OFC 2025, San Francisco — The advent of AI is creating new opportunities for the optical networking market. A marriage of AI and optical is being driven on two fronts: optical vendors are building networking gear to connect data centers, and they are also connecting devices inside data centers.
There is certainly a lot at stake that is driving new trends in AI for the optical networking field. Cignal AI revealed that spending on Datacom optical components continues to rise, as AI applications of 400GbE and 800GbE optical modules drive demand to record levels. AI is also driving new trends in optical wavelength services.
Led by AT&T, Lumen, Verizon, Cogent, and regional providers such as Summit Broadband, Vertical Systems Group forecasts that optical wavelength revenue in the U.S. is driven by strong customer demand for retail gigabit circuits, spurred by the implementation of AI.
During this year’s OFC trade show, Lightwave+BTR will once again hold a roundtable discussion on AI based on our latest survey of networking experts.
Join Lightwave+BTR for an interactive discussion with industry experts on the intersection of AI and optics at OFC.
Moderated by Sean Buckley, Editor-in-Chief of Lightwave+BTR, the panel will discuss industry trends and outline the challenges faced by optical networking companies in building the technology that drives the AI movement. The panel will include a mix of industry experts in the optical networking arena:
· Matt Adams, Senior Product Manager, VIAVI Solutions
· Darius Bunandar, PhD, Founder, Chief Scientist, Lightmatter
· Dr. David Calhoun, Technical Director of Advanced Engineering, Belden | Precision Optical Technologies
· Todd Haugen, CEO, Enablence
· Tobias Müller, Chief Commercial Officer, AIXEMTEC GmbH
· Terry Thorn, Vice President of Commercial Operations, Ayar Labs
And just in case you can’t make it live during OFC, don’t worry. We’ll hold an encore presentation of the event in a webinar format on April 10, 2025.
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Sean Buckley
Sean is responsible for establishing and executing the editorial strategies of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report across their websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products.