Recent OIDA Forums Address Broad Elements of OE Landscape

OIDA News - December 2007

 

Recent OIDA Forums Address Broad Elements of OE Landscape

 

In September, OIDA presented "Perspectives on the Optoelectronics Industry," a two-day forum which covered a wide variety of topics to provide a snapshot of the OE industry. Organized by Bill Ring, Fred Leonburger, and Waguih Ishak, the major OE topics included consumer, defense, computer, communications, industrial, and transportation. Nearly 40 speakers addressed these topics in a forum intended to provide a broad strategic overview. In consumer oriented technologies, the markets, applications, and progress on flexible displays, 3-D displays, ultra-small displays, and microprojection were examined, as were imaging and lighting. Various communications technologies from ultra-short interconnects (e.g., inside a cell phone) through automotive, computer interconnect, access (PON) networks, and ultimately long-haul were also examined. The forum also explored higher power laser applications from biomedical, materials processing, and machining. LIDAR, infrared, imaging, and processing for automotive applications, for instance for collision avoidance, provides another vast market for optoelectronic innovation. Lastly, the special needs of the defense and aerospace markets, while drawing from these technologies, require unique solutions such as fiber ring gyros and fiber optic perimeter monitoring. Two more forums are planned in 2008 to look specifically at manufacturing and R&D issues. (Please see the related article in this newsletter for the Executive Summary from the OIDA report on this forum.)

In early November, OIDA held a forum on the "Future of Optical Communications." Featuring presentations by Goldman Sachs' Jason Rowe on current and evolving market conditions, and Verizon's Stu Elby and AT&T's Mark Feuer on network planning and evolution, this 1 ½ -day forum looked at the next five to ten years of technology requirements for telecommunications. Examining the needs for 100 Gb/s and beyond transport, the degree to which optical reconfigurability is necessary, the evolution of the access and metro networks, and evolving network topology to address changing traffic demands, the forum attempted to match the needs of system OEMs with the capabilities of component suppliers, and to identify any gaps.

Lastly, OIDA's 16th Annual Forum was held in early December. The overall theme was "Global Competitiveness in Optoelectronics." The forum looked at the communications industry since the bubble, green technologies such as solar and solid-state lighting, industrial, and aerospace markets. Capital market changes (e.g., Sarbox), different investment strategies driven by new ownership structures, the current condition of R&D in the US and abroad, and policy issues that impede competitiveness (e.g., export control) were also explored. Featuring speakers from the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee of the House Science and Technology Committee and from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the forum provided a broad overview of current initiatives in innovation development in the U.S. and identified a number of areas where the United States is lagging. The role of OIDA in helping the industry was also highlighted.

Save the date for OIDA's 17th Annual Forum: November 18-19, 2008.

Speaker presentations are available to both OIDA members and attendees. Reports generated by these forums, and the breakout sessions, are available when published to all OIDA members free of charge. Non-members may purchase the reports at www.oida.org.