EFFECT Photonics, a leading developer of high-performance DWDM optical components based on its optical System-on-Chip, has completed a series-B funding round led by Innovation Industries. Financial details were not revealed. EFFECT Photonics’ headquarters is in the Videolab in the Eindhoven neighbourhood of Strijp-S.
The funding round accelerates the ramp of its tunable SFP production line and the development of future technologies. EFFECT addresses the need for low-cost, wavelength-tunable optical transceivers with industrial temperature specification to be deployed within the next generation 5G mobile infrastructure. The global market demand for optical transceivers is expected to grow to $12bn by 2023, from $6bn in 2017, EFFECT claims.
5G mobile or fifth-generation wireless communication will enable interconnectivity with many different devices such as HD-streaming smartphones, driverless and intelligence assisted vehicles, HD and ‘always on’ security cameras, and Augmented and Virtual Reality (A/VR).
This, in turn, will accelerate the adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) interconnecting computing devices and machines without the need for human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The number of connected devices in 2017 was 20.35bn (worth over $1bn annually) and is expected to rise to 51.1bn connected devices by 2023 (according to Statista in 2018).
“We are experiencing now in photonics what we saw in the electronics integration revolution last century.”
James Regan, CEO at EFFECT Photonics: “We are experiencing now in photonics what we saw in the electronics integration revolution last century. There the birth of the Integrated Circuit enabled the mass deployment of powerful solutions. At EFFECT Photonics we integrate all of the optical functions into a single chip and combine it with low-cost, non-hermetic packaging and automatic tuning. Thus DWDM, the proven solution for core and metro networks, is now simple, cost-effective and scalable enough for 5G infrastructure rollouts around the world”. Boudewijn Docter, CTO, added, “This funding also allows us to really push forward with our next-generation technology programme to bring even more powerful optical systems to the edges of the network.”
Nard Sintenie, Partner at Innovation Industries: “We are delighted to be a part of EFFECT Photonics who are at the forefront of developing optical transceivers with its photonic integrated circuits targeted at high growth markets such as 5G and fuelling the adoption of IoT enabled devices.”
Innovation Industries is an independent Dutch venture capital fund that combines company-building and venture investment. I.I. partners with all Dutch technical universities (Eindhoven, Twente, Delft and Wageningen) and applied research institute TNO. The Innovation Industries Fund is supported by private and institutional investors such as PME and InnovFin Equity.
Source: EFFECT Photonics – Photo (c) EFFECT Photonics
