EVENT FOCUS OFC 2023
OFC 2023: BIGGER AND BETTER THAN EVER OFC 2023, lived up to its reputation as the premier global event for optical communications and networking, welcoming back attendees to a sold-out exhibition with exhibitors showcasing the latest advancements in the field. The conference and exhibition hosted over 11,500 participants and 515 exhibiting companies and served as the platform for several start-ups to make their debut. Event organisers provided a compelling series of exciting programs and events, both physically and virtually, to welcome back the industry with a focus on inclusivity.
NEW PRODUCTS One of the things that characterised OFC 2023 was the large number of product launches, demonstrations and trial announcements from both major and not so major players. Infinera was probably the most prolific in terms of announcements, among which were an update to its Infinite Capacity Engine, now in its seventh iteration, and the expansion of its ICE-X component portfolio. Announcements from other big players included Nokia, which had version six of its Photonic Service Engine on show, Broadcom’s 51.2T CPO optical engine and a multimode optical engine from Coherent. However, there was a lot more going on than exhibitor announcements as many visitors to the event have attested. “One of OFC’s highlights was live interoperability demonstrations from leading optics companies running over OFCnet,” said OFC chairs Chris Cole, Coherent Corporation; Ramon Casellas, Centre Tecnològic de Telecomunicacions de Catalunya; and Ming-Jun Li, Corning Incorporated. “Another was the Plenary Session with inspiring talks by three leading executives who shared insights into how technology is transforming our industry and reshaping the world.” “The optical sector is currently in an exciting period,” said Woo Jin Ho, analyst - Hardware and Communications Equipment, Bloomberg Intelligence. “Companies continued to introduce and launch new innovations at OFC 2023, such as 1.2T and 1.6T coherent optics and
boundaries being pushed even further at OFC 2024!”
Co-Packaged Optics. But it was really refreshing to hear the ramp up and monetisation of the innovations that were introduced at OFC two or three years ago.” “What an amazing week with so many innovations in one place,” said Jelena Pesic, Ph.D., Nokia. “Nothing can replace face-to-face meetings with colleagues and researchers around the world. For Nokia, it was an opportunity to show our cutting-edge innovation with new PSE-6s, Coherent Routing, network automation, integrated C+L band line systems and 25G PON. Looking forward to seeing the
OFC PLENARY Visionary leaders Patricia Obo-Nai, chief executive officer, Vodafone Ghana; Jayshree V. Ullal, President and chief executive officer, Arista; and Wendell P. Weeks, chairman and chief executive officer, Corning Incorporated, gave inspiring plenary talks. Obi-Nai spoke on the impact of networks and access to data on social change and inclusive economic growth. Ullal highlighted the artificial intelligence revolution and the new network requirements her
A full house at OFC 2023.
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| ISSUE 33 | Q2 2023
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