-plus-services model. The core offering is Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) services across seven technology platforms (SOI 220nm, SOI 340nm, SiN 300nm, Visible SiN 200nm, Ge-on-Si, and Student MPW), enabling researchers and companies to prototype photonic integrated circuits at shared wafer runs. This is supplemented by bespoke fabrication batches for custom requirements, Process Design Kits (PDKs) including the SiNQ PDK for quantum applications, and Deep-UV Lithography services. The recent launch of the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre (C-PIC) adds funding programs, training courses, and the Open Platform GitHub repository to support the full innovation lifecycle from design to commercialization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Multi-Project Wafer (MPW) Services Shared wafer fabrication service allowing multiple customers to pool designs on a single wafer run, reducing cost and turnaround time. Offered across seven technology platforms including SOI, SiN, Ge-on-Si, and Visible SiN for applications in telecoms, sensing, LiDAR, and quantum.
• Bespoke Fabrication Batches Custom fabrication batches with tape-out dates tailored to customer requirements, offering flexibility for specialised or proprietary designs outside the standard MPW schedule.
• Process Design Kit (PDK) Comprehensive design kit including fabrication-aware S-Parameters for full photonic circuit simulation, standard component libraries, design rules, and the CORNERSTONE Open Platform with open-source resources for SOI, SiN, and Ge-on-Si technologies.
• Deep-UV Lithography Service Standalone advanced lithography service using deep ultraviolet projection lithography for high-resolution pattern transfer in photonic device fabrication, enabling fine feature sizes required for advanced photonic circuits.
• Training Courses Hands-on training programmes including PhotonHub Experience Centre courses, cleanroom training, and silicon photonics fabrication workshops for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals.
• SiNQ PDK (Silicon Nitride for Quantum) Silicon Nitride for Quantum process design kit — the world's most expansive photonics PDK spanning 33 wavelengths from 493nm to 1550nm, validated for quantum and visible light applications through wafer-scale characterisation.
• CORNERSTONE Open Platform (GitHub Repository) Open-source platform with design kits available via GitHub repository for SOI, SiN, and Ge-on-Si platforms, enabling transparent, collaborative photonic integrated circuit design.
• C-PIC Innovation Fund Funding programme supporting innovation in silicon photonics, part of the CORNERSTONE Photonics Innovation Centre ecosystem providing financial support and resources for researchers and start-ups commercialising silicon photonics technologies.

Quantifiable outcome

• World record for fastest integrated Mach-Zehnder transmitter: 112Gb/s OOK, 224Gb/s PAM 4
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• University of SouthamptoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary host institution and founding partner; home to the Optoelectronics Research Centre (ORC) where CORNERSTONE is headquartered; led by Prof. Graham Reed as Director
• University of GlasgowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution contributing photonic nanofabrication capabilities through the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre (JWNC); Prof. Marc Sorel serves as Co-Investigator
• Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK government partner providing access to national research infrastructure and capabilities
• Wave PhotonicsmajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on PDK development; Wave Photonics uses CORNERSTONE MPW services for PDK validation; resulted in world's most expansive photonics PDK (33 wavelengths from 493nm to 1550nm) through SiNQ project
• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA Catapult)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in Innovate UK-funded SiNQ project for silicon nitride for quantum applications; CSA Catapult provided wafer-scale validation data
• Oxford IonicsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated in Innovate UK-funded SiNQ project for developing visible-wavelength silicon nitride process
• PIXP Europe ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean collaboration developing and manufacturing prototypes based on photonic chips; CORNERSTONE represents one of two UK participants
• EUROPRACTICEmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partnership providing European academic institutions access to CORNERSTONE MPW services
• JEPPIXminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral partnership for photonic integrated circuit services across Europe
• PhotonHubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Experience Centre training courses; CORNERONE hosts PhotonHub courses including 'Silicon Photonics - Build Your Own Thermo-Optic Modulator'
• Sivers PhotonicsminorOthersRepresented on CORNERSTONE Industry and Scientific Advisory Board by Laura Meriggi
• LeonardominorOthersRepresented on CORNERSTONE Industry and Scientific Advisory Board by Robert Lamb, Chief Technical Officer
• National Quantum Computing CentreminorOthersRepresented on CORNERSTONE Industry and Scientific Advisory Board by Michael Cuthbert, Director
• Resolute PhotonicsminorOthersRepresented on CORNERSTONE Industry and Scientific Advisory Board by Richard Pitwon, CEO

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Ligentec: Switzerland-based silicon nitride photonic integrated circuit foundry offering MPW and bespoke fabrication services; competes with CORNERSTONE's SiN platforms for customers requiring low-loss nitride-based PICs.
• AIM Photonics: US-based open-access silicon photonics MPW foundry offering multi-project wafer runs across multiple technology platforms; competes directly with CORNERSTONE for academic and startup prototyping customers in the silicon photonics ecosystem.
• Applied Nanotools: Canada-based silicon photonics foundry offering MPW services and rapid prototyping via deep-UV and electron-beam lithography; directly comparable to CORNERSTONE for academic and SME customers seeking fast-turnaround photonic prototyping.
• CompoundTek: Singapore-based silicon photonics foundry offering MPW shuttle services on SOI and SiN platforms; competes with CORNERSTONE for global startup and SME prototyping customers, particularly in Asia-Pacific.
• IMEC: Belgium-based leading semiconductor R&D centre operating silicon photonics MPW services (iSiPP50G, etc.) with strong European academic reach; directly comparable as an open-access silicon photonics prototyping foundry serving the EU research community.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland-based research institute offering silicon photonics MPW services and bespoke photonic IC fabrication; directly comparable as a publicly funded open-access photonic prototyping foundry with similar customer profile.

Others

• VLC Photonics: Spain-based photonic integrated circuit design house offering design services and foundry-agnostic PDK support; an ecosystem enabler adjacent to CORNERSTONE's MPW customers who need design support for tape-out.

Broad incumbents

• Tower Semiconductor (Intel Foundry): Specialty foundry offering silicon photonics and RF process platforms as part of a broader analog/RF portfolio; an incumbent player customers may migrate to for volume production after CORNERSTONE prototyping.
• GlobalFoundries: Major commercial semiconductor foundry offering 9WG silicon photonics platform with monolithic RF/CMOS integration; broader portfolio than CORNERSTONE but represents a destination for customers transitioning from prototyping to volume production.

Emerging players

• CSIPL (Compound Semiconductor Innovation Pilot Line): European pilot line initiative offering photonic and compound semiconductor prototyping and low-volume manufacturing; emerging EU-funded competitor that could overlap with CORNERSTONE's European customer base as it ramps.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-beBVIQ2kfIzGPNBUFnGyA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornerstonesp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CORNERSTONE