The Advanced Photonics Coalition (APC) reported membership growth to more than 50 companies, adding 10 new organizations in 2026 as the industry accelerates efforts to standardize silicon photonics manufacturing for AI data center infrastructure. The milestone comes less than two and a half years after the group’s formation and reflects increasing alignment across the photonics supply chain around open, interoperable production models.
New members joining APC in 2026 include Hakusan, Microsoft, Pilot Photonics, Lightium, Mesh Semiconductor, Xscape Photonics, Focuslight, WaferForge, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo (TOK), and HYC Co. Ltd. APC said the expansion strengthens collaboration across materials, device design, packaging, and system integration, with a focus on removing manufacturing fragmentation that can limit scalability in high-volume deployments.
APC operates as a non-profit innovation hub focused on silicon photonics and co-packaged optics (CPO), combining reference design efforts with standards development. The organization said it has established nine working and focus groups spanning silicon photonics manufacturing, co-packaged optics, and multi-core fiber, with the goal of enabling multi-vendor interoperability, lowering barriers to entry, and supporting scalable supply chains for next-generation data center architectures.
- APC membership exceeds 50 companies less than 2.5 years after launch
- 2026 additions include Hakusan, Microsoft, Pilot Photonics, Lightium, Mesh Semiconductor, Xscape Photonics, Focuslight, WaferForge, Tokyo Ohka Kogyo, and HYC Co. Ltd
- Focus areas include silicon photonics manufacturing, co-packaged optics, and multi-core fiber
- Organization has established nine working and focus groups across the photonics stack
- Emphasis on open supply chains, interoperability, and multi-source manufacturing
“Silicon photonics standards are essential to move the technology from niche, high-cost applications to high-volume, cost-effective, interoperable mainstream production,” said Vikas Gupta, Senior Director of Product Management at GlobalFoundries and APC Board Director.
🌐 Analysis: The expansion of APC aligns with broader industry efforts to industrialize optical interconnect technologies as AI clusters drive demand for higher bandwidth density and lower power per bit. Similar initiatives across hyperscalers, foundries, and photonics startups point to a shift from proprietary integration toward standardized, multi-vendor ecosystems, particularly as co-packaged optics and advanced optical I/O approach deployment at scale. Continued coordination across materials, packaging, and system design will likely influence how quickly these technologies move into volume production.
