The 26th China International Optoelectronic Expo (CIOE) has concluded, and this year’s edition saw record-breaking attendance and exhibitor numbers—living up to predictions of being the most vibrant yet. A week prior to the expo, the A-share optocommunication sector surged collectively, with share prices of multiple enterprises hitting all-time highs. Jokes abounded among insiders about "daily fluctuations of millions in investment accounts, making stock trading more thrilling than running a real business." This capital enthusiasm directly translated into foot traffic at the expo, even turning the professional optocommunication exhibition into a "public science venue."
Booths of optical module enterprises (especially listed ones), optoelectronic chip companies, and high-precision mounting and coupling equipment providers were packed to capacity. Investors vied to get a close look at physical products like 800G optical modules, OCS (Optical Circuit Switching), FAU (Fiber Array Unit), and DSP (Digital Signal Processor) chips; some even asked if they could keep the exhibits as souvenirs.
Beyond the Hype: Industry Shifts Reflected at the Expo
Optical module enterprises have always been the "main players" at CIOE. This year, coupled with the "super boom" driven by upstream capital and downstream demand, the sector’s popularity has spilled beyond professional circles into public awareness. What industry changes did the expo reveal?
Notably, Cambridge prominently showcased its silicon photonics engine solution customized for overseas clients, designed for 1.6T Co-packaged Optics (CPO) switches—with confirmed mass production capability. One day before the expo, OptoLink announced that its silicon photonics engine design capabilities have achieved mass-production-ready designs across multiple generations (400G, 800G, and 1.6T), covering both data center and coherent product matrices, with large-scale delivery capacity.
Core Tech Breakthroughs: From 1.6T Commercialization to 3.2T Forward-Looking Innovation
Beneath the expo’s buzz lay intensive breakthroughs across key links of the optocommunication industry chain, all pointing toward the core goals of "higher speed, lower power consumption, and stronger integration."
1. Optical Modules: 1.6T Becomes Standard, 1.6T CPO Silicon Photonics Engines Enter Mass Production
2025 is widely recognized as the first year of commercialization for 1.6T optical modules—a trend vividly evident at the expo, where 1.6T modules have become "standard exhibits" for leading enterprises. More importantly, mass production capabilities have matured:
2. DSP Chips: Entering the 3nm Era, Domestic Breakthroughs at Key Nodes
As the "brain" of optical modules, DSP chip advancement directly determines module performance limits. The expo saw two pivotal developments:
International Breakthrough: The 3nm New Era
Credo unveiled its 3nm 200G-per-lane DSP chip, which controls the power consumption of 1.6T optical modules at 25W (and LRO modules at an even lower 20W)—a critical breakthrough for pluggable optical modules. The company also displayed over 100 optical module models and breakout interconnection solutions across different data rates under various chip packages, demonstrating interoperability testing between different chips and modules.
Domestic Acceleration: 112G-per-lane Solutions Landed
Hangzhou-based Yuanqi Semiconductor showcased its 112G-per-lane Retimer and oDSP chip lineup: its Retimer for 400G/800G AEC (Active Electrical Cable) is currently the only independent chip supplier in China. It also launched an oDSP series integrated with silicon photonics/VCSEL/EML Driver for 400G/800G optical modules, attracting intense industry attention with its "one-stop solution."
Chengke Microelectronics highlighted its latest breakthroughs in 112G SerDes PAM4 oDSP chips, focusing on its oDSP series integrated with VCSEL drivers (compatible with domestic 4×100G VCSEL chips). The chip’s eye diagram TDECQ reached an excellent 1.27dB @ ER=3dB, significantly simplifying module design and reducing BOM costs. When a 400G-VR4 module using Chengke’s solution was tested for 50m fiber transmission against mass-produced 400G-VR4 modules on the market, both ends maintained a BER of around E-11.
3. Silicon Photonics: Surging Demand, Leading Layouts, and New Players
Demand for silicon photonics solutions has grown significantly this year. After Huagong Technology and Innolight announced mass shipments of self-developed silicon photonics chip modules, industry layout enthusiasm has soared:
4. Optical Engines: 3.2T CPO Defines Next-Generation Technical Heights
If 1.6T represents the "current mainstay," 3.2T points to the "future direction"—and Huagong Zhengyuan’s 3.2T CPO optical engine became the expo’s "technical highlight":
5. OCS Technology: Initial Orders Emerge, Commercialization Awaits Architecture Validation
Optical Circuit Switching (OCS) has garnered intense attention for its suitability for AI data center traffic characteristics, with frequent updates at the expo:
Manufacturing Shifts: Customized Equipment and Refined Industrial Division
The optocommunication sector’s boom has also driven upgrades in manufacturing. To meet clients’ differentiated needs, customized automated equipment has become mainstream, covering both single-function and highly integrated solutions. In particular, the Lens mounting equipment segment—characterized by significant process differences—has attracted numerous equipment manufacturers from the semiconductor industry to cross over into optical module manufacturing.
Notably, the industrial division of labor is becoming more refined: from chip design to module packaging, from core components to equipment parts, there are even specialized players designing key components like sliding tables for different automated equipment—signaling growing maturity of the industrial ecosystem.
Conclusion: Certainty and Possibility in Optocommunication
The buzz at CIOE 2025 is both a "short-term boom" driven by AI computing demand and an "inevitable outcome" of optocommunication technology reaching a critical iteration point. The commercialization of 1.6T, breakthroughs in 3nm DSP, the popularization of silicon photonics, and forward-looking layouts for 3.2T CPO constitute the industry’s "certainties." Meanwhile, the pace of OCS commercialization, the competitive landscape with new players, and the depth of domestic substitution hold the "possibilities" for the future.
As capital enthusiasm subsides, what truly determines the industry’s trajectory will be the hard-won breakthroughs in chips, components, and solutions—that is the most authentic growth logic of the optocommunication industry behind the expo’s fanfare.