Under the theme "Strong Networks, Thriving Computing, Intelligent Ecosystem," PT Expo 2026 saw Hengtong Optic-Electric showcase optical fiber, optical interconnect and other optoelectronic solutions for AI computing, supporting the implementation of the "AI + Information and Communications" policy.
At Connect 2026, Meta announced updates to its AI glasses lineup, including bringing its personal AI assistant Muse to the glasses, hearing enhancement software and Dolby Atmos audio recording.
Meta has unveiled the 100-gram Meta VR Glasses, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite processor with a separate compute unit. They are scheduled to launch in spring 2027 at USD 1,300.
Why we recommend it: The original article gives the weight, price and launch timing, marking a key milestone as headsets converge toward a glasses form factor
On September 17, Largan Precision spent CNY 1.172 billion to acquire about 2,259 ping of land and 3,695 ping of buildings in Nantun, Taichung. This was its seventh real estate transaction since late June, bringing the total to CNY 8.078 billion. Chairman Lin Enping confirmed in July that the company had received its first fiber array order from a customer, with the land purchases paving the way for mass production in 2027.
Why we recommend it: The original article gives the pace and value of the land purchases, showing the scale of the smartphone lens leader's bet on CPO fiber arrays
During CIOE 2026, Xiong Guanhao, Senior Director of Strategy and Marketing at Sunny Optics, said AI is moving from the cloud into the physical world, while optics is evolving from an imaging tool into a gateway through which AI acquires information, understands the world and transmits data.
The article groups AR optical waveguides into three major categories and five technology routes: geometric, diffractive (including SRG, VHG and PVG) and metasurface. Each relies on different optical principles, performance limits and industrialization timelines, and the article argues that no single solution fits all applications.
XR hardware maker Skyworth XR will showcase head-worn and wrist-worn first-person data capture systems for embodied AI training at the IROS 2026 robotics conference.
Niantic Spatial and the Singapore Land Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding to assess the technical feasibility of building Singapore's first national-scale Visual Positioning System (VPS).
LightCounting's latest quarterly report says NPO dominated much of the discussion at the recent CIOE, much like the industry's enthusiasm for LPO a few years ago. However, sales of retimed pluggable optical modules continue to hit new highs, with Ethernet optical modules accounting for the majority of overall sales.
Why we recommend it: The original article contrasts sales data with the hype, helping to gauge the real pace of NPO and pluggable optical modules
An article by VR Tuoluo uses Apple's iPhone Duo and its trade-offs in a foldable form factor as an example to analyze how AI glasses are shifting from adding features to subtraction: for hardware worn close to the body for long periods, removing cameras can deliver lighter weight and fewer privacy concerns.
Huawei and the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics have signed a strategic cooperation agreement, making AI + optics a core focus, with Huawei pledging priority support in computing resources and AI teams. Earlier, on September 17, Huawei unveiled the Ascend 960 superpod using near-package optics (NPO) at Huawei Connect 2026, employing 5,500 in-house Hi-ONE optical engines.
Why we recommend it: The source text places the industry-academia partnership alongside the NPO superpod, showing Huawei's overall strategy in optical interconnects and AI optics
C114 and CIOE jointly held the AI + New Optical Fiber Applications Forum in Shenzhen on September 11. The event focused on high-density optical interconnects for AIDC, G.654.E backbone deployment and hollow-core fiber, with guests from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, the three major telecom operators and cloud providers in attendance.
C114 Insight notes that at CIOE 2026, optical module makers are competing on 1.6T, 3.2T and 6.4T speeds, while test and measurement is another crowded arena. Lianxun Instruments, which listed on the STAR Market this April, saw its shares reach a high of 2777.77 yuan within three months of its debut, making it the most expensive stock on the A-share market. The company supplies test equipment for optical modules and CPO optical engines.
Xili Photonics has completed a Pre-A round of financing worth over 100 million yuan, led by Futu Capital, with participation from the Shanghai Future Industry Fund and others. The funds will be used for R&D on thin-film lithium niobate photonic chips and system-on-chip integration technology, product iteration and the construction of a wafer production line.
Dinglong said at an investor relations event that the explosive growth in AI computing demand is driving optical communications toward higher speeds, placing greater demands on key upstream materials. The company is therefore expanding into high-end core optical communications materials.
The 27th CIOE drew nearly 190,000 visits over three days, up 32% year on year. NPO (near-package optics) products from major domestic optical module makers made a concentrated appearance. NPO moves the optical engine from the switch front panel to near the ASIC package without soldering it to the switch chip, balancing power consumption and serviceability.
Why we recommend it: The source text explains the trade-offs of NPO versus CPO and pluggables, helping to understand cloud vendors' selection logic
Zhang Dezhi, director of the optical access network center at China Telecom Research Institute, told the CIOE forum that the 50G-PON industry chain is fully mature and AI-based intrinsic intelligence in optical access networks is developing rapidly. He also outlined the path for upgrading the massive installed base of EPON terminals to 10 Gbit/s.
At the AI + New Optical Fiber Applications Forum at CIOE, YOFC presented the accelerating use of various new optical fibers in AI computing scenarios, arguing that fiber's ultra-high bandwidth and ultra-low latency have made it the core transmission medium for AI computing infrastructure.
RoboSense plans to sell its embodied robotics complete-machine business for RMB 59.878 million and focus on supplying key components to robot manufacturers. Seyond has signed a design win with Chuneng Automotive for a forward-facing primary LiDAR, while Hesai has also announced new moves in spatial intelligence.
An article by VR Tuoluo notes that metalenses had a noticeably stronger presence at CIOE 2026, with NIL Technology showcasing metaEye for AR/VR eye tracking. The article maps out the application paths for metalenses in eye tracking, ToF and AI glasses.
Why we recommend it: The source text lists specific applications of metalenses in XR, helping to gauge the progress of metasurfaces from the lab to products
C114 reviews MicroLED optical interconnect solutions at CIOE 2026, where progress from chips to systems has become a representative of the slow-and-wide route for intelligent computing networks.
Sunny Optics has joined a seed funding round worth several hundred million yuan for Zeno Robotics and supplies companies including Unitree, extending its reach into the embodied AI supply chain under its Optics plus AI strategy.
Speaking at the CIOE forum, Eoptolink's Zhang Jinshuang said that multiple high-speed optical interconnect technology paths will coexist, while pluggable optical modules remain the absolute mainstay.
YOFC's polarization-maintaining fiber, prized for its polarization stability, is used to connect external light sources with silicon photonic chips, bringing it into AI optical interconnect scenarios such as CPO.
Hongshi Intelligence has formed a strategic partnership with Cao Liangcai's team in Tsinghua University's Department of Precision Instruments to tackle the narrowing of light emission angles and optical energy losses in MicroLED microdisplay light sources, supporting lightweight optical engines for AI glasses.
Speaking at the CIOE forum, Baidu optical network architect Wan Yi said that Scale-Up and Scale-Out will evolve along two parallel main lines, with NPO being the first to achieve large-scale deployment.
China's planned diffractive optical waveguide capacity is nearly 7 million units per year, while Runto data show that China sold 408,000 AR glasses in the first half of 2026, up 109.4% year on year, indicating a clear mismatch between capacity and demand.
Zhao Wenyu of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) said at the CIOE forum that commercial deployment of NPO is imminent and that it is the preferred solution for current AI computing infrastructure.
Chen Qin of Alibaba Cloud outlined the evolution from 3.2T NPO to 6.4-12.8T UPO at the CIOE forum, saying that next year's optical module deployments will exceed the cumulative total of all previous years.
Huawei Fellow Luo Jun presented the AIDC network concept at the CIOE forum, proposing compute space data in space, compute ground data on the ground, and space-ground coordination.
H3C showcased the results of its 1.6T optical interconnect field tests and is developing NPO/CPO intelligent computing switching solutions.
Speaking at the CIOE forum, Tencent's Zou Xianneng said NPO will ramp up quickly and OCS is poised for large-scale deployment.
Why we recommend it: The source text provides specific data and details that help assess the actual progress in this direction
A paper in Light: Science & Applications combines dual combs with compressive ghost imaging and uses deep learning reconstruction to achieve hyperspectral imaging.
In the first half of 2026, China's smart glasses sold 909,000 units across all channels, up 85.5% year over year, with sales revenue of RMB 1.88 billion. AR glasses are splitting into lightweight AI HUD models and large-screen cinema/spatial computing models.
Conant Optics' wholly owned subsidiary Jiangsu Lantu has been renamed Jiangsu Conant Intelligent Technology, focusing on the smart glasses business.
Eoptolink said at its interim results briefing that 1.6T and 800G are the main products this year, with NPO products expected to ship in volume in 2027.
Alibaba Cloud experts said its in-house 400G, 800G and 1.6T silicon photonics chips have entered volume deployment.
Omdia's Ian Redpath said optical networking has entered an AI infrastructure supercycle, with market size reaching a 25-year high.
C114 explains the principles and industry landscape of optical circuit switches (OCS) and why they became a highlight of CIOE.
A team led by Guojun Wu at the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Mechanics has proposed PGF-ULB, an underwater optical beacon detection and localization framework combining physics guidance and geometric constraints, for AUV optical docking in complex underwater environments.
Why we recommend it: The original article provides specific data and details that help assess the actual progress in this direction