Fiber-optic communications, optical networks and data center optical interconnects.
China Telecom's original industrial PON technology has won the Optical Access Innovation Award at ECOC 2026, the European Conference on Optical Communication. Designed for industrial intelligent scenarios, the technology uses all-optical networks to support the integration of sensing, decision-making and control in production.
An article by Dolphin Research breaks down Lumentum: its share price has risen nearly tenfold in one year, its market value exceeds 70 billion US dollars, and Nvidia invested 2 billion US dollars for a stake in March 2026. The article argues that no matter how optical module form factors change, the position of high-value, barrier-protected optical engines remains solid.
Huiyu Ecology announced that its majority-owned subsidiary Wuhan Junheng Technology plans to build an R&D and production base in the Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone, replacing and upgrading its existing annual capacity of 1.5 million units. Once completed, the project will add 2 million units of optical module capacity.
Hengtong Optic-Electric has released a private placement plan to raise up to CNY 6.636 billion for next-generation optical fiber R&D and production, construction of high-end optical new materials in Inner Mongolia, and advanced AI optical interconnect projects. The issuance will target no more than 35 investors.
Why we recommend it: The original article lists the investment directions, helping to understand the optical fiber leader's spending on AI optical interconnect
Lightwave reports on Ciena's view that network investment has entered a sustained cycle.
In an exclusive interview with C114, Photon Bridge's Chief Commercial Officer discusses the interconnect bandwidth pressure created by expanding AI compute clusters and the role of integrated photonics in breaking through optical module power and density limits, with a focus on the mass-production challenges of external light sources (ELS) and the Dutch integrated photonics ecosystem.
Lightwave rounds up optical communications products from ECOC 2026.
Armstrong's rural broadband buildout in West Virginia illustrates the role of public-private partnerships.
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.
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
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
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.
Fueled by news of an acquisition of optical communications assets, Landun Optoelectronics' share price has doubled in the past month, but its fundamentals remain weak: revenue continues to shrink, while both revenue and gross margin in its environmental monitoring business have declined. The company has yet to turn a profit and is seeking a breakthrough through the acquisition of optical communications assets.
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.
Deng Li, deputy director of the communications network construction department at the State Grid Information and Telecommunication Center, presented a report titled "Research and Application of Specialty Optical Fibers in Power Backbone Communication Networks" at the AI + New Optical Fiber Applications Forum, highlighting the engineering value of specialty fibers in power communication networks.
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.