Lumentum, Corning, and Astera Labs to Demonstrate Optics
The companies plan to showcase PCIe-over-optics technology during the 2026 OCP Global Summit in California.
Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Data Centers
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Lumentum, Corning, and Astera Labs will demonstrate new PCIe-over-optics capabilities at the 2026 OCP Global Summit. The project marks a collaborative effort to advance data link efficiency using specialized optical hardware.
Why it matters
This collaboration aims to test high-speed data transmission standards by repurposing proven manufacturing frameworks. The move could signal a shift toward integrating mobile sensor technologies into large-scale data center infrastructure.
The system utilizes optical engines integrated with vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers and photodetector arrays. This architecture leverages a production framework originally established for smartphone 3D sensing.
The players
Lumentum
Lumentum is an optical and photonic products company specializing in components for telecommunications, data centers, and consumer electronics.
Corning
Corning is a materials science manufacturer known for its work in glass, ceramics, and optical communications technologies.
Astera Labs
Astera Labs is a semiconductor company that produces connectivity solutions for high-performance computing and data center infrastructure.
The details
The demonstration will feature a data link powered by Lumentum's proprietary optical engines. By adapting high-volume manufacturing techniques from the mobile sector, the partners aim to bring optical data transmission to PCIe standards.
Timeline
The OCP Global Summit presentation is scheduled for 2026.
The Tech Race
The transition toward optical interconnects represents a fundamental shift in how data centers handle rapidly increasing bandwidth demands. This development directly competes with legacy copper cabling, which faces significant physical limitations as data speeds scale higher.
The implementation of optical data links could eventually lead to faster and more energy-efficient cloud services for end users. Industry adoption of this technology may accelerate the deployment of high-performance computing clusters that power modern artificial intelligence applications.
The takeaway
Advancements in optical components are increasingly derived from existing high-volume consumer tech manufacturing. Industry professionals should monitor how this intersection of mobile and enterprise hardware impacts the future of high-speed server interconnects.
Further reading
For additional insights into current hardware trends, visit our Data Centers section.
Live Poll
Would you choose high-speed optical connections for your personal computing hardware?
