Podcast Feature | Exciting Times Ahead: How Photonics Is Powering the Next Generation of AI and Data Centers

Dirk Hauschild, Senior Strategic Marketing Expert at Focuslight Technologies, was recently invited to join the technical podcast Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast, produced by Laser Focus World. In the latest episode, titled “Exciting Times Ahead”, Dirk discusses how photonic technologies are becoming a key driving force behind next-generation AI and data center architectures.

In the episode, Dirk talks about why he has long focused on the practical value of photonic technologies and highlights how the AI era is reshaping the demands placed on optical communication and photonics. As computing density and data throughput continue to surge, data centers, semiconductor manufacturing, and high-speed interconnects are reaching unprecedented levels of performance pressure – making light a critical enabler for breaking through existing bottlenecks.

Dirk discusses the ongoing industry shift from electrical to optical interconnects, as well as the growing importance of photonic integration and hybrid electro-optical architectures in future data centers. He points out that in high-speed single-mode transmission, the challenge of precisely coupling multi-channel fiber arrays into photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is increasing rapidly. To address this, Focuslight is developing a series of innovations – including monolithic micro prism lenses, engineered V-groove arrays, and precision engineered aspherical lenses – to deliver precise, reliable, and highly consistent optical coupling solutions for architectures such as Co-Packaged Optics (CPO). These advancements help the industry move toward higher bandwidth and lower power consumption.

Focuslight’s core capabilities, including wafer-level micro-optics manufacturing, hybrid refractive-diffractive optical design, and wafer-level testing and automation as technology platforms, enable the company to deliver integration-ready and high-volume manufacturable solutions that support the AI era’s growing demand for photonic performance – greater scale, higher precision, and stronger reliability.

The episode also features Dirk’s reflections on more than 30 years of experience in micro-optics design and integration, as well as his perspectives on the future of the photonics industry. He encourages young engineers to stay curious, continue learning across disciplines, not be limited by the idea of “what can’t be done,” and harness photonics as a force that drives technological transformation.

Access the full episode at: https://www.laserfocusworld.com/podcasts

Or subscribe to Following the Photons on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Podbean.

Dirk Hauschild is Senior Strategic Marking Expert at Focuslight Technologies with 30+ year’s experiences in the design, development and integration of micro-optical components and systems to enable photonics based advanced solutions and technologies. He has an engineering degree from the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, with focus on generation and guiding of photons to drive current and coming generations of photonic applications and technologies.