Presentation | Saying “CPO” and Meaning “Co-packaged micro-Optics” – CPO and its Enablers

October 1, 2025, 11:40–11:55 (CET, Central European Time), Dr. Wilfried Noell, Chief Scientist of Focuslight, will participate in the EPIC TechWatch session during European Conference on Optical Communication（ECOC 2025）in Copenhagen, Denmark, and deliver a technical talk titled “Saying “CPO” and Meaning “Co-packaged micro-Optics” – CPO and its Enablers”.

Abstract

With the rapid development of AI data centers and high-speed interconnects, Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) has become a key direction for next-generation high-speed data communication. It is evolving from traditional pluggable optical modules to deeply integrated optical engines with electronic chips, to meet the requirements of ultra-high bandwidth and low power consumption.

This presentation will cover three perspectives: technology evolution, micro-optics innovations, and future applications. It will review the development path of CPO, highlight breakthroughs in the latest micro-optical components, and explore their potential in data center interconnects and emerging applications.

Relying on its expertise in high-precision micro and nano-optical design and wafer-level scalable manufacturing capability, Focuslight is driving continuous innovation not only for CPO but also laying the foundation for advanced applications such as Optical I/O (OIO) chip interconnects and Optical Circuit Switches (OCS). These innovations enable efficient interconnection and large-scale expansion of AI data center clusters, fostering the sustainable development of the intelligent computing ecosystem.

Speaker

Dr. Wilfried Noell is Chief Scientist at Focuslight, specializing in integrated optics, microtechnology, silicon photonics and miniaturizing photonics systems. With more than 25 years of experience in the photonics industry, he previously served as Senior Principal Scientist and Director of R&D at SUSS MicroOptics (acquired by Focuslight in January 2024, now as Focuslight Switzerland).

Wilfried started his career as team leader at the University of Neuchâtel and has later held key roles at Comet AG and EPFL, focusing on MEMS and optical MEMS (MOEMS). Wilfried holds a PhD in Si-Photonics for sensing applications from IMM Mainz / Uni Ulm and a master's degree in physics from TU Darmstadt / Deutsche Telekom for his work on InP integrated optics.