Comb Lasers for Next Generation Data Communications and AI Infrastructure

The rapid growth of cloud computing and AI workloads is driving unprecedented demand for optical bandwidth in data center and interconnect networks. Optical frequency combs provide an attractive solution by generating large numbers of evenly spaced optical carriers that can serve as sources for massively parallel wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) transmission. By replacing arrays of discrete lasers with a single integrated source, chip-scale comb generators can significantly reduce power consumption, footprint, and system complexity while enabling highly scalable multi-wavelength transmitters.

Recent advances in integrated photonics have accelerated the development of compact frequency comb sources capable of supporting high-capacity optical links and next-generation communication architectures. In this talk, Okawachi will discuss chip-scale optical frequency comb technology and its potential to enable scalable WDM systems for future AI-driven data center and optical interconnect networks.

About the presenter
Yoshitomo Okawachi, Ph.D., is co-founder and vice president of research and development at Xscape Photonics. Previously, he was a research scientist at Columbia University, where his research focused on optical frequency combs, silicon photonics, and nonlinear optics. He received a B.S. and M.Eng. in engineering physics and an M.S. and a doctorate in applied physics, all from Cornell University.

Okawachi is a Fellow of Optica and served as a 2017 Optica Ambassador. He is the recipient of the Tingye Li Innovation Prize. He has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and is a co-inventor on 9 patents and patent applications in silicon photonics and optical communications. He has served on technical program committees for major international conferences including CLEO, FiO, ACP, and CLEO Pacific Rim, and previously served as Chair of the Optica Integrated Photonics Technical Group. He also served as an associate editor for Optics Letters and a guest editor for several journal special issues.