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What Are Advanced Chip Packages? 2.5D, 3D and Fan-Out Explained

Advanced chip packages combine logic, memory and other dies in one system. Here’s how 2.5D, 3D and fan-out designs differ.
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Advanced chip packages integrate multiple semiconductor dies—such as processors, memory and I/O—within one package, using dense connections to make them work as a system. The dies may come from different process nodes or vendors. The term describes a family of approaches, not one package design or a single vendor-neutral standard.

Why the package matters

Traditional system-on-chip design puts many functions on one die. Advanced packaging offers another route: assemble specialized dies, often called chiplets, into a system at the package level. The package is therefore part of the system architecture, not merely a protective shell. Intel describes this direction as a shift from “system on a chip” to “systems of chips”; TSMC groups its integration technologies under the 3DFabric name. Intel Foundry · TSMC

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Separating functions can let designers combine logic, memory and I/O dies without requiring every component to use the same manufacturing process. The way those dies are arranged and connected varies by package type.

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What 2.5D packaging means

In a 2.5D package, dies sit side by side rather than being stacked directly on top of one another. A dense interconnect layer—such as a silicon bridge, silicon interposer or redistribution-layer interposer—routes signals laterally between them.

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Bridge-based design

Intel’s EMIB is an example: its silicon bridge is embedded in the package substrate to connect dies. Intel calls it “Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge 2.5D” and says EMIB has been in mass production since 2017. Those are Intel’s descriptions of its own technology. Intel Foundry packaging

Interposer-based design

TSMC’s CoWoS is a 2.5D approach that integrates system-on-chip dies with high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Its CoWoS-S variant uses a silicon interposer; TSMC says the interposer can reach 3.3 times reticle size. This is a TSMC-reported design limit, not a general specification for every 2.5D package. TSMC CoWoS

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What 3D packaging means

In 3D packaging, dies are stacked vertically and joined through dense vertical connections. Stacking can bring components into a compact arrangement, but it also makes thermal management and assembly important parts of the design.

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Intel’s Foveros Direct stacks chiplets on an active base die using copper-to-copper hybrid bonding. Intel describes the approach as intended to deliver “superior power-per-bit performance”; that is the company’s characterization, not an independent comparison. TSMC’s SoIC is another vertical-integration technology. Its 2025 annual report says 3nm SoIC stacking entered volume production in 2025. Intel Foundry · TSMC 2025 Annual Report, Chapter 5

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Fan-out packaging is another approach

Fan-out packaging uses redistribution layers (RDLs) to route connections across the package footprint. It can support multiple dies and is not limited to the familiar side-by-side or vertical-stack descriptions. TSMC says its InFO family includes 2.5D and 3D options: InFO-PoP combines a mobile application processor with DRAM, while InFO-oS supports multiple logic chiplets. TSMC Integrated Fan-Out (InFO)

How the package types compare

Approach Typical arrangement Connection method or example
2.5D Dies placed side by side Bridge or interposer; examples include Intel EMIB and TSMC CoWoS
3D Dies stacked vertically Dense vertical connections; examples include Intel Foveros Direct and TSMC SoIC
Fan-out Connections routed across the package footprint Redistribution layers; TSMC InFO includes mobile and multi-chiplet configurations

These categories can overlap. Intel calls a combination of EMIB and Foveros “EMIB 3.5D”; its Data Center GPU Max Series is one example. Intel reports that this product has more than 100 billion transistors, 47 active tiles and five process nodes. These are product characteristics reported by Intel, not measurements that can be generalized to other packages. Intel Foundry packaging

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How to evaluate an advanced package

The label alone does not establish whether a package is faster, cheaper or more power-efficient. A meaningful comparison depends on the design and its production context. Consider:

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  • Interconnect density and bandwidth: how many connections the design needs and how much data must move among its dies and memory.
  • Footprint: the area available for the package and the number and size of dies to integrate.
  • Power and thermals: how the components exchange data and how heat can be removed from the assembled package.
  • Assembly complexity and yield: the steps required to place, connect and test the dies, and how the overall design behaves in manufacturing.
  • Cost: the economics of the specific architecture and production run, rather than an assumption based on “2.5D” or “3D” alone.
  • Integration needs: whether the design calls for logic with HBM, mobile processor with DRAM, or another combination of components.

Vendor pages describe architectures and intended applications, but they do not provide an independent, apples-to-apples ranking for performance, cost, power or yield. Intel reports more than 100 2.5D products in volume production in its fact sheet; that is Intel’s company claim, not an industry-wide count. Intel Foundry fact sheet

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What the names mean

EMIB, Foveros, CoWoS, SoIC and InFO are vendor-specific technology families, not interchangeable names for advanced packaging. Identify the physical arrangement and interconnect first; the brand name tells you which company’s implementation is being discussed.

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