3 December 2014

Huawei partners with Imec on high-bandwidth optical data link technology research

Nanoelectronics research center Imec of Leuven, Belgium and Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (one of the world's largest telecom networking equipment manufacturers) say that they have taken a further step in their strategic partnership focusing on optical data link technology. The joint research on silicon-based optical interconnects is expected to deliver benefits including high speed, low power consumption and cost savings.

Silicon photonics is reckoned to be a key enabling technology for optical communications, paving the way for the creation of highly integrated, low-power optical transceivers used for data transmission and telecoms.

Huawei has now joined imec’s research program which focuses on optimizing bandwidth density, power consumption, thermal robustness and cost at the system level. Huawei engineers will work with imec’s R&D team, with a view to achieving technological progress for delivering connectivity matching Europe’s future needs.

In 2013, Huawei added silicon photonics research to its European R&D portfolio by acquiring photonics company Caliopa(which was spun off from imec and UGent in 2010). Delivering on its commitment of boosting Caliopa’s development, Huawei has been investing in its human resources and infrastructure, prompting it to move offices to keep step with its rapid growth.

“This collaboration, together with Huawei’s recent acquisition of our spin-off Caliopa that focuses on developing silicon photonics-based optical transceivers for the telecoms industry, shows that our silicon photonics research is important for advancing next-generation high-bandwidth ICT solutions,” says imec’s president & CEO Luc Van den hove. “We expect this partnership to give a further boost to our silicon photonics research over the coming years,” he adds.

“By combining our strengths in this strategic area, we can deliver ICT innovation that translates into value for businesses and consumers in Europe and beyond,” reckons Hudson Liu, CEO at Huawei Belgium. It is reckoned that, due to its global platform and network, Huawei can bring silicon photonics research results to market, effectively speeding up commercialization of its products.

The collaboration further deepens Huawei’s engagement with European research. The latest announcement follows the recent purchase of UK-based Internet of Things company Neul, the launch of an innovation centre in Walldorf, Germany, and the opening of an R&D site in Sophia Antipolis, France.

See related items:

Imec demos 28Gb/s silicon photonics platform for high-density, low-power WDM optical interconnects

Tags: Silicon photonics Huawei Imec

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Visit: www.imec.be