Tech Firms Unveiled New Optical Interconnects
Innovations in optical communication were showcased at the European Conference on Optical Communications in Málaga.
Updated on Sept. 23, 2026 in Data Centers
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Major technology companies demonstrated new optical interconnect solutions designed to support AI infrastructure at the European Conference on Optical Communications. These advancements aim to overcome critical bandwidth, power, and thermal limitations within modern data centers.
Why it matters
As AI architectures continue to scale, these optical technologies provide the necessary high-speed data transmission required to maintain efficient, low-power processing environments. By addressing physical constraints, these solutions help data center operators manage increasing hardware demands.
Avicena demonstrated a 335-channel microLED interconnect, while Lumentum showcased an eight-channel ELSFP module operating at 250 mW per wavelength. These systems utilize specific optical bands, including 1311 nm and 1331 nm centers.
The players
Avicena
This company specializes in the development of high-speed microLED-based optical interconnects for data centers.
Lumentum
A provider of optical and photonic products that developed the eight-wavelength DWDM laser module presented at the conference.
Coherent
This global technology leader specializes in materials, networking, and lasers and presented its integrated optics platform at the event.
Qualcomm Technologies
This multinational corporation is a leading designer and manufacturer of wireless technology and semiconductor products.
Corning
A global leader in materials science, this company focuses on specialized glass, ceramics, and optical physics solutions.
The details
Companies such as Avicena, Lumentum, Coherent, and Solinide Photonics displayed hardware ranging from ferrule-optimized fiber connectors to frequency comb generators. This collective effort focuses on die-to-die connectivity and high-density integration to streamline AI scale-up architectures.
Timeline
September 2026: The European Conference on Optical Communications took place in Málaga, Spain.
The Tech Race
The introduction of these optical solutions signals a fundamental shift away from legacy electrical interconnects in data centers. This evolution is driven by the industry-wide arms race to support increasingly massive AI and machine learning workloads.
These technical advancements improve the efficiency of the massive AI models that users interact with daily by reducing energy and heat overhead. For data center operators and tech developers, these tools offer new ways to scale compute capacity without immediate physical hardware bottlenecks.
The takeaway
The move toward advanced optical interconnects is essential for the future of scalable AI infrastructure. Industry developers should focus on overcoming current integration challenges to bring these high-capacity prototypes into mass production.
Further reading
Learn more about the infrastructure powering modern AI in our Data Centers section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Optics.
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