Optics and AI
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TRUMPF@TRUMPF_NewsOptics industryPicksAI score5959
Why we recommend it: Order growth coincided with higher margins. Combined with the semiconductor and data center demand cited in the press release headline, this offers a read on the changing fortunes of laser equipment makers.
XREAL 👓@XREAL_GlobalOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6363
Why we recommend it: The post lists upgrades including brightness, 3D frame rate and the X1 chip, making it useful to compare this iteration with the previous-generation XREAL One Pro.
Shanghai Fanchuangwei Technology's high-transparency optical AR glasses lens project has settled in Huangyan, Taizhou, to be carried out in two phases by Fanke Technology (Taizhou), with total investment of about RMB 550 million. Phase one, at about RMB 150 million, plans to complete an innovation center and pilot production line by 2027. Phase two, at about RMB 400 million, targets annual output of 100 tonnes of high-purity silicon carbide optical material by 2028. Aimed at AI glasses and AR terminals, the project covers the full chain from optical materials and etching processes to optical devices.
Why we recommend it: The source gives the investment figures for both phases, production line timelines and a target of 100 tonnes of silicon carbide optical material per year, useful for gauging the pace of silicon carbide waveguide industrialization.
ZEISS has acquired holography company Ceres Holographics. Upon completion of the deal, Ceres will be integrated into the ZEISS Microoptics business unit, which focuses on volume production of holographics. ZEISS said the acquisition will advance the industrialization of holographic windshield display applications and accelerate entry into broader holographic markets such as retail, near-eye displays and public transportation.
Why we recommend it: After the acquisition, Ceres will be integrated into ZEISS Microoptics, providing a view of how holographic windshield displays move from technology to volume production.
A review article in Light: Science & Applications describes sliding metasurfaces developed by H. Shi, W. Zhu, G. Hu and colleagues. Relative lateral displacement of two complementary metasurface layers generates an effective phase gradient, enabling passive beam steering while retaining frequency-selective filtering. The authors argue that this geometry-driven passive approach is simpler and more scalable than tunable metasurfaces that depend on active components, and could extend to terahertz and optical bands.
Why we recommend it: The article contrasts tunable metasurfaces that rely on active components such as PIN diodes, explaining the idea of replacing per-unit cell control with interlayer translation.
Researchers integrated gallium phosphide (GaP) nanophotonic cavities onto a diamond substrate using a stamp transfer process, enhancing quantum optical interaction with diamond color centers. The devices are first fabricated by electron-beam lithography in a GaP thin film on a carrier, screened by spectroscopic testing, and then transferred. Experiments achieved cooperativity above 1. The platform can serve as a light-matter interface in quantum networks.
Why we recommend it: The source details the heterogeneous integration process and the screening-and-transfer workflow, offering useful reference for fabrication routes for diamond color center quantum photonic devices.
Kopin has received a USD 18.6 million sole-source IBAS contract from the US government to develop two additional MicroLED microdisplays for ground soldier equipment and pilot head-up displays. The contract will help Kopin accelerate localization of MicroLED manufacturing.
Why we recommend it: The source highlights military demand for color MicroLED in head-up displays and soldier systems, making it a useful case for observing microdisplay localization policy.
Following Sha Shuli's withdrawal from the transaction, Advanced Fiber Resources will adjust the acquisition target to a 99.97% stake in Suzhou Anjiexun, with a transaction price of about RMB 1.6395 billion and an appraised value of about RMB 1.650 billion for all of Anjiexun's equity. Consideration will be paid through share issuance, convertible bonds and cash, with the cash portion at about RMB 492 million.
Why we recommend it: The source provides the valuation, pricing and payment structure, helping to understand M&A valuations in the passive optical components sector.
Shanghai Xihe Technology has released the registration version of its STAR Market IPO prospectus, describing itself as one of the world's major suppliers of silicon photonic integrated chips. Its customers include leading optical module makers and cloud service providers, and its products are already shipping at scale into AI clusters and hyperscale data centers. According to estimates by optical module makers, at the same speed and distance, silicon photonic solutions can reduce total cost by nearly 20% and cut the volume of components within a module by nearly 30%.
Why we recommend it: The source provides cost and volume data for silicon photonics versus discrete components, helping to understand the domestic supply chain for AI data center optical interconnects.
Optics & Photonics News reports that an early clinical study showed optogenetic therapy can partially restore vision in patients with severe vision loss. Most adverse events were mild to moderate, with only one transient severe event after injection that resolved within minutes. First author Jose-Alain Sahel of the University of Pittsburgh said the results show that the visual system retains the ability to process new information even in people with severe blindness.
Why we recommend it: Optogenetic therapy applies light stimulation directly to visual restoration, and the source article provides early clinical safety results that can serve as a reference for biophotonics applications
Siloton will receive GBP 8.4 million in funding from Innovate UK over two years to advance GiraffeOCT, an OCT technology based on quantum photonic integrated circuits, toward clinical use. The funding is expected to shorten the development timeline by about two years.
Why we recommend it: The source article describes the funding path for taking photonic integrated OCT from the lab to the clinic, serving as a reference for the industrialization of medical optics devices
A team from UC Santa Barbara and Caltech published in Optics Letters a chip-scale optical ring laser gyroscope capable of measuring rotations as slow as 37 degrees per hour, approaching Earth's rotation rate of 15 degrees per hour. The device is based on a low-noise Brillouin laser in a silicon nitride waveguide photonic integrated circuit, can be fabricated with standard CMOS processes, requires only milliwatt-level optical power, and offers nearly 2,000-fold higher sensitivity than the team's earlier device.
Why we recommend it: Compared with the team's earlier silicon nitride Brillouin gyroscope rated at 72,000 degrees per hour, this is nearly a 2,000-fold improvement, helping gauge how far on-chip optical gyroscopes are from navigation applications.
TDK showcased at CEATEC an ultrathin meta-optics reflector designed for retinal projection smart glasses. The prototype is monochrome green with 750p resolution and a 45-degree diagonal field of view. The reflector is only 150 nanometers thick and achieves 80% visible-light transmittance. TDK plans to launch the green version by the end of 2026, a full-color version in May 2027, and mass production within a few years.
Why we recommend it: The source article gives thickness, transmittance, field of view and mass-production timeline, enabling comparison with waveguide approaches to understand retinal projection
ASML said its existing 2027 and 2028 supply plans cannot fully meet customer demand and that it is studying a further expansion of 2028 capacity beyond the previously planned 30% increase. Quarterly sales through September 27 were EUR 11.7 billion, up more than 50% year over year. The NXE:3800F EUV lithography system slated for introduction next year will raise productivity from 230 to 260 wafers per hour.
Why we recommend it: Capacity expansion and productivity upgrades are proceeding in parallel, offering concrete industry clues on how AI demand translates into EUV lithography equipment supply constraints.
UK-based silicon photonics company Salience Labs has closed a USD 125 million Series B round to expand development of optical circuit switch (OCS) technology and ease network bottlenecks in AI data centers.
Why we recommend it: The source article highlights the positioning of optical circuit switching against AI data center bottlenecks, helping understand capital enthusiasm for silicon photonic switching
Researchers have developed a model that accounts for age-related changes in color vision and simulated different lighting configurations to improve color perception for older adults. The findings were published by Optica on October 13, 2026.
Why we recommend it: The source article explains the relationship between lighting spectra and age-related color vision, helping understand the role of spectral design in healthy lighting
Scientists in the United States and New Zealand have demonstrated a new type of frequency comb based on a dual-pump laser, using a self-alignment mechanism that could move frequency comb technology from niche use toward broader applications. Miro Erkintalo of the University of Auckland participated in the research.
Why we recommend it: The source article explains the combination of dual pumping and self-alignment, offering a useful reference for simplifying frequency comb devices
NVIDIA and Cisco jointly announced plans for the USFP (Ultra-Small Form Factor Pluggable) optical module on October 12. This high-density pluggable optical module supports 400Gb/s per lane and targets the scaling needs of next-generation AI factory networks, helping control network complexity, power consumption and cost as connection scale grows.
Why we recommend it: The article explains the motivation behind two leading vendors jointly defining a new package form factor, helping assess the evolution of optical module formats for AI networks
Kunyou Optoelectronics announced the completion of a C+ round exceeding 1 billion yuan, with investors undisclosed. The company's 12-inch wafer-level optics production line in Lingang, Shanghai, built with an investment of 2 billion yuan, is expected to be completed and come online in 2027, targeting AR, fiber optics, optical communications, automotive optics and optical computing markets. This follows its C round in January 2026 and a C+ round of nearly 400 million yuan in April.
Why we recommend it: The article lists three funding rounds this year and progress on the 12-inch wafer-level optics line, helping understand capital and capacity deployment in wafer-level optics
A team led by researcher Wang Quan at the Biomedical Spectroscopy Laboratory of the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics used upconversion nanoparticles to achieve wireless near-infrared optogenetic pain relief. The research was recently highlighted in a special commentary in Nature Photonics. Optogenetics received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on October 5, 2026.
Why we recommend it: The article applies upconversion nanoparticles to near-infrared wireless optogenetics, offering reference value for biophotonics applications