OFC 2020 returns to San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, 8-12 March 2020 for another groundbreaking program as the world’s largest conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking. Considered the hub of the industry, OFC represents the entire ecosystem—from research to marketplace, from components to systems and networks, and from technical sessions to the exhibition.
More than 15,000 executives, technical experts, academia, media and analysts from 65 countries are expected to converge to discuss the trending topics that are driving innovations in research, technologies and product solutions, including machine learning/artificial intelligence (AI), photonic integrated circuits, advanced digital-signal processing, quantum optics, emerging applications of optical networks in 5G, new computing and data center technologies.
This year’s OFC will proudly celebrate two discoveries that led to the development of practical fiber optical communications: the demonstration of low-loss fibers (16dB/km) and the first room-temperature semiconductor lasers. Activities include a special keynote presented by David Welch, Infinera Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, on Tuesday, 10 March 2020, 18:15 – 19:00 (PDT), the Timeline of Innovation, a show-floor exhibit that surveys 50 years of optical fiber milestones, an interactive exhibit highlighting recipients of the John Tyndall Award, and a conference reception on Tuesday, 10 March 2020, 19:00 – 20:30 (PDT). Sponsors include Corning (Innovator), Thorlabs (Premier) and Inphi (Supporter).
Three world-renowned visionaries will anchor the week-long business and technical conversations and product demos, offering plenary sessions that will explore the future of silica as a pillar of telecommunication technology, the development and realization of 5G wireless networks, and new horizons in gravitational-wave astrophysics. These visionary speakers include:
Dr. Qi Bi, President, China Telecom Technology Innovation Center; CTO, China Telecom Beijing Research Institute, China
Dr. Karsten Danzmann, Director, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics, Germany
Sir David Payne, Director, Optoelectronics Research Centre Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics, University of Southampton, UK
CONFERENCE PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS:
TECHNICAL CONFERENCE:
OFC’s five-day technical program is focused on relating the most recent progress in research (near- and long-term) and technology, and is presented in a variety of formats, including peer-reviewed presentations and more than 120 invited speakers, 9 workshops, 8 panels, 59 short courses plus show floor programming in three theaters. Additional technical programming throughout the week includes special symposia and the thought-provoking rump session.
Special conference programming includes the Symposia, Special Chairs Session, the Open Networking Summit and the Demo Zone.
OFC will include four symposia focused on industry growth segments:
Emerging Network Architectures for 5G Edge Cloud
Future Photonics Devices fJ/bit Optical Networks Enabled by Emerging Optical Technologies
Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) in the Context of Optical Communications
The Role of Machine Learning for the Next-generation of Optical Communication Systems and Networks
The Special Chairs Session will reflect upon how OFC has led the industry over the 2010-2019 decade and look forward to the next decade. It will seek to answer a key question: what are the emerging hot topics and groundbreaking innovations to be anticipated?
The Open Networking Summit will address the issue of whether and how the massive deployment of vertical services over 5G will change the traditional approach to building optical network infrastructures.
The OFC Demo Zone will feature live demonstrations of research projects and proof-of-concept implementations in the space of optical communication devices, systems, networks, including SDN/NFV as well as software tools/functions.
BUSINESS PROGRAMMING:
This year’s business-focused show floor programming includes Market Watch, Network Operator Summit and Data Center Summit and 25 other sessions.
Market Watch is a three-day, six-session series of panel discussions on the latest application topics and business issues in the field of optical communications, including the popular “State of the Industry” analyst panel. Presentations and panel sessions feature esteemed guest speakers from industry, research and the investment community.
The Network Operator Summit presents the inside perspective from service providers and network operators–their issues, drivers and how their requirements may impact the future of the industry. Everyone in the supply chain, from equipment manufacturers to components, will have the opportunity to hear what’s next in meeting the needs of all network operators.
This year’s Data Center Summit session will feature a keynote from Jeffrey L. Cox, Partner Director Network Architecture, Microsoft Corporation, U.S.A., moderated by Karen I. Matthews, Technology and Market Development Manager, Science and Technology, Corning Incorporated, U.S.A. The panel presentation will examine the contributing causes of the growing network infrastructure power trend and investigate some of the proposed solutions to address the issue.
Educational programs on the show floor covering market trends, new technologies and insight into the future. Hear from industry groups such as COBO, Ethernet Alliance, IEEE, OIF, Open Eye, OpenConfig, TIP and more.
Returning to OFC is the interactive Lab Automation Hackathon. Technology leaders from Nokia Bell Labs, Acacia Communications and the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden will hold an interactive session demonstrating how to use open source software to demonstrate the power of using Python to quickly get a lab experiment running and display the measurements in a browser or GUI.
EXHIBITOR HIGHLIGHTS:
With one of the largest exhibit floors in recent years, OFC will feature more than 700 exhibitors from leading global companies such as Broadcom, CIENA Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc., Corning Incorporated, II-VI, Infinera, InnoLight, Lumentum, Molex and Semtech Corporation. Technologies on display include network and test equipment, optical transport systems and optical components, data center interconnects, fiber cables and specialty fiber manufacturers.
MEDIA REGISTRATION: Media/analyst registration for OFC can be accessed online. Further information is available on the event website at OFC, including travel details.
About OFC
The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) is recognized as the largest global conference and exhibition for optical communications and networking professionals in the world. For nearly 50 years, OFC has drawn attendees from all corners of the globe to meet and greet, teach and learn, make connections and advance the communications industry. OFC captures the pulse of the entire optical networking and communications industry by featuring dynamic business programming, exhibitions by more than 700 companies, and high impact peer-reviewed research. OFC is managed by The Optical Society (OSA) and cosponsored by OSA, the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc) and the IEEE Photonics Society. Follow @OFCConference, learn more OFC Community LinkedIn, and watch highlights OFC YouTube.