Hitting the Wuhan Optical Expo: Summary of highlights of 7 companies including Huawei/Changguang Huaxin

The 20th "China Optics Valley" International Optoelectronics Expo will be held in Wuhan from May 15th to 17th, 2025. This year's Light Expo has reached cooperation with the UNESCO "International Light Day" organizing committee for the first time, and has been included in the International Light Day global series of activities, further expanding its global influence. The exhibition closely follows the "optoelectronics + AI" integration trend, bringing together more than 370 brand companies to compete on the same stage, displaying the most cutting-edge technological achievements in the optoelectronic information industry chain. In this optoelectronics event, the booths of seven key companies are particularly eye-catching. With their respective technology accumulation and innovative products, they jointly outline the development picture of the optical connection industry in the AI ​​era.

YOFC Optical Fiber

The YOFC booth has always been the best window to observe the evolution trend of optical fiber technology. At this exhibition, with the theme of "Light Leading a Green Future", YOFC unveiled core products such as hollow-core optical fibers, multi-core optical fiber preforms, ultra-low attenuation G.654.

Kuaibei® hollow core anti-resonant optical fiber is the biggest highlight of this booth - light is transmitted in the air core, with measured attenuation as low as 0.04dB/km. The length of a single fiber exceeds 91 kilometers, and has been deployed in more than 10 commercial projects around the world. After seven years of advanced layout, YOFC has achieved full independence from materials to cables, leading the next generation of transmission standards.

Multi-core optical fiber preform provides a new dimension for future space division multiplexing communications, and the technical barriers are extremely high. Ultra-low attenuation G.654.E optical fiber has become the standard configuration of AI data center trunk lines, supports 800G/1.6T transmission and has been applied in batches.

YOFC is the only company in the world that masters the three major preform preparation technologies of PCVD, VAD and OVD. It occupies the core of optical fiber costs and integrates "rods, fibers and cables" to achieve dual control of cost and quality. Products such as YOC smart optical cables and Chaobei® Broadband OM5 cover data center interconnection and special scenarios, and extend to passive component supporting solutions such as air-core-single-mode adapters. In 2025, YOFC's revenue will reach 14.252 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 16.8%, and its gross profit margin will increase from 27.3% to 30.7%, indicating a significant trend of high-quality development.

Huagong Technology

Huagong Technology’s booth was filled with a tension of “technical cross-border”. This company, which started out as a traditional laser processing company, has now achieved a key position in the field of AI computing power and optical interconnection. In the core area of ​​the booth, 6.4T NPO and 3.2T CPO optical engines occupy the C position. They are based on single-wavelength 20G micro-ring modulation technology and have outstanding power consumption performance.

What deserves more attention is its quantum dot optical frequency comb external light source - O-band DWDM solution, which consumes less than 6W. According to on-site engineers, Huagong Zhengyuan has built the only independent quantum dot laser chip production line in China, with a monthly production capacity of 1.2 million pieces and a yield rate of 82%, far exceeding the 65% level of international peers. Quantum dot lasers are becoming the core "optical brain" light source of CPO solutions due to their high stability, low power consumption, and removable isolators. From micro-ring modulation, silicon photonic engines to external light sources, Huagong has opened up the key links of CPO's "optical-electrical-packaging" full-stack layout.

On the other side of the booth, the 800G OSFP LPO AOC silicon optical module attracted many professional visitors, with a single-ended power consumption of only 7.5W; 100G satellite optical modules, a full range of PON and data communication modules were also on display. As a representative company among "Light Chasers", Huagong Technology is transitioning from a traditional optical module manufacturer to a core solution provider for AI computing optical interconnection. Its quantum dot lasers are also deeply involved in the research and development of the "Nine Chapters" series of optical quantum computers, and it also occupies a place in the forefront of quantum technology.

Changguang Huaxin

On the map of domestic substitution of optical chips, Changguang Huaxin (688048.SH) is a name that cannot be bypassed. This company, known as the “No. 1 Semiconductor Laser Chip Stock” and listed on the Science and Technology Innovation Board, is the only manufacturer in China that has the ability to independently control the entire process of semiconductor laser chips, including epitaxy, wafer, packaging, and testing.

At the booth, Changguang Huaxin comprehensively demonstrated its full chain capabilities from chips to systems: Lidar EEL series chips (905nm, power 125-1200W), 200mW DFB optical communication chips (1311nm), high-power semiconductor laser chips and fiber coupling modules (wavelength covering 400-2000nm). Its five major material systems of GaAs, InP, GaN, SiC, and silicon photonics, as well as 2-inch, 3-inch, and 6-inch wafer mass production lines, have built the most complete semiconductor laser chip technology platform in China.

According to the 2025 financial report, Changguang Huaxin has achieved a continuous output power of 132W at room temperature for dual-junction single-tube chips, setting a new world record; 100G EML optical communication chips have achieved mass production, and 200G EML has completed customer verification; automotive-grade 905nm VCSEL chips have passed AEC-Q102 certification and entered the supply chain of leading lidar manufacturers such as Hesai Technology and Sagitar Jutron. Changguang Huaxin is consolidating the base of domestic high-power and optical communication laser chips through vertical integration, breaking the decades-long monopoly of American, Japanese and European companies in the field of high-end laser chips.

Huawei

At the core of Huawei's booth, a piece of equipment that looked unattractive but had hidden secrets attracted professional visitors to queue up to communicate - the data center all-optical switch OptiXtrans OCS800

The annual failure rate of optical modules in traditional Wanka clusters is about 4%, resulting in nearly 100 interruptions per year, which is a major hidden danger to the stability of AI training. Huawei's all-optical switch is based on 256×256 port-level switching based on MEMS optical transceiver technology. It completely bids farewell to pluggable optical modules, and the power consumption of the entire machine is less than 300W. This solution significantly reduces latency and failure rates through hardware-level optical switching, providing a new idea for the stable operation of AI ultra-large-scale clusters.

From a technical perspective, OCS (Optical Circuit Switching) represents an optical interconnection paradigm that is completely different from the current mainstream pluggable optical modules. Huawei chose to focus on this node to demonstrate its confidence in its own technological reserves, but also to send a signal to the industry: Facing the exponential growth of AI computing power, the optical interconnection architecture is undergoing a key transition from "pluggable optical and electrical separation" to "converged optical circuits".

Six-core Optoelectronics

Six-core Optoelectronics is the youngest star at this optical expo. This Wuhan start-up company, founded in November 2024, held the world premiere ceremony of the 8-inch thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic integrated chip at the booth, and simultaneously launched the new brand "ViSiLight", targeting the AI ​​data center high-speed optical interconnection market.

TFLN is rapidly becoming a key technology to solve the bottleneck of high-speed, low-power photoelectric conversion in the AI ​​era. When the single-channel rate of the optical module exceeds 100G, the traditional indium phosphide solution has approached the physical limit, while TFLN can drive ultra-high bandwidth with one-tenth the voltage of traditional materials, reducing power consumption by more than 30%. The senior deputy general manager of UMC has publicly stated that in order to achieve 1.6T and higher bandwidth, thin film lithium niobate is becoming a promising core material, and it is expected to launch its own photonic technology platform in 2027.

The core competitiveness of Six Core Optoelectronics lies in the fact that one of the few in China has mastered the 8-inch TFLN mass production process solution. The founder Qi Zhiyong graduated from the Department of Optoelectronics of Huazhong University of Science and Technology and worked for Tencent. He has both technical and business acumen. The company adopts an asset-light model of "self-designed research + manufacturing outsourcing" and completed its first round of financing in February 2026, led by Lihe Venture Capital and followed by Wuhan Government Fund. Lihe Science and Technology (002243) holds 5.77%-6% equity in Liuxin Optoelectronics through its funds. The appearance of this "young face" marks that the new generation of photonic integration technology represented by TFLN is moving from the laboratory to the front stage of industrialization.

Changyingtong

The rich product matrix at Changyingtong's booth is impressive. Special optical fibers are the core highlights of this exhibition: wired bend-insensitive single-mode optical fibers, multi-core optical fibers, hollow-core anti-resonant optical fibers, as well as PI-coated optical fibers, metal-coated optical fibers, etc., combined with multi-core bundle optical cable solutions such as drone cables and wind power optical cables, to directly address the interconnection needs of special environments.

What is more worthy of in-depth understanding is its subsidiary Optics Valley Metering Station. The complete equipment capabilities from quartz tube smelting and drawing towers to fiber grating etching machines and preform production lines were demonstrated on site, and metrological calibration and customized solutions were provided. This means that Changyingtong has opened up the entire chain of "special optical fiber-equipment-measurement-devices" and has become one of the few domestic optoelectronic comprehensive solution providers.

According to the 2025 financial report, Changyingtong's revenue was 398 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.32%; the revenue of optical fiber ring devices increased significantly by 62.43% year-on-year, and the gross profit margin increased by 8.74 percentage points to 54.27%. After the company completed the acquisition of Wuhan Shengyi Sheng Optoelectronics, it further expanded its applications in the field of optical communications; ultra-fine diameter polarization-maintaining optical fiber has passed the "international leading level" scientific and technological achievements appraisal.

In terms of AI computing power layout, Changyingtong's passive components for 1.6T high-speed optical modules have been sent to customers for testing, and CPO's special polarization-maintaining optical fiber has been sent to customers for samples, and it is steadily entering the AI ​​large computing power supporting supply chain. This company, known in the industry as the "first stock in the optical fiber ring", is making the leap from a military industry champion to a "sea, land and air computing" hard technology platform with a "5+1 focused concentric circle" industrial layout.

Optics Technology

When entering the booth of Optics Technology, the most eye-catching thing is undoubtedly its 8-inch thin film lithium niobate (TFLN) and 320×320 MEMS array DCS. As the only leader in optoelectronic devices in China that has achieved full-link IDM vertical integration of "optical chips - optical modules - subsystems", Optics' deep accumulation in high-end optical chips and optical switching core components is clear at a glance.

Facing the next generation access network, FiberXn has demonstrated a full range of 50G PON modules, including 50G SFP56 ONU, three-mode 50G PON SFP-DD OLT and single-mode solutions, fully supporting F5G-A evolution. In the field of intelligent computing centers, Optoelectronics launched the "XPO" intelligent computing center optical module solution to directly address the urgent need for high-bandwidth and low-power interconnection in AI clusters.

The 2025 financial report shows that Guangxun Technology’s revenue is 11.929 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 44.20%; the net profit attributable to the parent company is 946 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 43.10%. Backed by China Information Technology Group, a state-owned enterprise, Guangxun is transitioning from a traditional optical device manufacturer to a core solution provider for AI computing power optical interconnection. Its 1.6T silicon optical module has passed NVIDIA and Google certification and entered the mass production stage.

Conclusion

At this Optics Expo, seven companies each showed their strengths, from hollow-core optical fibers to TFLN photonic chips, from CPO full-stack solutions to data center all-optical switching. A clear industrial evolution path emerged: driven by AI computing power, the optoelectronic information industry is upgrading from "a pipeline for information transmission" to a "strategic cornerstone of the digital economy", and Wuhan Optics Valley is the core source of this change. (Text: Trend Micro Communications)

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