News: Optoelectronics
26 November 2024
POET expands capacity to meet AI infrastructure demand
POET Technologies Inc of Toronto, Ontario, Canada — designer and developer of the POET Optical Interposer, photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and light sources for the data-center, telecom and artificial intelligence (AI) markets — is to expand its optical engine production capacity in Malaysia.
The firm also announced that it has signed a binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Quanzhou Sanan Optical Communication Technology Co Ltd (SAIC) to transfer to POET its 24.8% stake in the China-based joint venture Super Photonics Xiamen (SPX), along with all the production equipment previously leased by SAIC to SPX. With control of SPX, POET now has the flexibility to implement its ‘China Plus One’ strategy to locate its wafer-scale assembly operations outside China.
Concurrently, the firm has been negotiating with several contract manufacturers in Malaysia to become the focal point for POET’s wafer-scale assembly of optical engines and expects to sign an agreement in November and to start operations by the end of the year.
"The addition of wafer-scale equipment to our assembly & test operations will significantly expand our production capacity to cover the projected needs of our customers for 800G optical engines being sold to AI networks through 2026,” notes POET’s chairman & CEO Dr Suresh Venkatesan. "We can now project an assembly & test capacity exceeding 1 million optical engines per year, all dedicated to the 800G-and-higher-speed transceivers required for AI clusters.”
The 24.8% equity stake represents SAIC’s entire ownership position in the JV. With no other shareholders, SPX will become a wholly owned subsidiary of POET and will continue to assemble optical engines for sale in China, adopting the POET company name. The MOU is binding and is also subject to definitive agreements, which are expected to be signed by the end of November.
Expansion of IR activities
POET has entered into an agreement with 1123963 B.C Ltd DBA CAPITALIZ ON IT to conduct market awareness and marketing services, commencing on 15 November 2024 and terminating on 15 February 2025. The nature of the services to be provided by CAPITALIZ include, but are not limited to, advice, content development, media buying and distribution, and marketing services through social media channels. POET will pay CAPITALIZ a total of US$90,000 for its services, split over the term of the contract in accordance with the services rendered.
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