Rockley Photonics and Hengtong Optic-Electric form joint venture to deliver next-generation silicon-photonics optical modules

Silicon-photonics maker Rockley Photonics (Pasadena, CA and Oxford, England) has announced a joint venture with Hengtong Optic-Electric (Shanghai, China) to manufacture high-performance optical-transceiver modules based on Rockley's silicon-photonics technology.

The joint venture was established around a $42 million co-investment led by Hengtong Optic-Electric, a fiber-optic cable manufacturer, and will commercialize Rockley Photonics' photonics technology for networking applications. The resulting silicon-photonics optical modules are intended for high-speed data communications including carrier networks, internet data centers, high performance computing, and deep-learning applications.

The new products will incorporate Rockley Photonics' technology for high-density optical integration with monolithic fiber-attach techniques and an all-CMOS electrical chipset, which the company says will lead to photonic optical transceiver modules delivering lower power and high manufacturing efficiencies.

"Silicon-photonic technology is reshaping the economic structure of the optical module market," says Weiming Shi, announcer of Hengtong Optic-Electric and general manager of Jiangsu Hengtong Optical Network Technology. "The joint venture will employ Hengtong's advanced R&D into optical modules and intelligent manufacturing technology, along with Rockley's worldwide first-class silicon photonic technology platform."

The global optical network hardware market is forecast to grow to USD 24.99 billion by 2021, at a compound growth rate of close to 13%, according to research published by Technavio (London, England).

Source: Rockley Photonics