News and BusinessThe optical communications industry is entering a new era, one that is defined scale, efficiency, and intelligence. This shift was front and centre at this year’s ECOC Exhibition in Málaga, where Market Focus Committee Chair Michael Lebby outlined how artificial intelligence is set to transform photonics over the coming decade. Lebby describes today’s moment as […]
News and BusinessPhotonics manufacturer Cailabs has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with data centre operator NTT, Inc. to advance direct optical connectivity between satellite networks and terrestrial data infrastructure. The partnership will examine the integration of NTT’s digital coherent and network control technology into Cailabs’ optical ground stations (OGS), as well as the connection of selected optical […]
News and BusinessElectro-optics developer NLM Photonics has announced that it has received investment from Pangaea Ventures and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation’s Diamond Edge Ventures to accelerate commercialisation of its organic photonic ecosystem. Existing investors Emerald Technology Ventures, Oregon Venture Fund, Idemitsu, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. (TOK), and StoryHouse Ventures strengthened their investment, alongside private investors and company […]
Applications and ResearchQuantum computing solutions provider Sparrow Quantum has reported that its deterministic photon source now delivers more than 500 million single photons per second into a single-mode fibre. According to the company, this is the highest single photon flux reported to date. The source operates at 1 GHz rate with more than 50% fibre efficiency, high […]
Case StudyVisible-range lasers are used in applications where spectral quality, stability and repeatability are critical. In microscopy, spectroscopy, flow cytometry, quantum technologies and LiDAR, even weak unwanted spectral components can affect measurement accuracy and system performance. Accurate spectral characterisation is therefore essential throughout product development and manufacturing. Integrated Optics, a laser and photonics manufacturer based in […]
Technologies and ProductsPhoton Design’s multi-topology MT-FIMMPROP photonic simulation tool, which uses its unique, patented and well respected, EigenMode Expansion (EME) computational method, can now simulate ring resonator designs – a first in the photonics industry. The company quantified the performance of its new EME capability in a recent white paper. It concluded that EME delivered equivalent accuracy […]
News and BusinessSemiNex Corporation, a U.S. developer and manufacturer of indium phosphide (InP) photonic devices, has announced a major expansion of its manufacturing operations, tripling its production, automated test and inspection, and cleanroom capacity to support accelerating demand from the artificial intelligence (AI) data centre, high-performance computing, and quantum computing markets. The expansion positions SemiNex to scale […]
News and BusinessPhoton Design has become the first company to natively simulate Thin Film Lithium Niobate (TFLN) bends, in just 10 seconds, with its FIMPROP simulation tool, which uses Eigen Mode Expansion (EME) processing. FIMPROP delivers results as rigorous as industry-standard FDTD tools, but hundreds of times faster. Because TFLN is a birefringent optical material that’s refractive […]
Applications and ResearchSwiss photonic chip developers Aylight has announced that it has raised €4.5m in a pre-seed funding round to accelerate the development of chip-scale multiwavelength lasers – tackling one of the key bottlenecks limiting the scaling of artificial intelligence. The funding round – co-led by Elaia and Swisscom Ventures with participation from Verve Ventures and Plug […]
News and BusinessWave Photonics has made all the Process Design Kits (PDK) developed or managed through its PDK management platform are now compatible with Synopsys OptoCompiler. OptoCompiler is the industry’s first unified electronic and photonic design platform, combining dedicated photonic technology with Synopsys’ industry-proven electronic design capabilities, including schematic-driven layout, photonic circuit simulation, and verification, enabling designers […]
News and BusinessKeysight Technologies completed the acquisition of VPIphotonics on June 9, 2026, adding system-level simulation to its photonic design automation portfolio and enabling optical and electrical engineers to advance designs from component to complete link within a single environment. Demand for silicon photonics and co-packaged optics continue to grow across data centre and AI infrastructure markets. […]
News and BusinessSivers Semiconductors announced a strategic collaboration with GlobalFoundries to develop advanced silicon photonics solutions for the high-growth AI infrastructure market. Sivers Semiconductors’ laser arrays will be integrated into reference designs built on GlobalFoundries’s silicon photonics platform. The collaboration supports a range of optical connectivity architectures, including co-packaged optics, linear pluggable optics, and other emerging data […]
News and BusinessAeluma, a semiconductor company specializing in high-performance, scalable technologies for mobile, AI, defence and aerospace, robotics, automotive, AR/VR, and quantum, has been awarded more than $4 million in contracts from the U.S. Government to accelerate scaling of its semiconductor heterogeneous integration platform for quantum and high-speed datacom applications. The awards directly support Aeluma’s commercialization strategy […]
Applications and ResearchResearchers from the Monash University School of Physics and Astronomy have flipped a long-held assumption in optics, showing that deliberately introducing controlled disorder into ultra-thin optical devices can dramatically increase their power and versatility, without making them bigger or more complex. The study reveals a new class of “disordered mosaic metasurfaces” nanostructured materials that manipulate light, capable […]
Applications and ResearchVector Photonics, a Scottish start-up pioneering the use of photonic crystal surface emitting lasers (PCSEL) in secure communications, has announced the first successful public demonstration of PCSEL technology for optical communication outside of a lab. On 31st March 2026, Vector Photonics’ PCSELs were used to transmit data across the Clyde from the Glasgow Science Centre to […]
News and BusinessOne of six European quantum pilot lines, ‘SPINS’ (Semiconductor Pilot line for Industrial Quantum NanoSystems) was launched today. Coordinated by imec, the consortium brings together 25 European RTOs, industry partners, and academic research groups to strengthen Europe’s leadership and sovereignty in this strategically important domain. The €50 million SPINS pilot line project has been made […]
News and BusinessA major new study has revealed that Europe’s university spinout companies have grown into a technology ecosystem worth hundreds of billions of euros – with photonics playing a vital enabling role across many of its most strategic sectors. Called “European Spinouts Report 2025”, the analysis shows that photonics and quantum science sit at the heart […]
Technologies and ProductsTeradyne, Inc., a provider of automated test equipment and advanced robotics, announced the launch of the Photon 100, a comprehensive opto-electric automated test platform purpose-built to accelerate high-volume silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) manufacturing. As demand for high-speed, energy-efficient optical interconnects surges, driven by AI and next-generation data centers, manufacturers face challenges in […]
Technologies and ProductsPhotonics vendor Coherent has announced new single- and dual-chip uncooled 980nm micro-pump lasers delivering up to 700mW per fibre output in a compact 3-pin module package. Designed to support next-generation coherent transmission systems and to enable ultra-high-density multi-rail optical amplifiers, the new devices deliver higher output power, greater efficiency, and enhanced design flexibility in space-constrained […]
ConferenceThe urgency and opportunity of the AI era was reflected in every discussion at TOP Conference, signalling just how deeply the technology is reshaping the future of optical innovation. Whether it be the systems designed to power AI workloads, or providing the tools to embed intelligence directly into optical networks, the topic of AI dominated […]