Europe’s making bold moves to claim a leading role in the global photonics market, which could top €1.5 trillion by 2030. This momentum comes mostly from the relentless rise of AI datacentres, which are hungry for more bandwidth and far lower power usage.
From silicon photonics to optical integration for quantum computing, European efforts are hitting advancements in materials, manufacturing, and training. Together, these changes could totally reshape how we handle communications and data—and who knows what else?
AI Datacentres: Driving a Photonics Revolution
The AI explosion is forcing data infrastructure to adapt fast. Copper interconnects can’t keep up anymore, so co-packaged optics and Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) light sources are taking over.
Big players like Nvidia and TSMC are now building these optical components right into datacentre networks. By the end of the decade, AI networking could pull in almost $100 billion every year.
Photonics isn’t just about speed. It’s about energy efficiency, scaling up, and handling the insane growth of data.
The StarLight Project: Next-Generation Optical Engines
The €18.8m StarLight project is one of Europe’s flagship programs, run by STMicroelectronics with partners like AWS, Ericsson, and Sicoya. They’re using their PIC100 silicon photonics process on 300mm wafers in France and Italy, aiming for optical engines that power high-performance datacom modules.
StarLight’s roadmap is nothing if not ambitious. By 2028, they want modules that hit 400 Gbit/s per lane, with innovations like Through-Silicon Vias (TSV), compact modulators, and clever packaging to boost efficiency and shrink size.
Innovations Across the Continent
But it’s not just StarLight. Europe’s got a whole spread of photonics breakthroughs reaching far beyond datacentres. Some focus on space-based optical communications, while others chase new material platforms that could unlock wild new device performance.
Satellite Links and Advanced Materials
Irish startup Mbryonics is all-in on free-space-to-fibre interfaces for space-based optical links. That’s critical for high-capacity satellite comms.
Meanwhile, ST and its collaborators are diving into new materials, like:
- LNOI – Lithium Niobate on Insulator
- BTO – Barium Titanate
- SOI – Silicon on Insulator
SOITEC, imec, and CEA-Leti back these materials, which are key for faster modulators and lower-loss waveguides. It’s all about squeezing out more performance where it counts.
Scintil Photonics: Scaling Integrated Solutions
Scintil Photonics, spun out of CEA-Leti, recently raised €50m to ramp up its SHIP technology. They’re pulling off monolithic integration of lasers, modulators, and photodiodes on a single chip.
The result? A jaw-dropping 6.4 Tbps/mm edge bandwidth—six times the efficiency of classic optics, with just a sixth of the power draw. That’s not just incremental progress; it’s a leap.
Collaborations and Ecosystem Building
Collaboration sits right at the heart of Europe’s photonics game plan. Investments are going into shared tools, pilot lines, and training to make it easier for researchers, startups, and industry to get in the game.
PIXEurope and Cornerstone Initiatives
Spain’s ICFO heads up the €380m PIXEurope pilot line with 18 partners, building a Europe-wide ecosystem for integrated photonics. They’re working with materials like silicon nitride, indium phosphide, and even graphene.
This should help turn prototypes into real commercial solutions. Over in the UK, the University of Southampton’s Cornerstone project is supporting more than 1,400 companies in a £18bn industry that’s growing at a wild 20–25% each year.
Its open-source PDK (Process Design Kit) and new innovation centre are making complex photonic fabrication way more accessible. It’s a big step toward democratizing the field.
Quantum Breakthroughs with Barium Titanate
Quantum computing’s also getting a boost from Europe’s photonics push. PsiQuantum is integrating Barium Titanate into optical switches on 300mm wafers, teaming up with GlobalFoundries.
This combo is unlocking ultra-high-performance photonic circuits—exactly what’s needed to scale up large quantum systems. It’s early days, but the potential’s massive.
Bridging the Skills Gap
None of these breakthroughs matter if there aren’t enough skilled people to make them happen. The €5m Phortify project is building a shared European photonics curriculum, with industry-aligned training, student mobility support, and financial aid to get more folks involved across borders.
Europe’s Path to Photonic Leadership
Initiatives like StarLight, Scintil, Cornerstone, PIXEurope, and Phortify are joining forces. They’re building a web of strategic projects to put Europe at the forefront of photonics.
These efforts touch everything from datacentres and telecoms to LiDAR, sensing, and quantum tech. Europe isn’t just chasing market share—it’s aiming to shape the global conversation around integrated photonics.
AI, quantum computing, and space communications all keep raising the bar. Europe’s coordinated push mixes industrial drive, scientific curiosity, and a focus on developing talent.
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