With more than 60 member companies involved, Advanced Photonics Coalition delivers portfolio of specifications to drive volume cost reduction for manufacturing and extend photonics into networking

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Advanced Photonics Coalition (APC) today announces a portfolio of specifications and recommended practices documents to accelerate the adoption of high-volume, lower-cost manufacturing of photonics for AI and data center infrastructures. Developed through collaboration of 60 member organizations, the portfolio addresses Co-packaged Optics (CPO), Silicon Photonics Manufacturing, Multicore fiber, and system implementation including support for optical circuit switching (OCS).

The APC specifications can be downloaded at: https://www.advanced-photonics.org/document-request

By establishing common manufacturing, interface, and test practices, APC aims to remove implementation variations that add no market value and overcome supply chain silos that constrain volume. APC standardization supports multiple sourcing and broader supplier participation, helping the industry build an open and scalable photonics ecosystem.

The Advanced Photonics Coalition portfolio includes:

• System Level Architecture Overview for Co-Packaged Optics
• Co-Packaged Optics Informative Outlook and Recommended Practices
• Silicon Photonics for Co-Packaged Optics Recommended Test Practices
• 4-Core Multicore Fiber Cable, Connector and Fiber Array Unit Specification
• Silicon Photonics Manufacturing Specification

APC brings together expertise across systems and platforms, chip and photonic circuit design, foundries, lasers, packaging, assembly, test equipment, connectors, and fiber interfaces. At three years old, APC’s initial work is organized around three working groups: Co-Packaged Optics, Silicon Photonics Manufacturing, and Multicore Fiber with dedicated focus groups addressing system level architecture, CPO reference design development, high speed optical interfaces, design and simulation, and test and measurement.

APC is also taking next steps toward more efficient networking by including support for different forms of optical circuit switches (OCS) including reliability and configuration requirements for rack-level OCS deployments.

“APC advances its purpose by publishing its first specifications and best practice documents,” said Jeffery Maki, Chairperson of APC’s Board of Directors. “Our focus on manufacturing promotes and enables the common business interest of companies developing AI networking equipment.”

About the Advanced Photonics Coalition

The purpose of the corporation is to improve business conditions for and promote the common business interest of persons developing, manufacturing, integrating, and using optical interconnects and optical subassemblies in network equipment for data center, high performance computing, quantum computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning applications. www.advanced-photonics.org

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SOURCE Advanced Photonics Coalition