VCSEL CPO or silicon photonics? The departure of Nvidia's core talent in optical interconnect to ams OSRAM has already changed the industry landscape.
```
European optoelectronic semiconductor giant ams OSRAM has poached a top executive in the field of optical interconnection from NVIDIA, causing a strong stir in the photonics industry. This personnel change not only reflects the fierce competition in the AI data center optical interconnect track, but is also regarded by insiders as an important signal of the VCSEL route mounting a challenge to silicon photonics technology.
M. Ashkan Seyedi recently announced on LinkedIn that he has officially become Vice President and General Manager of ams OSRAM’s optical interconnect business line. In his onboarding statement, he said, he will lead his team to advance the company’s digital photonics strategy and develop next-generation micro-emitter solutions for the AI data center market. Previously, Seyedi had long been deeply involved in NVIDIA’s optical interconnect business and is recognized as a core technical figure in the industry.
This news quickly spread in photonics circles. Tech analysis account Irrational Analysis posted on the X platform, "If you work in optics, you definitely know who this person is and how heavyweight this news is."
The account also pointed out, "VCSEL CPO is gaining more and more momentum."
Top talent moves send major signals for the industry
Seyedi’s career spans several cutting-edge areas of optoelectronics.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he has long focused on integrated optical interconnects, dedicated to developing hardware solutions that meet bandwidth and power consumption demands for modern hyperscale computers and data centers, and has previously been involved in solar cells, visible light communication, and sensing, among other fields.
In his onboarding statement, Seyedi traced his technical foundation—his doctoral work focused on high-speed optoelectronic devices based on InGaAsP and GaN material systems, which are the core material directions for VCSEL technology.
He expressed his anticipation to collaborate with ams OSRAM’s world-class engineering team to translate the unique capabilities of these devices into real products.
ams OSRAM is one of the world’s major suppliers of VCSELs (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers). Bringing in top optical interconnect talent from NVIDIA is widely seen as a clear signal that the company is accelerating its layout in the AI data center optical interconnect market.
The VCSEL route challenges silicon photonics
The deep background of this personnel change is that the technological contest in optical interconnects is entering a critical stage.
Currently, co-packaged optics (CPO) is considered an important direction to solve the bottlenecks of high-speed interconnects and energy consumption in AI data centers, while silicon photonics has long dominated the mainstream narrative in this space.
Irrational Analysis’s comments directly address this competitive landscape: "VCSEL CPO is gaining more and more momentum."
This means that the VCSEL camp, represented by ams OSRAM, is trying to compete head-to-head with silicon photonics solutions in CPO application scenarios, vying for the rapidly growing AI data center market.
Seyedi also emphasized in his statement that the related technology is "not only impressive but is also the fundamental support for future high-speed, high-energy-efficiency data transmission", and said he would work with his team to define and create next-generation optical interconnect solutions.
This news has prompted various interpretations in the market. X platform user and ICML participant Jukan @jukan05 commented: “Luckily I didn’t buy any photonics stocks.”
Analysts point out that this statement hints that some market participants remain cautious about the current investment value of the photonics sector, or believe that uncertainty in the technology roadmap still poses investment risks.
Risk warning and disclaimerThe market has risks, and investment needs to be cautious. This article does not constitute personal investment advice, nor does it take into account the special investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article are suitable for their particular situation. Investment is at your own risk. ```