The insatiable demand for data, fueled by streaming services, online gaming, and AI-powered apps, is pushing network infrastructures to their limits. This surge is causing congestion, resulting in slower speeds, increased latency, and disrupted service. As AI and machine learning become increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the data demands are projected to reach terabytes and petabytes, further exacerbating the network congestion problem.
Lightwave Logic, Inc. (LWLG), a technology company based in Englewood, Colorado, is at the forefront of solving this challenge with its groundbreaking electro-optic (EO) polymers. These polymers revolutionize internet infrastructure by enabling faster data transmission and lower power consumption compared to existing solutions. Lightwave Logic claims its EO polymers can achieve three times faster data transmission speeds and ten times lower power consumption, effectively alleviating bottlenecks in network infrastructure.
Lightwave Logic’s technological prowess was showcased at the 2024 European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC) in Frankfurt, Germany. This prestigious conference, considered the leading event in optical communications, provided a platform for Lightwave Logic to unveil its latest advancements. CEO Dr. Michael Lebby highlighted the exceptional performance of their polymer modulators, achieving speeds of 200 Gbps PAM4 lanes with initial results at 400 Gbps PAM4 lanes and potential for 800 Gbps lanes. PAM4 lanes utilize Pulse Amplitude Modulation 4-level (PAM4) to transmit data at high speeds.
Dr. Lebby emphasized the industry’s growing interest in EO polymer modulators due to their ability to increase modulation speed while reducing power consumption. He stated, “We believe that as artificial intelligence, machine learning and other cloud-based services continue to drive the need for higher speed data transmission, the interest in the inherent wide bandwidth, low power consumption and footprint of our world-class performance electro-optic (EO) polymers will grow.”
During ECOC, Lightwave Logic partnered with Polariton Technologies to demonstrate a packaged device featuring over 110 GHz super high bandwidth packaged electro-optic polymer modulators. This collaboration showcases the potential of combining plasmonics and electro-optic polymers to enhance the performance of silicon photonics. Dr. Lebby highlighted the importance of this collaboration in enabling scalability using large silicon foundries for mass commercialization with 200mm silicon wafers.
Lightwave Logic’s technological innovation was further recognized at ECOC, where they received the 2024 Industry Award for Most Innovative Hybrid PIC/Optical Integration Platform. This award, granted by a technical committee of industry peers, acknowledges companies developing products and technologies that advance the field of optical communications. Dr. Lebby expressed his pride in receiving this award, stating, “Lightwave Logic is honored to receive the Award for Most Innovative Hybrid PIC/Optical Integration Platform on behalf of Lightwave Logic for the second time, granted by a committee of industry peers, reflecting true market recognition of our technology.” He added, “Since winning the award in 2023, we have continued to demonstrate our leadership in the photonics industry with outstanding 200 Gbps per lane performance for our technologies that align well with data center expectations today.”
The award serves as a testament to Lightwave Logic’s ongoing efforts to develop its EO polymer materials, which have attracted significant interest from various companies. The company is actively engaging with original equipment manufacturers and tier-1 multinational corporations to provide designs, material supplies, and licensing agreements. Lightwave Logic has hosted potential customers at its Englewood, Colorado, volume scale materials facility for inspection and review, showcasing its data rate performance. Furthermore, they have entered into a supply-chain collaboration with Advanced Micro Foundry’s (AMF) Silicon Photonics platform, which will accelerate the development of state-of-the-art silicon photonics modulators.
Lightwave Logic is poised for significant growth, with plans to ramp up production of its polymer materials in its Colorado manufacturing facility and 200-millimeter silicon wafer volume with AMF. The company ended the second quarter with $29 million in cash, providing sufficient funding for operations through 2025. Dr. Lebby expressed confidence in their competitive advantage, stating, “We are confident in the implicit competitive advantage of our solution to support data centers around the world which are responding to the burgeoning demand for higher speed data transmission from artificial intelligence, machine learning and other cloud-based services.”
Lightwave Logic’s commitment to tackling network congestion with its high-speed EO polymers positions the company as a key player in the evolving landscape of data transmission. Their innovative technology is poised to address the growing needs of AI, machine learning, and cloud-based services, ensuring a seamless and efficient flow of data in the digital age.