PRESS RELEASE

20 March 2017

Robotics, AI, Hyperscale Data Centers, Silicon Photonics, VR Intersect at Upcoming OFC 2017

Annual optical communications and networking conference & exhibition attracts more than 100 California-based exhibitors

LOS ANGELES — OFC 2017, the world’s leading conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals, will host close to 650 exhibiting companies and 13,000 attendees from over 65 countries at the Los Angeles Convention Center 19 – 23 March. Dynamic demonstrations and research presented in artificial intelligence (AI), hyperscale data centers, robotics, silicon photonics and virtual reality (VR) and more. The exhibition comprises 100+ California-based companies including: Broadcom, Intel, Kaiam, Lumentum, Mellanox and Oclaro.

WHAT:  Optical Fiber Communications and Conference and Exposition (OFC)
WHEN:  19 – 23 March, Technical Conference  21 – 23 March, Exhibition
WHERE: Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California, USA

• Plenary Session: Google’s Employee #8 and current vice president of Engineering Urs Hölzle will speak about Google’s groundbreaking cloud network in terms of reach, scale, and capability. On the research front, Prof. Meint Smit, considered by many as the father of the integrated photonics foundry model, will talk about affordable photonic integration and the wide range of applications that the photonic foundry model is enabling. Visionary and smart city pioneer, Prof. Mischa Dohler, will share his joint loves of communications research and music through his discussion of how the ‘Internet of Skills’ will allow the transmission of labor, enabled by next-generation wireless 5G and optical networks, and wrap the session by performing from his latest album using a virtual reality headset (provided by RoomOne) and haptic glove (provided by NeuroDigital). Tuesday, 21 March, 08:00 – 10:00, Concourse Hall. Pre-registration required for the live stream event.  

California-based exhibitors can be seen in the following programming, among others:

• Data Center Summit: Next Generation Optical Technologies Inside the Data Center
  The data center summit panel will focus on next generation optical technologies likely to be used inside the data center.  It will include both standard solutions as well as custom ones. Tuesday, 21 March, 12:15 – 13:45, Exhibit Hall, Theater II
• Show Floor Programming: Advancing Optical Interoperability in Open Networks
  As network operators migrate towards open, disaggregated optical transport networks, interoperability becomes increasingly critical, whether on the line side between disparate vendor elements and components or on the client side enabling high-capacity, next-generation interconnects (e.g. 400 GE). In Expo Theater 2, join Juniper Networks along with experts from technology partner and network operator customers to discuss the latest advancements in optical interoperability. Tuesday, 21 March, 14:00 – 17:00, Exhibit Hall, Theater II

• Rump Session: Sub $0.25/Gbps Optics; How and When will Fiber Finally Kill Copper Cable Interconnects in the Data Center (DC)?
  In the DC, switch interconnects are exclusively fiber-based, but copper cables stubbornly hang on as server interconnects at ~$0.50/Gbps per link. Optical transceivers inside active cables or modules will have to be $0.25/Gbps to match cost. The high volume potential of this application can drive development of disruptive technologies and lower the cost of all DC optics. Yet our industry is moving away from common optics. Tuesday, 21 March, 19:30 – 21:30, Room 409B, Level 2

For more information and access to technical papers, exhibition maps and conference planner, download the OFC App.

MEDIA REGISTRATION: Media/analyst registration for OFC 2017 can be accessed online. Further information is available on the event website at OFC, including travel details.

ABOUT OFC
The Optical Fiber Conference and Exposition (OFC) is the largest global conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals. For more than 40 years, OFC has drawn attendees from all corners of the globe to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and move business forward.
 
OFC includes dynamic business programming, an exhibition of more than 600 companies, and high impact peer-reviewed research that, combined, showcase the trends and pulse of the entire optical networking and communications industry. OFC is managed by The Optical Society (OSA) and co-sponsored by OSA, the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc), and the IEEE Photonics Society.  OFC 2017 will be held from 19-23 March 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, California, USA. Follow @OFCConference, learn more OFC Conference LinkedIn, and watch highlights OFC YouTube.

Media Contacts:
media@ofcconference.org