Following Sha Shuli's withdrawal from the transaction, Advanced Fiber Resources has adjusted its acquisition target to a 99.97% stake in Suzhou Anjiexun, at a transaction price of about RMB 1.6395 billion, against an appraised value of about RMB 1.650 billion for all of Anjiexun's equity. The deal will be paid through share issuance, convertible bonds and cash, with the cash consideration totaling about RMB 492 million.
Why we recommend it: The original article provides the valuation, pricing and payment structure, helping readers understand M&A valuations in the optical communications passive components sector
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6767
Shanghai Xihe Technology has released the registration version of its IPO prospectus for the STAR Market, describing itself as one of the world's leading 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, silicon photonics solutions can reduce total cost by nearly 20% and the volume of components within the module by nearly 30% at the same data rate and distance.
Why we recommend it: The original article provides cost and size data for silicon photonics versus discrete components, helping readers understand the domestic supply chain for AI data center optical interconnects
Oct 14Wed
Wednesday
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6565
TDK showcased at CEATEC an ultra-thin meta-optic 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 just 150 nanometers thick and achieves 80% visible-light transmittance. TDK plans to launch a green version by the end of 2026, a full-color version in May 2027, and to begin mass production within a few years.
Why we recommend it: The original article gives thickness, transmittance, field of view and a mass-production timeline, useful for comparing the retinal projection approach with waveguide routes.
Oct 13Tue
Tuesday
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score7171
NVIDIA and Cisco on October 12 jointly announced plans for the USFP (Ultra-Small Form-factor Pluggable) optical module, a high-density pluggable with 400Gb/s per lane, aimed at the scaling needs of next-generation AI factory networks and helping control network complexity, power consumption and cost as connection counts grow.
Why we recommend it: The original article explains the motivation behind two leading vendors jointly defining a new form factor, helping assess how AI network optical modules are evolving
Oct 12Mon
Monday
OFweek Optics Network · NewsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6565
Kuang-Chi Photonics has announced the completion of a C+ funding round exceeding RMB 1 billion, with investors undisclosed. The company's 12-inch wafer-level optics production line, backed by a RMB 2 billion investment in Shanghai Lingang, is expected to be completed and come online in 2027, targeting the 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 RMB 400 million in April.
Why we recommend it: The source lists three funding rounds within the year and progress on the 12-inch wafer-level optics production line, helping to understand capital investment and capacity planning in wafer-level optics
Oct 10Sat
Saturday
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6565
Shenzhen Zhishang Technology announced the signing of a 2027 Demand Forecast Cooperation Memorandum with customer PH. PH 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 RMB 3.346 billion). C114 believes optical interconnect demand has expanded from optical modules and fiber optic cables to upstream optical components.
Why we recommend it: The original article gives a $500 million connector demand forecast from a single customer, clearly showing how AI optical interconnect demand is propagating upstream to components
Oct 9Fri
Friday
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6767
Lumentum CEO Michael Hurlston said in an interview in Tokyo that demand for some products will remain about 70% unmet next year, while other products still face a 30% demand gap through 2028. The company's 2029 capacity is nearly fully booked, and it is ramping up production at full speed.
Why we recommend it: The source gives specific demand gap ratios, vividly illustrating the shortage of upstream laser chips for AI optical communications
Oct 8Thu
Thursday
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6565
LightCounting's latest report says the Ethernet optical module market had been expected to slow in 2026, but data from the first nine months defied expectations: cloud providers' capital spending 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%.
Why we recommend it: The original article explains that the upward revision was driven by cloud providers' capital expenditures, helping to gauge the scale of AI-driven demand for optical modules
Sep 27Sun
Sunday
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6363
Hengtong Optic-Electric released a private placement plan to raise up to 6.636 billion yuan 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, with no more than 35 targeted investors.
LightCounting's latest quarterly report says NPOs dominated much of the discussion at the recent CIOE, much as the industry's enthusiasm for LPOs a few years ago. Yet sales of retimed pluggable optical modules continue to hit new highs, with Ethernet optical modules accounting for the bulk of overall sales.
Huawei and the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics have signed a strategic cooperation agreement, with AI+optics as a core focus. Huawei has pledged to prioritize computing resources and AI teams for the effort. 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 original text places the industry-academia partnership alongside the NPO superpod, revealing Huawei's overall strategy in optical interconnect and AI optics
Sep 20Sun
Sunday
C114 Communications Network · Optical CommunicationsOptics industryOptics and AIPicksAI score6161
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 collective 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 original article explains the trade-offs of NPO versus CPO and pluggables, helping to understand cloud vendors' selection logic