Winners Spotlight: POET Technologies

November 15 | Artificial Intelligence 2024 Winner Best of Category

POET Technologies, awarded Best of Category in AI at the 2024 Global Tech Awards, powers AI networks and hyperscale data centers with advanced components built on the POET Optical Interposer. Their photonics technology enhances server communication, reducing both costs and energy consumption. Check out their journey from Chairman and CEO Dr. Suresh Venkatesan!

What motivated your company to participate in the Global Tech Awards?

POET believes our platform technology, called the POET Optical Interposer™, is worthy of broader recognition because of the breakthroughs it allows for the AI and data center industries. Programs such as the Global Tech Awards allow POET to spread the word to industry observers and media.

Could you share an overview of the project or innovation your company submitted?

The POET Optical Interposer enables optical communication using a silicon-based hybrid-integration platform that is more energy efficient, lower cost, and better performing than existing solutions. With a vision to enable “the semiconductorization of photonics”, POET brings significant opportunities to AI developers and data center hyperscalers while reducing costs and improving power efficiency. The POET Optical Interposer replaces electrical data communication with light-based optical communication between chips. The key to the technology is POET’s proprietary low-loss waveguides, built in spot-size converters and micro-mirrors, which harness the light from lasers to send them through the interposer. The built-in self-aligning fiducials and z-references on the interposer enable passive alignment of light to the waveguides which paves the way for wafer-scale assembly for high-volume applications. As a platform technology, the optical interposer is the foundation on which POET designs its growing line of products, including specific hardware solutions for the AI market.

How has your team worked together to bring this innovation to life?

POET has 55 engineers spread across North America and Asia. Our team in Allentown, Pennsylvania worked closely with our units in Singapore and Shenzhen, China to develop the optical interposer and the products built from it. Often, because of the time differences, one team would pick up some work tasks where another had left off. Or duties would be delegated across units and then integrated as we created prototypes for internal or external testing. Everyone in the organization has demonstrated the drive necessary to create an innovation that can have profound benefits for the optoelectronics industry.

What impact do you anticipate your innovation will have on the tech industry or society at large?

The POET Optical Interposer is a platform technology that can power future generations of computing. Using the “semiconductorization of photonics” process, it reduces costs for developers and manufacturers, because there is less labor and capital expenditures. That leads to savings for the end user, or greater margins for POET’s customers. The optical interposer meets the demand by AI networks and hyperscalers for lower power consumption, which is also beneficial for the environment. Another notable environmental point is the optical communication between chips, which reduces heat dissipation — by a factor of 10 times — over electrons that go through copper. By using light, POET gives AI hardware developers the ability to build high-speed and low-latency networks with an optical solution that is highly scalable and at the desired cost structure. Customers are also further assured of reliability because POET uses known-good components from reputable suppliers like Lumentum and Mitsubishi, two of the global leaders in laser technology. The scalability and reliability of the platform allows engineers to unlock designs that were unattainable with incumbent alternatives.

Are there any specific challenges you faced during the development process, and how did you overcome them?

Whenever you aim to bring a new technology to the marketplace, there are always curves in the road. We navigated that path through the talent within our team and their dedication to solve problems. The trial-and-error process is one that everyone in our industry is accustomed to. So there was a lot of testing and tweaking until we achieved a commercially viable platform.

How does your company foster a culture of innovation?

As a high-tech company that is entirely focused on bringing a new technology to market, innovation is inherently part of what we do. Everyone on our team understands that. What allows us to keep pushing forward is the level of professionalism and dedication that our organization exudes. That comes from senior level management who set the priorities and maintain the focus on delivering what customers want.

What advice would you give to other companies striving to make an impact in the tech space?

Confirm with the industry that your innovation is something they want. Those communications at the outset of your project will be critical at helping you focus your attention, effectively deploy your resources, and avoid wasting time. At every step, you want to be mindful of your customers’ needs and pain points. And, if you’re both good and lucky, you’ll have one or more customers who can work with you as you make progress, providing guidance, feedback, and up-to-date industry insights.

What are your companys future goals, and how do you plan to drive advancements in your industry?

In September, POET announced that it is co-developing a 3.2 Terabit-per-second optical engine for AI networks with Mitsubishi Electric. “This promises to be a momentous technological achievement when it is unveiled,” Yasuhiro Yamauchi, General Manager, Optical Device Department at Mitsubishi Electric, said in a press release. The companies expect to announce completion of initial designs in 2025. No other company has achieved a 3.2T optical engine, so it will be a significant achievement for POET. The company is also working on expanding its product portfolio with notable customers such as Luxshare Tech and Foxconn Interconnect Technology.

Are there any emerging technologies or trends your company is particularly excited about?

The era of artificial intelligence is still in its early stages. As AI becomes a greater part of our lives, demand will continue to grow for technologies that can deliver more data without exploding costs or power usage. Advancements in laser technology and photonics in general excite us because that’s the arena in which POET demonstrates leadership.

To dive deeper into POET's award-winning work, visit their website at https://poet-technologies.com/

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