Optics Monthly · September 2026
opticsnews
CIOE Fuels NPO Buzz, Fiber and AR Pick Up Speed
This issue covers September 1–30, 2026. The main thread in September was the optical interconnect debate sparked by CIOE: Tencent, LightCounting and others sparred over NPO versus pluggable approaches; Huawei partnered with the Xi'an Institute of Optics on AI+Optics, with the Ascend 960 supernode adopting NPO; and Largan went on a land-buying spree to bet on CPO fiber arrays. The fiber industry saw both volume and prices rise: AT&T signed a long-term deal with Corning worth over $3 billion, Hengtong Optic-Electric planned a 6.636 billion yuan placement, and Xinkong Guanglian cut hollow-core fiber loss to 0.043 dB/km. In consumer optics, Meta unveiled 100-gram VR glasses and pushed Ray-Ban Display into international markets, while INMO AIR3 was recalled over overheating. In research, SIOM achieved absolute wavefront measurement of an EUV source for the first time and published a flurry of results in metasurfaces, ultrafast lasers and optical computing.
NPO and Optical Interconnect
In this sectionTencent expects NPO to ramp up quickly and OCS to reach scale deployment; Chinese optical transceiver makers showcased NPO products en masse at CIOE, while LightCounting cautions that pluggables remain the mainstay. Huawei teams up with the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, and Largan bets on CPO fiber arrays.
Tencent's Zou Xianneng: NPO Will Ramp Up Quickly, OCS Poised for Large-Scale Deployment
Speaking at the CIOE forum, Tencent's Zou Xianneng said NPO will ramp up quickly and OCS is poised for large-scale deployment.
CIOE 2026 Observations: Why NPO Is the Optimal Choice for Cloud Giants
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.
LightCounting: NPO Is Hot, but Pluggables Remain the Market Mainstay
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.
OFweek Optics · NewsOptics industryOptics and AISep 21Huawei Teams Up with Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics on AI + Optics; Ascend 960 SuperPod Uses NPO
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.
OFweek Optics · NewsOptics industryOptics and AISep 23Largan Precision Buys Land Seven Times in Three Months, Spending CNY 8 Billion on CPO Fiber Arrays
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.
Fiber Industry Expansion
In this sectionAT&T signs a fiber and cable deal with Corning worth more than $3 billion; Hengtong Optic-Electric plans a 6.636 billion yuan private placement for next-generation fiber and AI optical interconnect; Xinkong Guanglian cuts hollow-core fiber loss to 0.043 dB/km and moves into commercialization.
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.
Hengtong Optic-Electric Plans to Raise CNY 6.636 Billion for Next-Generation Optical Fiber and AI Optical Interconnect
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.
Hangzhou Institute of Optics · Industry TrendsFirst-partyOptics industrySep 4Xinkong Guanglian Hollow-Core Fiber Loss Cut to 0.043 dB/km
Xinkong Guanglian hollow-core fiber achieves a loss of about 0.043 dB/km at 1550 nm, with fiber adapter insertion loss as low as 0.5 dB, marking its entry into commercial use.
AR/VR Glasses
In this sectionMeta unveils 100-gram VR glasses, and Ray-Ban Display goes international; CIOE's AR optics spotlight mass production, thin-and-light design and color, while the metalens commercialization path grows clearer; INMO AIR3 recalled over temple overheating.
AuganixOptics industryOptics and AISep 24Meta Unveils 100-Gram VR Glasses, Priced at USD 1,300 for Spring 2027 Launch
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.
UploadVR (Glasses & Hardware)Optics industryOptics and AISep 28Meta Ray-Ban Display Launches Internationally, with Online Ordering and New Features
At Connect 2026, Meta announced that Meta Ray-Ban Display will go on sale outside the US, with online ordering and no in-store fitting required, plus new features such as third-party app discovery and navigation improvements.
OFweek Optics · NewsOptics industryOptics and AISep 24CIOE 2026 AR Optics Review: Mass Production, Thin-and-Light Design and Color Emerge as Keywords
At the 27th CIOE and SIVA 2026, the keywords for VR/AR optics centered on mass production, thin-and-light design, and color displays for AR glasses. The article summarizes show trends, noting that 4-inch, 6-inch and other semiconductor wafers were everywhere, serving as a way to demonstrate mass-production capability.
OFweek Optics · NewsOptics industryOptics and AISep 18Eye Tracking, ToF, AI Glasses: The Commercialization Path for Metalenses Becomes Clearer
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.
OFweek Optics · NewsOptics and AISep 29INMO AIR3 Recalled in US and Canada Over Temple Overheating, Testing Smart Glasses Thermal Design
The US CPSC and Health Canada issued a recall on September 24 after the left temple of INMO AIR3 smart glasses could overheat during prolonged use. INMO has received 10 overheating reports, including burning sensations on the face and left ear. The recall covers about 1,643 pairs in the US and about 120 pairs in Canada, with free repairs and system updates offered as the remedy.
SIOM Results
In this sectionThe Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics achieves absolute wavefront measurement of an EUV source for the first time, and reports progress in free-electron wave-packet-programmed light sources, nanoimprinted anti-reflective metasurfaces, few-cycle pulse compression and control of solid-state high-harmonic generation.
SIOM · Research UpdatesFirst-partyOptics industrySep 15SIOM Achieves First Absolute Wavefront Measurement of an EUV Light Source
The Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics and Harbin Institute of Technology have used a photon sieve to achieve the first absolute wavefront measurement of an EUV light source, solving the challenge of absolute wavefront measurement for extreme-ultraviolet and soft X-ray sources.
SIOM · Research UpdatesFirst-partyOptics industrySep 30SIOM Proposes Programming Coherent and Quantum Light Sources with Free-Electron Wave Packets
Researcher Tian Ye and Academician Li Ruxin at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), together with Researcher Pan Yiming at ShanghaiTech University and colleagues, have proposed a new mechanism that uses the quadratic phase accumulated during the propagation of free-electron quantum wave packets to simultaneously achieve selectable high-harmonic bunching and synthesis of nonclassical quantum light, linking quantum state control, high-harmonic radiation and quantum light synthesis.
SIOM · Research UpdatesFirst-partyOptics industrySep 24SIOM Fabricates Large-Area, Wide-Angle, Broadband AR Metasurface Using Nanoimprint Lithography
A team from the Department of High-Power Laser Component Technology and Engineering at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) used nanoimprint lithography to fabricate large-area, double-sided fused-silica nanopillar metasurfaces, achieving broadband, wide-angle antireflection from the visible to near-infrared, along with good high-temperature stability and laser damage tolerance.
SIOM · Research UpdatesFirst-partyOptics industrySep 22SIOM Achieves High-Power Few-Cycle Pulse Compression with Dispersion-Engineered Multi-Pass Cell
A team from the State Key Laboratory of Ultra-Intense Laser Science and Technology at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) achieved few-cycle nonlinear pulse compression in a dispersion-engineered folded multi-pass cell, producing high-power few-cycle ultrafast laser pulses. The results were published in Optics Letters.
SIOM · Research UpdatesFirst-partyOptics industrySep 22SIOM Achieves All-Optical Arbitrary Control of Chirality and Ellipticity in Solid-State High Harmonics
A team from the State Key Laboratory of Ultra-Intense Laser Science and Technology at the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM) achieved, for the first time, all-optical arbitrary control of chirality and ellipticity in solid-state high harmonics through dynamical symmetry engineering and quantum geometric phase manipulation.
Frontier Optical Research
In this sectionSuspended metasurfaces speed up mid-infrared modulation; dual-comb ghost imaging meets deep learning; quantum entanglement pushes spectroscopy to the single-molecule level; optical skyrmions hold their topology in atmospheric turbulence.
Optics & Photonics NewsOptics industrySep 16Suspended Metasurfaces Speed Up Mid-Infrared Modulation
Researchers from Switzerland, China and Russia have fabricated a 1 cm² chip wafer containing 49 silicon metasurfaces for high-speed modulation of mid-infrared lasers.
Light: Science & ApplicationsOptics industryOptics and AISep 16Hyperspectral Dual-Comb Compressive Ghost Imaging with Deep Learning Reconstruction
A paper in Light: Science & Applications combines dual combs with compressive ghost imaging and uses deep learning reconstruction to achieve hyperspectral imaging.
Optics & Photonics NewsOptics industrySep 3Quantum Entanglement Extends Spectroscopy to Single Molecules
Entangling molecular ions with atoms to form a Schrodinger cat state makes spectroscopy sensitive down to single molecules.
Optics & Photonics NewsOptics industrySep 1Optical Skyrmions Can Resist Atmospheric Turbulence
Researchers at Jinan University have shown that topological light in the form of skyrmions retains its topological structure in atmospheric turbulence, benefiting free-space optical communications.