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XREAL has launched the XREAL 1 Pro+, improving brightness, 3D performance and wearing comfort over the XREAL One Pro. The new model delivers 1,200 nits of perceived brightness and supports AI HDR, with native REAL 3D conversion at up to 60 fps. It features a redesigned nose pad, and the X1 chip keeps the virtual screen stable during head movement. It is currently sold only through the official store.

Fanchuangwei High-Transparency Optical AR Lens Project Lands in Taizhou with Total Investment of About RMB 550 Million

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.

Silicon Photonics Chipmaker Xihe Technology Files Registration Version of STAR Market Prospectus

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%.

TDK Shows Meta-Optics Reflector for Retinal Projection Smart Glasses at CEATEC

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.

Chip Demand Keeps Growing; ASML Studies Further Expanding Lithography Equipment Capacity

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.

UK Silicon Photonics Firm Salience Labs Raises USD 125 Million Series B

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.

NVIDIA and Cisco Jointly Define New USFP Pluggable Optical Module

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.

Kunyou Optoelectronics Completes C+ Round of Over 1 Billion Yuan; 12-Inch Wafer-Level Optics Line to Come Online in 2027

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.

Zhishang Technology Receives $500 Million Fiber Optic Connector Demand Forecast from PH Customer for 2027

Shenzhen Zhishang Technology announced the signing of a 2027 Demand Forecast Cooperation Memorandum with customer PH. The customer expects to purchase MPO fiber optic patch cords and other fiber optic connectors from the company in 2027, with a forecast target value of $500 million (approximately 3.346 billion yuan). C114 believes optical interconnect demand has expanded from optical modules and optical fiber cables to upstream optical components.

JEDEC Releases First Silicon Photonics AI Network Reliability Standard, JESD264

JEDEC has released the JESD264 standard, setting new certification and reliability requirements for the emerging silicon photonics market. It is the first reliability standard for silicon photonics in AI networks.

Lumentum CEO: 2029 Capacity Almost Fully Booked

Lumentum CEO Michael Hurlston said in an interview in Tokyo that about 70% of demand for some products will remain unmet next year, while other products still face a 30% demand gap through 2028. The company's 2029 capacity is almost fully booked, and it is ramping production at full speed.

SF-PULSE Lensless Imaging Enables Stain-Free Long-Term Monitoring of Living Cells

Researchers have proposed the SF-PULSE lensless imaging method, which can monitor living cells over long periods without staining, and successfully imaged and reconstructed glioblastoma cells.

Frequency Combs and Deep Learning Enable Fast, High-Fidelity Ghost Imaging

Ghost imaging replaces pixelated sensors with correlation measurements between structured illumination and a single-pixel detector. Researchers combined an optical frequency comb with deep learning to achieve faster ghost imaging with higher fidelity.

From Pixels to Optical Links: MicroLED Shifts to Co-Packaged Optics

A Laser Focus World article analyzes the surge in industry interest in MicroLED co-packaged optics (CPO) solutions, reflecting their multiple advantages, although technical challenges remain to be resolved.

LightCounting: Ethernet optical module market forecast to grow 120% in 2026

LightCounting's latest report says growth in the Ethernet optical module market was originally expected to slow in 2026, but data from the first nine months defied expectations: cloud provider capital expenditures accelerated sharply from late January to early February and remained strong over the following six months. The full-year Ethernet optical module market is now forecast to grow 120%.

UCLA digital-optical hybrid processor identifies multiple deepfake videos simultaneously

The Ozcan laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles developed a digital-optical hybrid system capable of identifying deepfake videos simultaneously across multiple channels.

XPANCEO partners with Contamac to advance AR contact lenses using FDA-cleared ophthalmic materials

Smart contact lens company XPANCEO has partnered with Contamac to advance the development of AR contact lenses using materials already used in FDA-cleared ophthalmic devices.

SIOM Uses Improved YOLOv8-seg for Intelligent Laser Spot Analysis in High-Power Laser Facilities

The Joint Laboratory for High Power Laser and Physics at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) has proposed a laser spot analysis system based on an improved YOLOv8-seg to meet the need for rapid, precise alignment of optics along the full chain of high-power laser facilities, and has completed experimental validation.

China Passenger Vehicle LiDAR Installations Reach 525,500 Units in August, with Hesai Just 65 Units Behind Huawei

Data from NE Times shows that LiDAR installations in Chinese passenger vehicles reached 525,500 units in August 2026. Hesai installed 182,436 units, just 65 fewer than Huawei, and the two together accounted for 69.4%. The growth logic is extending beyond simply adding vehicle models to multiple LiDARs per vehicle, robot perception and 3D spatial mapping.

AT&T and Corning Sign Multiyear Fiber Optic Cable Supply Agreement Worth More Than $3 Billion

AT&T announced a multiyear fiber optic cable supply agreement with Corning worth more than $3 billion in total. Corning will continue delivering fiber and cable for AT&T's home broadband expansion. AT&T said average monthly traffic per fiber user has surpassed 1 TB, five times the 2016 level.