Silicon Photonics Market to Reach $2.1 Billion by 2034; LightBridge to Demonstrate Photonics Design Platform at Optics & Photonics Kansai 2026

According to the latest report 'Silicon Photonics Foundry Market 2026' released in April 2026 by Semiconductor Insight, the global silicon photonics foundry market is projected to grow from $850 million in 2025 to $2.1 billion by 2034, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6%. Driven by the increasing demand for high-capacity optical channels in AI semiconductors and data centers, the need for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and other optical device designs is rapidly accelerating.

In response to this trend, LightBridge, Ltd. (Headquarters: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Redwan Katouh) will exhibit at 'Optics & Photonics Kansai 2026' (hosted by Optronics Co., Ltd.), to be held on July 15 (Wed) and 16 (Thu), 2026 at My Dome Osaka. As an official Ansys Channel Partner (Optics Line Expertise, certified January 2021), LightBridge will demonstrate its core nanophotonics design tools—Ansys Lumerical, Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, and Ansys Speos—alongside its MPW (Multi-Project Wafer) prototyping service in collaboration with European foundries, and its in-house developed photonic device design platform 'Photonica' to research institutions and enterprises across the Kansai region.

Booth Number: OPK-23

Exhibition Highlights (Three Key Pillars)

1. Live Demonstration of Optical and Photonic Analysis as an Official Ansys Channel Partner

Since obtaining Ansys Channel Partner (Optics Line Expertise) certification in January 2021, LightBridge has provided Ansys optical and photonic products to research institutions and enterprises across Japan. At this exhibition, the company will showcase three key products through live demonstrations: Ansys Lumerical FDTD and Ansys Lumerical Multiphysics for nanophotonic device design; Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, officially recognized by Ansys as 'the standard for optical, illumination, and laser system design in leading companies throughout the optics industry'; and Ansys Speos for optical system validation.

2. In-House Developed Platform 'Photonica' for Optical and Photonic Design Support

'Photonica', a proprietary platform developed by LightBridge since August 2024, supports layout creation, geometry preparation, parameter editing, and simulation integration for optical and photonic device design. While targeting photonic integrated circuits (PICs), the platform is also designed for broader applications such as metalenses, waveguide structures, and nanophotonic devices.

At the exhibition, LightBridge will demonstrate workflows integrating Photonica with Ansys Lumerical for nanophotonic analysis and Ansys Zemax OpticStudio for optical system design. This demonstration aims to showcase LightBridge’s unique approach to reducing cross-tool workflow burdens, enabling more intuitive progression from optical device design and analysis to prototyping—directly presented to researchers and engineers in the Kansai region.

3. MPW Prototyping Service in Collaboration with European Foundries

LightBridge offers MPW (Multi-Project Wafer) foundry services for photonics to domestic users through partnerships with Smart Photonics (InP platform) and LIGENTEC (SiN platform). This shared-wafer model enables cost-effective prototyping of photonic integrated circuits, making it accessible even for startups and university laboratories. On-site technical consultations will be available for design topics including silicon photonics, metalenses, nanophotonic devices, and photonic integrated circuits.

[Latest Research] Optical Technology Demand in the Generative AI Era and Challenges in Photonic Design

With the widespread adoption of generative AI and large language models, hyperscale data centers now urgently require high-capacity, low-power optical channels. According to Semiconductor Insight's 'Silicon Photonics Foundry Market 2026' (published April 2026), the global silicon photonics foundry market is expected to grow from $850 million in 2025 to $2.1 billion by 2034, with a CAGR of 9.6%. An era has begun in which optical technologies—such as optical channels exceeding 400Gb/s for AI semiconductors, optical interconnects between AI accelerators, and optical neural networks—form the core of information infrastructure.

Meanwhile, photonic device design faces common challenges including fragmented use of multiple analysis tools, high prototyping costs, and prolonged development cycles. LightBridge’s case studies have confirmed that integrating optical simulation for pre-validation can reduce prototyping iterations from 4–6 rounds to just 1–2, shorten development time from 6–12 months to 2–4 months, and cut prototyping costs to approximately 20–40% of previous levels (based on internal research). Since 2016, LightBridge has supported over 100 implementations across universities, research institutions, and enterprises through its distribution of Ansys products, building an integrated development platform combining these tools with Photonica.

The growing demand for optical channel expansion in the AI semiconductor era and the persistent industry challenges of high cost and long development cycles converge on a single issue: the lack of an integrated platform supporting design, analysis, and prototyping. To bridge this gap, LightBridge aims to directly deliver the latest photonic design technologies at this Osaka-based event, where major Kansai research hubs (including Kyoto University, Osaka University, and Kobe University) are concentrated.

CEO Statement

The demand for optical technologies is rapidly expanding across fields such as generative AI, data centers, communications, sensing, and medical devices.

However, optical device development remains fragmented, with design, analysis, and prototyping conducted separately, resulting in high costs and long timelines to translate research into practical applications.

LightBridge aims to create a more practical environment for optical device development by integrating Ansys-based optical and photonic analysis, MPW prototyping services via European foundries, and our in-house Photonica platform.

Photonica is being developed as a comprehensive photonic design foundation, designed to support photonic integrated circuits, metalenses, nanophotonic devices, and integration with optical systems.

Through this exhibition, we look forward to engaging with research institutions and enterprises in the Kansai region and introducing new development workflows that accelerate the real-world deployment of optical technologies.

Future Outlook

As a foundational design platform supporting Japan’s photonics industry, LightBridge will continue to strengthen its three core pillars: Ansys products, MPW foundry services, and the Photonica platform. In the Kansai region, the company plans to enhance technical consultations and training programs for university labs and startups to accelerate R&D in silicon photonics, metalenses, nanophotonic devices, and photonic integrated circuits. Additionally, LightBridge will host 4–6 webinars and training sessions annually to cultivate the skills of young engineers and researchers (historical data from 2023–2025: 3–4 sessions per year, with 10–70 participants per session).

Event Overview

Event Name: Optics & Photonics Kansai 2026

Dates: July 15 (Wed)–16 (Thu), 2026, 10:00–17:00

Venue: 1F Exhibition Hall A, My Dome Osaka (2-5 Honmachi-bashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka City, Osaka)

Booth Number: OPK-23

Organizer: Optronics Co., Ltd.

Official Event Website: https://www.optronics.co.jp/opto-kansai/ja/

Pre-registration for Attendance: https://www.optronics.co.jp/opto-kansai/regist26/

Company Overview

Company Name: LightBridge, Ltd.

Address: 2F South Building, Nakano Central Park, 4-10-2 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164-0001

Representative: CEO Redwan Katouh (Ph.D. in Engineering)

Founded: April 2015 (converted from a limited liability company to a stock company in January 2025)

Business Activities: Photonics and optical simulation technology services; official Ansys Channel Partner (Optics Line Expertise, certified January 2021); MPW foundry services; development and provision of in-house platform 'Photonica'

Official Website: https://lightbridge.co.jp

Sources

· Semiconductor Insight, "Silicon Photonics Foundry Market 2026" (published April 29, 2026):

https://semiconductorinsight.com/report/silicon-photonics-foundry-market/

· Ansys official 'Ansys Zemax OpticStudio' product page:

https://www.ansys.com/products/optics/ansys-zemax-opticstudio