Back to Product Focus timetable
Find the Product Focus theatre in Pavillion 1 in the Exhibition Hall.
Monday 21st September |
| 09:35 – 09:55 Introducing FastSelfClean™ connector technology – Self-cleaning fiber-optic connector for high-density AI factory connectivity |
| Earl Parsons, Commscope |
 CommScope has announced its upcoming FastSelfClean™ fiber‑optic connector technology. This innovation delivers ultra‑low insertion loss through its V‑groove fiber alignment design and supports high‑density, modular, stackable configurations. Designed for AI data centers, it enables rapid deployment by connecting up to 3,456 fibers in a single 1RU panel with just 24 connections. Its self‑cleaning mechanism removes contamination during insertion, virtually eliminating routine fiber inspection and cleaning at installations and reducing connection installation time by up to 98.5%. FastSelfClean connector technology enables greater performance, scalability and efficiency for next‑generation high‑performance data centers; it will be globally available in a 144‑fiber connector in 2027. |
| 10:00 – 10:20 Scale-Up Optical Interconnects: Why DWDM Laser Source Architecture Is the Next Design Battleground |
| John Anderton, Photon Bridge |
 As AI clusters drive demand for high-bandwidth scale-up fabrics, optical interconnect architects face a fundamental rethink of DWDM laser source design. Conventional approaches – optimized for pluggable, scale-out architectures – fall short on optical power budgets, channel density, and supply chain robustness for slow-wide scale-up topologies. This presentation introduces the emerging architectural requirements shaping next-generation DWDM laser sources, the trade-offs between integration approaches, and why multi-source InP supply strategies are critical. Real-world platform experience at Photon Bridge illustrates where the industry roadmap is heading. |
| 10:25 – 10:45 Building Ethernet for AI Data Centers: From High-Speed Interconnects to Scalable Infrastructure |
| Yumeng Yang, Huawei Technologies Co Ltd |
 AI data centers are driving new requirements for Ethernet switching, from higher bandwidth and port density to lower power, better reliability and scalable deployment.This presentation shares Huawei’s perspective on building Ethernet for AI data centers. It will discuss how switch systems and optical interconnects can evolve together to support high-performance AI fabrics. The talk will also discuss challenges in scaling from individual interconnects to deployable AI data center infrastructure, and highlight areas where ecosystem collaboration is needed. |
| 10:50 – 11:10 Extending the world’s connectivity with light: integrated optical phased arrays for wireless optical communication |
| Mahesh Krishnaswamy, Taara |
 We present the use of optical phased arrays to integrate wireless optical communication into a miniature silicon photonics module. Using solid-state beam steering, the module tracks, shapes, and transmits high-capacity data at tens of gigabits per second for outdoor applications. Designed for semiconductor manufacturability at commercial volume, it makes wireless optical communication faster and orders of magnitude more affordable to deploy at scale across multiple segments of the broadband network. We cover both present and future applications, from traditional telecommunications backhaul to autonomous machine-to-machine communication and high-capacity data transport in enterprise segments such as media and entertainment and data centers. |
| 11:15 – 11:45 Optical components for the evolution of intra-data center connectivity |
| Neel Patel and Teresa Monteiro, Nokia |
  As artificial intelligence and cloud computing demands surge, traditional networking infrastructures face severe scaling bottlenecks. This session explores the latest advancements in optical components critical for the next generation of intra-data center connectivity. Speakers will examine how innovations in material such as InP, SiPh and TFLN are laying the foundation of the next generation of high-speed optical transceivers and co-packaged optics (CPO) for the AI era. |
| 11:55 – 12:25 Near-Packaged Optics for AI Scale-Up Networks: Comparing with Pluggable Optics and CPO |
| Lian Qin, Marvell |
 AI workloads are driving unprecedented growth in GPU cluster size, creating new demands for high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects. Today, pluggable optics are widely deployed for scale-out networks due to their flexibility, operational simplicity, and ecosystem maturity. At the same time, Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) has emerged as a promising architecture for scale-up networks, offering significant benefits in bandwidth density and power efficiency. This presentation introduces Near-Packaged Optics (NPO) as a practical approach between pluggable optics and CPO. It will examine the architectural tradeoffs among the three approaches, comparing their performance, power consumption, deployment flexibility, serviceability, ecosystem readiness, and total cost of ownership. The session will also explore how NPO can help address the evolving requirements of AI infrastructure while balancing technical and business considerations. |
| 12:35 – 12:55 The Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum Overview and Latest Work |
| IOWN Global Forum |
 Introduction of IOWN Global Forum – Yoshitake Tajima, Director, NTT
We aim to renew AI computing infrastructure and realize a sustainable society with IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network). IOWN Global Forum is an international non-profit organization developing use cases and technology for IOWN and promoting IOWN. In this session, a brief introduction of the organization and the latest activities of IOWN Global Forum will be presented.
The IOWN Global Forum is a cross-industry initiative, spanning telecom operators, vendors, and hyperscalers, building the technical foundation for networks powered by photons rather than electrons. This session gives a state-of-the-Forum overview: progress on the All-Photonics Network and Data-Centric Infrastructure architectures, the use cases now moving from concept toward proof-of-concept, and the industry’s growing focus on energy efficiency as AI workloads reshape demand on networks. Drawing on his role as Technology Steering Committee Vice-Chair and Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Task Force Leader, Lieven Levrau will outline where the Forum’s roadmap stands today and what comes next on the path to commercial deployment. |
| 13:00 – 13:20 Scalable TFLN Manufacturing via RF-Sputtering for CPO |
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Yohei Sakano, Shincron Co Ltd |
 Co-packaged optics (CPO) demand high-speed modulators based on thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN). While the Smart Cut™ technique has been the conventional standard for TFLN fabrication, we introduce an alternative approach designed to enhance manufacturing flexibility and cost-efficiency. SHINCRON’s “INACO” is an RF magnetron sputtering system engineered for large-wafer uniformity and high-quality epitaxial TFLN deposition with optical-grade performance. This platform enables the fabrication of X-cut and Z-cut TFLN on both lithium niobate (LN) and sapphire substrates, tailored to the specific application requirements and device architectures of manufacturers and foundries. This presentation highlights INACO as a practical, scalable platform for joint development, PoC activities, and high-volume production of next-generation optical engines.Authors: Yohei Sakano, Yasuhito Tanaka, Yosuke Inase, Naoki Isobe, Hironori Sugata, Hiroyuki Takanashi, Ken Tamura, Takuya Sugawara |
| 13:25 – 13:45 AI use cases in broadband access networks |
| Maxim Kuschnerov, Huawei Technologies |
 AI applications will transform FTTH service portfolios, enabling providers to deliver value far beyond raw bandwidth and basic entertainment offerings. Agentic AI as a Service, operated from the network edge, brings low-latency, localized, and secure inference to residential and business users—while leveraging the distributed computing and power infrastructure of central offices. Furthermore, AI drives Quality on Demand by making service quality deterministic and optimizing throughput across FTTR/WiFi scenarios. Finally, AI enables self-optimizing networks through closed-loop experience assurance and intelligent energy management, reducing OPEX without compromising performance. |
| 14:00 – 15:00 Technical Insights Into Near Packaged Optics (NPO) |
| IPEC: Lu Liu, CAICT; Mingwang Mao, Meituan; Haijiang Yu, Genuine Optics; Toshiyasu Ito, Yamaichi Electronics; Huafa Gao, Netonx |
 NPO has emerged as a critical technology underpinning AI infrastructure and is poised for real‑world deployment. This session analyzes the latest technical and industrial progress, standardization trends, and application feasibility of NPO from multiple dimensions including network architecture, optical engines, connectors, and liquid cooling. |
| 15:05 – 15:35 Pluggable or embedded? Case studies from real world deployments |
| Fady Masoud and Oriol Bertran Pardo, Nokia |
 
This session presents real-world case studies from recent deployments to evaluate the practical trade-offs and the benefits of deploying embedded optical engines and 800G ZR/ZR+ coherent pluggables. Speakers will analyze actual data on CapEx, OpEx, including power efficiency and other data-driven insights to help network architects choose the right solution set for their next-generation network deployments. |
| 15:40 – 17:00 ECOC Awards Presentation |
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Come along, show your support and celebrate the innovation shaping the future of optical communications! |
Tuesday 22nd September |
| 09:35 – 09:55 Scaling and Automation for E-PIC Device-Agnostic High-Volume Wafer & Die Testing, Future-Proofing, and Industry-Standardization Compliance |
| Lawrence van der Vegt, MPI Corporation |
 The rapid growth of AI and hyperscale data-center infrastructure is accelerating the adoption of diverse integrated photonics and co-packaged optics (CPO) architectures. This evolution requires scalable, automated, and future-proof test methodologies across the complete electro-photonic design and manufacturing ecosystem. Particular challenges arise in wafer- and die-level testing of heterogeneous and double-sided electro-optic integrated devices, where throughput, accuracy and repeatability, data interoperability, and platform compatibility are critical. This presentation discusses key challenges and enabling technologies for device-agnostic, industry-standardized photonic test solutions spanning R&D, validation, qualification, and high-volume manufacturing environments. |
| 10:00 – 10:20 Scaling Silicon Photonics and Co-Packaged Optics Test for High-Volume Manufacturing |
| Dimitri Malsam, Advantest Europe |
 Silicon photonics (SiPh) and co-packaged optics (CPO) are transitioning from exploratory development into high-volume manufacturing, creating new requirements for scalable, repeatable, and cost-efficient production test. Early deployments between 2024 and 2026 relied on highly customized optical test setups that enabled rapid learning but exposed limitations in automation, calibration effort, test-cell integration, and overall throughput.
As leading device manufacturers move toward volume ramp, the industry must shift from flexible laboratory configurations to standardized, production-ready architectures that support stable electro-optical performance across sites and suppliers. This paper examines the current state of SiPh and CPO test and outlines a practical roadmap for scaling toward high-volume manufacturing. Key focus areas include tighter integration of optical instrumentation with automated test equipment, robust optical loss calibration, standardized rack and test-cell designs, laser safety, supplier qualification, and minimization of critical optical impairments such as polarization-dependent loss. The paper also discusses the growing impact of increasing fiber counts, complex test content, and multi-site production requirements on test time and cost of test. Traditional rack-and-stack instrumentation is increasingly constrained by limited parallelism and communication overhead, making synchronized ATE-based optical test architectures essential for efficient manufacturing. Scalable per-lane resources, high parallel efficiency, flexible resource assignment, and modulation- and protocol-agnostic operation are identified as key enablers for future production test flows. By moving from instrument-centric setups to integrated, automated, and standardized test architectures, the industry can improve throughput, reduce operator dependency, and support the broad adoption of SiPh and CPO technologies in high-volume manufacturing. |
| 10:25 – 11:25 |
| Nokia Open XR Forum |
| 11:30 – 11:50 Intelligent Optical Route Protection for Resilient and Quantum-Safe Transport Networks |
| Fernando Gutiérrez, FIBERNET S.L and Diego Rios, Luxqaunta |
 Optical transport networks require increasingly resilient and secure infrastructures to support critical services. This Product Focus introduces an intelligent optical route protection solution that enables automatic fiber path protection and fast service restoration while maintaining operational simplicity. The presentation will also discuss the evolution of the platform towards quantum-safe transport, including support for post-quantum cryptography and a roadmap for future QKD integration, addressing emerging security requirements without disrupting existing network architectures |
| 11:55 – 12:15 Taking OCS from scale-out to scale-up |
| Maximilian Thürmer, Salience |
 Optical circuit switches are a key technology to build energy efficient AI infrastructure. With multi-rack scale-up domains and the availability of copackaged optics, for instance based on OCI-MSA, OCS technology is bound to make its debut in scale-up networks. This presentation highlights why OCS enabled scale-up networks are boosting energy efficiency and even inference decode performance, especially at larger scale. |
| 12:25 – 12:45 Photonics Innovation scaled at the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart |
| Niels Quack, IMS Chips |
 The future of photonics and microelectronics relies on effective transfer from discovery-driven research to market-driven applications. This talk highlights how cross-disciplinary micro- and nano-engineering accelerates scalable innovation from device concepts to system-level solutions. |
| 12:50 – 13:10 Enabling the Next Phase of AI Infrastructure |
| Steven Alleston, OpenLight Photonics |
 Advances in heterogeneously integrated silicon photonics technology are enabling higher levels of photonic integration, delivering greater bandwidth density, lower power consumption, and shorter interconnect paths. As AI workloads continue to drive unprecedented growth in bandwidth and power requirements, these capabilities are positioning integrated photonics as a key enabler of next-generation AI infrastructure and high-performance computing systems.This presentation will explore the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling photonic integration for high-volume deployment and examine how these advances are shaping the future of AI systems and data center architectures as data rates move to 400Gb/s. |
| 13:15 – 14:00 The Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum Overview and Latest Work |
| Yoshitake Tajima, Director, NTT, Takehiro Tsuritani, Executive Director, KDDI, Hideki Nishizawa, Senior Research Engineer, NTT, Yu Tanaka, Senior Manager, 1FINITY
IOWN Global Forum |
   
The Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum is driving the transition from electronic to photonic technologies, enabling major improvements in performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability.The Forum unites global industry leaders, researchers, and visionaries to advance photonics-based infrastructure with economic and operational benefits. The forum currently consists of approximately 170 organizations and members collaborate to address challenges in data center energy consumption, AI workloads, and computing demands. Several IOWN Global Forum experts are participating in this session, and you can learn about the Forum, latest activities and developments of Open All-Photonics Network, Digital Twin Computing, etc. For more detail: Home – IOWN Global Forum Speakers: Yoshitake Tajima, Director, NTT Takehiro Tsuritani, Executive Director, KDDI: Building an Open and Interoperable APN Ecosystem for AI Infrastructure This presentation introduces recent demonstrations and PoCs, including inter-orchestrator coordination, PtMP networking over APN, and joint initiatives with OCP to enable open, interoperable optical infrastructures.
Hideki Nishizawa, Senior Research Engineer, NTT: Introduction to the Open All-Photonics Network in IOWN: From Architecture to Commercial Deployment The IOWN initiative envisions a future communication infrastructure capable of supporting emerging AI-driven and data-intensive services through highly scalable, energy-efficient photonic networking. Open All-Photonics Network (Open APN) is a key technology framework within this vision, enabling open and interoperable optical transport infrastructures across multiple vendors and domains. Yu Tanaka, Senior Manager, 1FINITY |
| 14:05 – 14:25 NPO Interconnect as the Pragmatic Strategy for CPO Scale-Up |
| Alon Sella, New Photonics |
 NPO is emerging as the practical choice for scaling interconnect from pluggables to co-packaged optics. And with the right PIC design characteristics, near-packaged optics interconnect will be a long-term, reliable CPO solution.
Yet the debate continues: Is NPO connectivity possible at low enough signal integrity? Can smaller packaging still accommodate cumbersome and complex lasers? Overcoming these barriers is essential to address the roadmap gap on the way to scale-up CPO. Newphotonics® will present a pragmatic approach to NPO PIC chip design that eliminates ELS with an integrated, reliable laser source, and mitigates signal integrity with the OSPic® all-optical signal processor, in a compact and economical solution for meeting AI application demands for high speed, low power interconnect in switch infrastructure. |
| 14:30 – 16:00 PICs for Quantum-Secure Communication |
Opening remarks by hosts Abdul Rahim, PhotonDelta, Ivan Nikitski, EPIC and Chigo Okonkwo, CUbIQ Technologies |
 From Quantum-Secure Communication to the Quantum Internet: Why Integrated Photonics Matters
Matheus Ribeiro-Sena, Deutsche Telekom AG As quantum communication evolves beyond quantum-secure links toward the quantum internet, network operators will play a central role in interconnecting quantum devices such as quantum computers, quantum sensors, and quantum clocks over existing optical infrastructures. Integrated photonics is a key enabler of this vision, providing scalable, compact, and reliable implementations of the quantum functionalities required for carrier-grade networks. This talk presents a network operator’s perspective on the evolution toward the quantum internet, highlighting recent advances in metropolitan field deployments, coexistence with classical traffic, and the opportunities that integrated photonics brings to future optical networks.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a leading technology for achieving communication security, as it enables direct monitoring of channel confidentiality. Following two decades of development and field validation, QKD has matured into a reliable technology, with commercial products available and the first quantum-secure networks being deployed worldwide. Nevertheless, widespread adoption of QKD requires a robust, scalable, and interoperable quantum communication infrastructure capable of meeting demanding requirements for performance, cost, and deployment. Photonic integration provides a powerful route to address these challenges by miniaturizing complex optical systems onto compact chips that offer high reproducibility and reduced footprint, while matching the performance of state-of-the-art discrete optics devices. In this presentation, we explore how key QKD building blocks, including transmitters, receivers, and quantum random number generators, can be realized using integrated photonic technologies. We discuss how different integration strategies, including monolithic and hybrid approaches, can be tailored to the requirements of different segments of communication networks, from access and metro links to core network infrastructure. We then examine the integration of QKD into existing security infrastructures, reviewing hybrid QKD and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) approaches to create robust and modular cryptosystems, and highlighting the importance of hardware interoperability and standardized interfaces to reduce lifecycle costs, facilitate deployment, and accelerate adoption.
The widespread adoption of quantum key distribution (QKD) has been limited by the cost and complexity of existing hardware. Continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD), leveraging coherent optical communication technology, offers a scalable path through photonic integration. This presentation highlights recent progress toward commercial chip-scale CV-QKD implementations.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a leading technology for achieving communication security, as it enables direct monitoring of channel confidentiality. Following two decades of development and field validation, QKD has matured into a reliable technology, with commercial products available and the first quantum-secure networks being deployed worldwide. Nevertheless, widespread adoption of QKD requires a robust, scalable, and interoperable quantum communication infrastructure capable of meeting demanding requirements for performance, cost, and deployment. Photonic integration provides a powerful route to address these challenges by miniaturizing complex optical systems onto compact chips that offer high reproducibility and reduced footprint, while matching the performance of state-of-the-art discrete optics devices. In this presentation, we explore how key QKD building blocks, including transmitters, receivers, and quantum random number generators, can be realized using integrated photonic technologies. We discuss how different integration strategies, including monolithic and hybrid approaches, can be tailored to the requirements of different segments of communication networks, from access and metro links to core network infrastructure. We then examine the integration of QKD into existing security infrastructures, reviewing hybrid QKD and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) approaches to create robust and modular cryptosystems, and highlighting the importance of hardware interoperability and standardized interfaces to reduce lifecycle costs, facilitate deployment, and accelerate adoption.
Closing remarks by hosts |
| 16:05 – 16:25 Scaling Silicon Photonics Platforms: Foundry PDKs and Ecosystems for 400G and Beyond |
| Robert Blum, Lightwave Logic, Inc |
 Electro-optic materials have reached key milestones in performance, stability, and manufacturability. Enabling commercial adoption now depends on seamless integration into silicon photonics foundries, photonic PDKs, and the broader design ecosystem. We will highlight recent progress in foundry integration, PDK development, and ecosystem enablement, and discuss how optical design engineers can leverage these advances to achieve higher bandwidth, lower power consumption, and scalable manufacturing for next-generation photonic integrated circuits. We will also highlight the requirements for silicon photonics foundries to incorporate this class of materials in their process and how this enables high bandwidth density optical interfaces for scale out and scale up optical networking. |
| 16:30 – 16:50 Enabling Scalable Semiconductor Manufacturing : Laser-Based Trimming and Cleaning |
| Simon Duval, Femtum |
 The AI boom is driving unprecedented demand for silicon photonics, yet the industry faces a critical bottleneck: wafer yields range from 30–80% due to nanometer-scale process variations, while thermal phase shifters waste up to 30% of die power compensating for those imperfections — translating into megawatts of unnecessary consumption per data center. Femtum’s wafer-level laser trimming permanently corrects these phase errors, drastically reducing the need for compensation circuitry. Already integrated into commercial wafer-test platforms, our solution unlocks higher yields, lower power consumption, simpler designs, and faster time-to-market — addressing core requirements for scaling silicon photonics to meet hyperscaler and AI infrastructure roadmaps. |
Wednesday 23rd September |
| 09:35 – 09:55 Advanced Metrology Solutions for Fiber Optic & Photonic Connectivity |
| David Priebe, Werth Messtechnik GmbH |
 This presentation introduces advanced measurement technologies for the precise and efficient inspection of fiber optic and photonic connectivity components. Optical sensors, high-precision microprobes, X-ray computed tomography (CT), and multisensor metrology are presented through selected application examples. The focus is on combining high accuracy and measurement speed for dimensional inspection from development to production. |
| 10:00 – 12:30 EPIC TechWatch at ECOC |
| The EPIC TechWatch is part of the Product Focus program at ECOC Exhibition, bringing attention to the technologies and product developments shaping the future of optical communications and photonics.
Taking place on Wednesday, 23 September, this session will feature EPIC member companies exhibiting at ECOC, who will present their latest solutions for the optical communications ecosystem — photonic components, integrated photonics, fiber technologies, optical systems, data center connectivity, network infrastructure and related enabling technologies. The session offers visitors a concise overview of new products, live demonstrations and technology announcements from EPIC members. It is designed for attendees who want to quickly discover what EPIC members are bringing to the market and how their technologies contribute to the next generation of optical networks, data transmission and connectivity. Welcome and introduction by EPIC – Ivan Nikitski, Technnology Expert for Quantum and Integrated Photonics 10:00 – 10:15 Focuslight – Co-Design Optics and Components for the ELSFP & NPO/CPO Ecosystem – Wilfried Noell, Chief Scientist (Switzerland / China) Closing words by EPIC – Ivan Nikitski, Technology Expert for Quantum and Integrated Photonics Website: https://epic-photonics.com/events/epic-techwatch-at-ecoc-2026/ |
| 12:35 – 12:55 Enable better AI model performance with all-optical networking |
| Jim Finch, Salience |
 Exploring the latest trends in AI datacenters and how they impact new technology requirements in 2027 and beyond with a networking focus. Why networking technology is becoming increasingly important driving the next generation of advances in rack level AI product offerings. Highlight where silicon photonics based all optical switching drive performance advances and improved financials into this emerging eco-system. Addresses key OCS adoption challenges and summarizes where and why OCS technology will be utilized. |
| 13:00 – 13:40 Architecting the Mobile Optical Future in the AI Era |
| Moderator: Stefan Dahlfort, Ericsson and MOPA; Mark Watts, Verizon; Per Beming, Ericsson; Andrew Bender, Nokia; Raza Khan, Semtech and MOP |
| How AI’s Uplink Surge is Reshaping Optical Bandwidth Requirements for 5G-Advanced and 6G Cloud-assisted AI applications are driving a 3–5× surge in mobile uplink capacity requirements — a shift that lands hardest on fronthaul networks and is accelerating the industry past the 50G inflection point toward 100G. This session brings together perspectives from [operator/vendor/optical & IC supply chain] to explore what’s driving this uplink revolution, why fronthaul is uniquely exposed compared to midhaul and backhaul, and what operators and vendors need to do now to be ready for 6G deployment in 2030. |
| 14:00 – 14:45 Inside the AI Fabric: Scaling the Networks Behind Tomorrow’s AI Factories |
| Endeavor Panel Session |
| Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how data centers are designed. As AI factories evolve from clusters of thousands of GPUs to infrastructures supporting hundreds of thousands of accelerators, the network fabric has become one of the defining constraints on performance, scalability, power efficiency, and cost.
Building these environments requires more than faster optics. Operators must balance scale-up architectures within AI clusters, scale-out networking across massive GPU fabrics, and increasingly scale-across strategies that connect distributed training environments into a unified AI infrastructure. At the same time, technologies including co-packaged optics (CPO), linear pluggable optics (LPO), silicon photonics, optical engines, advanced packaging, and next-generation Ethernet are rapidly reshaping what’s possible inside the data center. This panel brings together a leading AI infrastructure operator alongside experts to discuss how tomorrow’s AI fabrics are being designed today. Together, they’ll explore which technologies are ready for deployment, where the industry’s biggest bottlenecks remain, how networks are validated and operated at unprecedented scale, and which architectural decisions organizations should make now to prepare for the next generation of AI infrastructure. Attendees will gain practical insight into the optical and networking innovations enabling tomorrow’s AI factories, while hearing first hand how operators are balancing immediate deployment requirements with long-term architectural roadmaps. Moderator: Peter Fretty, Lightwave & Data Center Frontier Panelists: Neel Patel – Vice President of Nokia Optical Sub-systems & Components, Nokia Christian Urricariet, Senior Director, Product and Strategic Marketing, Lumentum Rishi Chugh, Vice President and General Manager, Data Center Switch Business, Marvell |
| 14:50 – 15:10 The Quantum Secure Solution: Quantum-authenticated communications for broad applications in security |
| Massimo DiBlasio, Quantum Computing Inc |
 Quantum Computing Inc. (QCi) has developed a suite of products designed to address current and emerging cybersecurity threats by leveraging multiple quantum cryptographic protocols to reduce or eliminate reliance on classical authentication and encryption methods that may be vulnerable to quantum algorithmic attacks. The modules, ranging from entanglement sources to quantum authentication, offer a compact, modular approach to addressing the very real threats to future communications security that are posed by quantum attacks. The platform delivers a comprehensive, quantum-safe, end-to-end solution for next-generation secure communications, both in the form of a full system or standalone modules, secured with comprehensive quantum information authentication. |
| 15:15 – 15:35 External Cavity hybrid laser for high power, multiwavelength external light source |
| Raju Kankipati, POET Technologies Inc |
 A ground-breaking ELS solution, POET Blazar™ is a highly integrated hybrid laser designed to power both CPO and high-bandwidth, chip-to-chip, light-based data communications links. The high-power, multi-channel Blazar is proving to be a viable alternative to traditional DFB laser-based solutions. Wafer-level chip-scale technology significantly lowers the cost of the light source compared to competing options, provides larger scale and better reliability, and increases the effective supply of Indium Phosphide. Since it was publicly demonstrated at the 2026 OFC Conference, Blazar has rapidly advanced to become a cornerstone of POET Technologies’ photonics-centric product portfolio. |
| 15:40 – 16:00 Typical OCS Technology, Application and Some Thoughts |
| Kai Li, Guangdong Xichang Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd |
 Mainly introduce MEMS and SiPh Platform OCS. Applications is focused on dragonfly/boardfly structure and discuss unique value of P2P OCS. Lastly, share the thoughts on OCS cost performance and team core capability requirements. |
Don’t miss the chance to discover this year’s winners as they are announced live at the awards ceremony on Monday 21 September at 15:40 in the Product Focus Theatre. Join fellow industry professionals to celebrate the achievements of this year’s nominees, meet the innovators behind the technology and be among the first to find out who takes home an ECOC Exhibition Industry Award.
Enabling Global Quantum Secure Communications with Photonic Integrated Circuits
Chip-Scale Quantum Key Distribution
Manufacturable Narrow-Linewidth LightProduct Focus Speakers
Steven Alleston
Steven Alleston is Senior Director of Business Development at OpenLight Photonics, where he drives adoption of the company’s open silicon photonics platform that incorporates monolithically integrated lasers, modulators, amplifiers, and other active components. His work centers on enabling high performance photonic integrated circuits for applications such as datacom, high performance computing, and LiDAR, with a focus on scalable manufacturing, optical efficiency, and system level integration. Steven has held a variety of engineering, product management, and strategy roles across the optics industry. His experience includes designing and developing DWDM systems for core and metro networks, managing client optics portfolios, and shaping integration strategies for IP and optical technologies. Before joining OpenLight, Steven served as a Senior Product Manager and Director of Engineering at Juniper Networks, and previously held similar positions at Ericsson and Marconi. He holds a PhD from the University of Essex in the UK and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
John Anderton
20+ years leading global product and demand teams, turning complex tech into revenue with Tier 1 brands across the semiconductor and photonics industries.
Robert Blum
Dr. Robert Blum joined Lightwave Logic in May 2025 as its Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, bringing extensive direct industry expertise in silicon photonics, polymers, AI, and semiconductors. He has over 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and sales at some of the world’s largest semiconductor and silicon photonics companies, along with a demonstrated track record in customer acquisition and accelerating revenue growth. Robert earned his MS in Physics at TU Darmstadt in Germany and his Ph.D. in Physics/Electrical Engineering from Hamburg University of Technology. He was also a visiting scholar at Stanford University in California.
Massimo DiBlasio
Massimo Di Blasio is the Director of Business Development for Quantum Computing Inc (QCi), where he focuses on business development and product line management for quantum communications, reservoir computing, and next-generation photonic and quantum-enabled networking and component technologies. He received his B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering from Concordia University and Ph.D. in matériaux de l'électronique et de l'ionique du solide from Université de Montpellier II.
Jörn Epping
Jörn Epping has extensive work experience in the field of quantum technology and photonics. Jörn is currently the interim CEO and co-founder of Twin Photonics and co-founder of Epiphany Design. Before Jörn worked at QuiX Quantum as head of R&D hardware and managing director of its German subsidiary as well as project manager at LioniX International. Throughout their career, Jörn has demonstrated expertise in project management, design engineering, and quantum technology. He received his PhD from University of Twente on the topic of integrated nonlinear photonics. Jörn has made significant contributions to the development of quantum technologies and integrated photonics in various roles.
Jim Finch
Jim Finch is a seasoned entrepreneur who loves the challenge of creating unique product strategies, recruiting the execution teams and managing the overall process to grow successful businesses from ground zero. Having built $100M enterprises in both large companies and tiny startups, Jim has a consistently strong track record of success. Having the opportunity to work alongside great engineers, technologists and business leaders is what motivates him to build yet another company. Prior to his role as VP Commercial and Marketing Strategy at Salience Labs, Jim has spent greater than twenty five years in a wide variety of leadership roles including CEO, GM, and VP roles in Marketing, Business Development and Sales. He was the Co-founder and CEO of a successful wireless business with greater than 3 Billion units shipped since inception, built Broadcom’s Ethernet Switch business to over $100M from ground zero (within five years exceeding $1 Billion).
Huafa Gao
F.H. Gao brings over 20 years of experience in fluid connection technologies, specializing in QD, hydraulic systems and liquid cooling solutions. Previously Technical Director at CEJN, he oversaw technology strategy formulation, product innovation and R&D management. Currently with Netonx, he focuses on developing safer liquid cooling quick connectors to address advanced cooling demands for data centers, energy systems and industrial applications.
Fernando Gutiérrez
Fernando Gutiérrez holds a Master's Degree in Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Zaragoza, Spain, and a Ph.D. in Optical Communications from Dublin City University, Ireland. Throughout his career, he has worked on multidisciplinary engineering projects involving electronics, photonics, RF systems, and digital signal processing across industrial, professional electronics, and space applications. He has held roles including Design Engineer and Design Authority, and is currently R&D Director at Fibernet, where he leads the development of advanced optical transport and networking solutions.
Toshiyasu Ito
Toshiyasu Ito is a Fellow of Yamaichi Electronics Co., Ltd. After 2004, he began the design of Tele- communication market connectors. After 2008, he join CFP-MSA, and Making the form-factor of specification for CFP2, CFP4, CFP8, DSFP-MSA connector and Mechanisms. He is studying High speed design and Mechanical design of these connector and Mezzanine connector for 112, 224 and 448G PAM now.
Raju Kankipati
Raju Kankipati is currently the Chief Revenue officer at POET Technologies. He has over 25 years of experience in Optical transceivers, Optical components, Cloud data center and Optical networks. His experience includes MACOM where he was the Senior Director of Product Management for optical components, such as laser, photodetectors, silicon photonics, and photonic solutions. Prior to that, Raju worked at Arista Networks as a Senior Product Manager and Engineering Manager where he collaborated closely with data center customers to bring unique switching products as well as Optical transceivers to market. Raju worked as a Product Manager at Cisco prior to joining Arista. Raju started his career as an Optics Engineer at Opnext in Japan (now part of Lumentum) and later held various roles in sales and marketing at the company. Raju received his MBA degree from UC Berkeley (Haas School of Business) and completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics from BITS, Pilani in India
Vaysh Kewada
Vaysh is CEO and Founder of Salience Labs. Salience Labs is transforming the networking layer of AI datacenter infrastructure. Its all-optical switch technology enables low-latency, low-power networking that’s designed to scale across multiple racks and thousands of GPUs. Having worked in strategy and transformation for McKinsey & Company and as an entrepreneur in residence for Oxford Science Enterprises, Vaysh has brought Salience Labs to the forefront of Silicon Photonics as they address the necessity for dedicated hardware to scale AI infrastructure.
Mahesh Krishnaswamy
Mahesh has spent his career removing the constraints that keep people offline. As founder and CEO of Taara, he leads the company's mission to extend the world's connectivity fabric using light—from city-wide mesh networks to the places traditional infrastructure has never reached. Before founding Taara, he led manufacturing and supply chain for Project Loon at X, Alphabet’s Moonshot Factory, and built product teams at Apple and Motorola. He holds an MS in Electrical Engineering from Michigan State and an MBA from Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management.
Maxim Kuschnerov
Maxim is leading the optical research department of Huawei in Munich, Germany focusing on the topics of data center networks for AI, broadband access and metro networks. He has 20 years of experience in research, development and product management for optical communication networks, working at Siemens, Nokia Siemens Networks and Coriant before joining Huawei.
Lieven Levrau
Ing. Lieven Levrau is a seasoned Strategic Technology Consultant with over 25 years of experience in the telecommunications business. He received an M. Sc. degree in Applied Physics Photonics engineering (University of Brussels (V.U.B. 94) and he has studied Avionics. His work has been characterized by a desire to identify new market opportunities and construct unique technical solutions for company growth, demonstrating a consistent history of cultivating innovation and providing technical direction.
Kai Li
Dr. Kai Li, Founder and CEO of Xichang Intelligent Technology, has over 20 years of experience in optoelectronics R&D, integrated management, and marketing. He holds 30+ patents and formerly served as GM of a billion-yuan company. He now leads his team in advancing OCS products for all-optical switching.
Lu Liu
Senior engineer at the Institute of Technology and Standards, China Academy of Information and Communication Technology, with a Ph.D. from Peking University. She served as Chairperson of the Plugfest Working Group under the International Photonics & Electronics Committee (IPEC), and participated in the standardization activities of OIF, ITU-T SG15 and CCSA. She has been actively involved in technical research, standard development, and testing evaluation within the field of optical modules/devices/chips.
Dimitri Malsam
Dimitri Malsam is a Product Marketing Specialist at Advantest, focusing on photonic solutions. He brings close to 20 years of experience in the test and measurement industry, with a strong background in supporting and developing photonic test business across Europe. Dimitri holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Erlangen, Germany.
Mingwang Mao
Dr. Mao Mingwang is an optical network architect at Meituan, leading the architecture and solution design for optical interconnect products, encompassing product selection, certification testing, advanced technology research, and optical interconnect roadmap planning. With over 16 years of experience in R&D and technical management, he focuses on optical interconnect architectures for AI data centers. He holds deep expertise in ultra-high-speed optical modules (400G/800G/1.6T), optical circuit switching (OCS), LPO/NPO solutions, and end-to-end link design for large-scale AI infrastructure. He is dedicated to driving the adoption of next-generation optical interconnect solutions in hyperscale data centers to meet the evolving demands of AI networks.
Teresa Monteiro
Teresa Monteiro is Director of Marketing at Nokia, where she champions optical networking solutions and supports AI, cloud and telecommunication providers in optimizing their infrastructure. With over 20 years of experience in telecommunications and packet-optical technologies, she has held senior roles spanning engineering, product management, and marketing at Siemens, Coriant, and Infinera. Recognized for her expertise in network control and AI-driven automation, she is expanding her focus to optical subsystems and intra–data center connectivity. Teresa holds a PhD in Physics from the University of Hamburg.
Fady Masoud
Fady Masoud is a senior director for solutions marketing at Nokia focusing on next-generation intelligent coherent pluggable optics (ICE-X) and cloud /data center interconnect solutions. His area of expertise is the architecture and requirements of next-generation optical networking infrastructure. During his 30 years in the telecommunications industry, Fady has held various positions in the optical networking domain at Nortel, Ciena, Infinera, and now Nokia. He started as a hardware test engineer on the first OC-192 (10 Gb/s) systems and then was a systems and network engineer on optical transmission products, all combined with hands-on experience. Fady holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Laval University (Quebec City, Canada) and a master’s degree in systems technology (software simulation of optical networks) from the Superior School of Technology (Montreal, Canada). He has written numerous industry and technical publications such as for the IEEE, as well as a book on next-generation optical networking, cloud networking, and data center interconnect, as well as on many other key topics.
Hideki Nishizawa
Dr. Hideki Nishizawa is a Senior Research Engineer at NTT Network Innovation Laboratories, NTT Corporation, Japan. He received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Physics from Chiba University, Japan, in 1994 and 1996, respectively. He joined NTT Laboratories in 1996, where he has been engaged in research and development of open and disaggregated optical networking technologies and Optical Network Digital Twins (ONDTs). He also serves as the Coordinator of the Open APN Task Force in the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) Global Forum and Co-Leader of the Disaggregated Optical Systems (DOS) Subgroup in the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) Open Optical & Packet Transport (OOPT) Project Group. He received the Ph.D. degree in Information Science and Technology from Hokkaido University, Japan, in 2025. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE. His current research interests include open optical networking, Optical Network Digital Twins, AI-assisted optical network operations, and multi-vendor interoperability.
Taofiq Paraiso
Dr. Taofiq Paraïso is an Associate Principal Research Scientist at Toshiba Europe, Cambridge Research Lab, UK, where he leads research on quantum integrated photonic devices. He has over 20 years of academic and industrial research experience at the forefront of quantum photonics, semiconductor physics, light-matter interactions and nanofabrication. Before joining Toshiba, he pursued academic research at several world-leading institutions, including École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, California Institute of Technology, and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light. His research focused on fundamental and applied aspects of quantum optoelectronics, ultrafast spectroscopy, spintronics and cavity optomechanics. In his current role, Dr. Paraïso focuses on the development of advanced photonic circuits for scalable quantum-secure communications, including quantum key distribution (QKD) transceivers, quantum random number generators, and their integration into high-performance systems. His work has made significant contributions to the advancement of chip-based quantum communication platforms, bridging the gap between laboratory demonstration and real-world applications. This has led to numerous scientific publications and multiple patents in optical and quantum communication technologies. Beyond his research activities, Dr. Paraïso is an active contributor to the international quantum technology community and regularly supports the organization of major conferences and scientific events in quantum technologies.
Earl Parsons
Dr. Earl Parsons is the Director of Data Center Architecture Evolution at CommScope, an Amphenol company. He joined CommScope in 2014 as a Principal Optical Engineer. Prior to joining CommScope Earl received an MS and Ph.D. in optical sciences from the University of Arizona and was a Senior Member of Technical Staff at TE SubCom, formerly known as Tyco Telecommunications. Dr. Parsons also served as an editor of the IEEE 802.3db-2022 standard. His interests include multimode and single-mode fiber optic systems to enable artificial intelligence data centers.
Neel Patel
Neel Patel is 30 year veteran of the semiconductor industry. He is currently General Manager for Nokia Optical Component Technology, covering a range of internally developed solutions, including InP and SiPho PICs for inter and intra datacenter, CW lasers, coherent optical engines, DSP, EIC drivers, and the like. He also serves as leader for leading Applications Engineering for component and coherent pluggable solutions. Prior to joining the Infinera/Nokia He worked at Cisco as a hyper scale focused sales leader, and helped lead and start the sustained business of Cisco serving hyperscalers with data center component and other disaggregated solutions. He earned his BSEE from University California, Irvine.
David Priebe
David Priebe is Chief Operating Officer at Werth Inc., responsible for U.S. operations and strategic key account development. Since joining Werth in 2018, he has held international sales and business development roles covering Northern Europe and export markets, with a particular focus on the United States. His experience spans multisensor coordinate metrology and industrial computed tomography, supporting high-tech manufacturers in evaluating measurement solutions for demanding applications, including fiber optic and photonic connectivity.
Niels Quack
Prof. Dr. Niels Quack is Managing Director of IMS CHIPS, Head of the Institute (INES) at the University of Stuttgart, and Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney. He earned his MSc from EPFL and his PhD from ETH Zurich before holding research and academic positions at UC Berkeley, EPFL and the University of Sydney. His research focuses on micro- and nanosystems, integrated photonics, MEMS and advanced microfabrication for applications in optical communications, quantum technologies, high-performance computing and space systems. Prof. Quack has authored more than 150 scientific publications and is an inventor on seven patent applications.
Lian Qin
Lian Qin is Vice President, Optical and Copper Connectivity Group, at Marvell. In this role, she is responsible for the company's optical broadband product portfolio. She brings more than 25 years of experience in optical networking and connectivity technologies. Lian joined Marvell through the acquisition of Inphi, where she served as Associate Vice President of the Optical Interconnect Business Group. She began her career as an Applications Engineer at Vitesse. Lian holds master's degrees in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Northridge, and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Yohei Sakano
Yohei Sakano is a principal engineer of sputtering tool at SHINCRON Co., Ltd., Japan. He specializes in thin-film lithium niobate (LN) technologies, including sputter deposition, its crystallinity control, and device integration for photonic applications such as modulators and optical switches. His work focuses on enabling scalable LN-based platforms for next-generation photonic systems, including co-packaged optics (CPO).
Rui Santos
Rui Santos is Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Photon Bridge, where he leads the development of scalable multi-material photonic engines for AI datacenters and next-generation optical interconnects. With more than 20 years of experience in integrated photonics, Rui has worked at the forefront of photonic innovation at Eindhoven University of Technology, SMART Photonics. He has authored over 35 scientific publications and contributed to advances in semiconductor lasers, photonic integration, packaging, and high-density optical interconnects. At Photon Bridge, he is pioneering a novel manufacturing approach that combines the performance of III-V photonics with the scalability of silicon photonics, enabling the next generation of energy-efficient optical infrastructure for AI and communications.
Alon Sella
Alon Sella is Vice President of Products at NewPhotonics® where he develops the company roadmap and drives new product development for pluggable, NPO and CPO optical connectivity solutions. His expertise spans a range of multidisciplinary systems and product management in the semiconductor and optical Industry including at Intel and Kulick & Soffa. His career also includes experience working on venture capital investments in the optical communication space. Alon holds a B.A. and M.Sc. in Physics from Technion technical institute of Israel, and an MBA from Haifa University.
Matheus Sena
Dr. Matheus Sena is a Business Expert and R&D Architect for Quantum Networks at Deutsche Telekom’s T-Labs in Berlin. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from TU Berlin and works on the design, integration, and testing of quantum technologies for fiber-based telecom networks. His research focuses on entanglement distribution, Quantum Internet protocols, hybrid classical-quantum networks, and the evolution toward the Quantum Internet. He has authored invited papers and delivered invited talks at leading international conferences, including ECOC and OFC.
Yoshitake Tajima
Yoshitake Tajima is a director of the NTT IOWN Development Office and is in charge of operation of IOWN Global Forum. He is NTT's Director Alternate and Recruitment Taskforce leader at IOWN Global Forum. Since joining NTT in 1999, he has been engaged in R&D for more than 25 years at NTT Laboratories in the areas of network security, data analysis, and computational infrastructure. Since 2020, he has directed IOWN technology development at NTT IOWN Integrated Innovation Center.
Yu Tanaka
Senior Manager, 1FINITY
Maximilian Thürmer
Max holds two master degrees, one in Computer Science with specialization in hardware design for high performance computing networks from the University of Mannheim and one in Physics with specialization in semiconductor device physics from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He also holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Heidelberg with his doctoral father Prof. Dr. Ulrich Brüning being one of Europe’s leading experts in the field of high-performance computing and computer architecture. Max’ focus during his PhD lay on novel mixed-signal design and verification methodologies specifically targeting high speed SerDes IP. Max has 10+ years of experience in the semiconductor industry and played a central role in building up the mixed-signal design and architecture teams of EXTOLL, a leading SerDes IP company based in Mannheim, Germany. His responsibilities covered a large vertical stack in the field of broadband communication systems, including but not limited to the definition of hardware interfaces, software APIs, IP architecture conception, full-custom analog and mixed-signal design in deep submicron process nodes, hardware prototyping, PCB and package design as well as advanced mathematical verification strategies for broadband systems with complex equalization and clock data recovery structures. Max joined Salience in February 2023 where he is heading the System Architecture team and is working on novel concepts to AI workload emulation, OCS based networking in AI clusters and fast optical circuit switching.
Takehiro Tsuritani
Takehiro Tsuritani joined KDDI Cooperation in 1997 where he has been engaged in the development of submarine optical cable systems, and then the research and development (R&D) of long-haul wavelength-division multiplexing transmission systems, control and management for all-optical networks, and space-division multiplexing technologies. He is currently an executive director of KDDI Research Inc. and leading R&D of photonic networks and devices. He is serving as a member of Industry Event & Conventions Taskforce of IOWN Global Forum.
Yumeng Yang
Dr. Yumeng Yang is a Technical Expert at Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, where he focuses on high-speed Ethernet, data center and campus networking, and next-generation interconnect technologies for AI infrastructure. His work bridges Ethernet physical-layer architecture, channel technologies, link performance analysis, and optical-electrical co-design for high-speed data center applications. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cambridge, has filed more than 70 patent applications, and is the author of two books.
Haijiang Yu
Dr. Haijiang Yu is a global leader in silicon photonics and high-speed optical module solutions for AI data centers and supercomputing. Prior to joining Genuine Optics, Dr. Yu has worked 20 years in AMD/Spansion, COSEMI and INTEL in silicon valley with deep R&D expertise in semiconductors and optical communications. As a prolific innovator, he has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers and holds 30+ patents in Semiconductors and silicon photonic transceivers. At Genuine Optics, he has led transformative breakthroughs: launching in-house 200G/lane SiPh 1.6T modules for mass deployment, and developing cutting-edge technologies of 400G/lane and 3.2T Near/Co-packaged Optics (NPO/CPO).
Lawrence van der Vegt
Lawrence van der Vegt is a seasoned optics and photonics professional with decades of experience spanning optical test, measurement, semiconductor instrumentation, and integrated photonics technologies. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Netherlands and has held a variety of senior technical, business development, and directorial leadership positions at leading optical test and measurement companies in both Europe and the United States. Throughout his career, Lawrence has been actively involved in the advancement of photonic device characterization, automated test solutions, and high-performance optical interconnect technologies supporting telecommunications, datacom, semiconductor, and emerging AI infrastructure applications. His expertise spans electro-optic device testing, wafer- and die-level photonics characterization, co-packaged optics (CPO), automated instrumentation platforms, and scalable manufacturing test methodologies. Based in Newbury Park, Southern California, Lawrence currently serves as Head of Photonics at MPI Corporation, where he leads and supports global photonics initiatives across research, development, strategic partnerships, and advanced photonic test solutions.