IN Brief:
- Aeva has launched an Optical Connectivity business using its high-power optical-source technology.
- A near-packaged-optics programme targets initial hyperscaler deployment in H2 2027 and production ramping in 2028.
- The underlying semiconductor optical amplifier exceeds 28dBm output with wall-plug efficiency above 20% at up to 50°C.
Aeva is extending photonics developed for frequency-modulated continuous-wave lidar into optical interconnects for AI data centres, creating a second commercial path for semiconductor technology previously centred on sensing. The company has launched an Optical Connectivity business and signed a joint development agreement covering a near-packaged-optics solution intended for deployment by a hyperscale customer.
Initial deployment is targeted for the second half of 2027, with production ramping planned for 2028. Aeva has not disclosed either the development partner or the hyperscaler, leaving eventual system configuration and volume unknown. The agreement nevertheless gives the programme a defined customer-development schedule rather than positioning optical connectivity solely as a future application for its photonics platform.
The programme uses Aeva’s high-power optical-source technology, which has also been developed for FMCW lidar. Earlier this year, the company disclosed a semiconductor optical amplifier delivering more than 28dBm of optical output with wall-plug efficiency above 20% at temperatures up to 50°C. Aeva has identified co-packaged optics, external-laser small-form-factor pluggables, parallel optical channels, and multi-beam FMCW lidar among the target applications.
Near-packaged optics moves optical engines closer to switching or processing silicon than conventional front-panel pluggable transceivers. Co-packaged architectures take that integration further. In both cases, reducing the electrical distance between high-bandwidth silicon and optical conversion can help address signal-integrity and power constraints as network speeds rise, but it places greater demands on the efficiency, packaging, thermal performance, and reliability of optical sources.
A high-power source can feed several optical paths, but its electrical efficiency becomes increasingly important when large numbers of links are concentrated around high-power computing hardware. Optical output is therefore only part of the specification. Wall-plug efficiency determines how much input power becomes useful light rather than heat, while temperature performance affects how easily the source can operate inside a densely packaged system.
Aeva says its amplifier technology is produced in semiconductor fabrication facilities, providing a potential route to larger-scale manufacturing. That manufacturing model overlaps with the company’s lidar work, where silicon photonics, lidar-on-chip technology, system-on-chip processing, and perception algorithms form the core of its sensing platform. Reusing part of the photonics base across sensing and communications could spread development and manufacturing investment across two markets, although the qualification requirements are very different.
Data centre optical components are judged on coupling efficiency, lifetime, packaging stability, thermal behaviour, manufacturing yield, and interoperability as well as raw optical performance. Automotive and industrial sensing place their own emphasis on environmental robustness and long programme lifetimes. A common semiconductor optical technology therefore does not remove the need for application-specific packaging, qualification, and system engineering.
The optical-connectivity programme is developing while Aeva continues to expand its sensing business. Its second-quarter update also included Bendix selecting Aeva’s 4D lidar and perception software for development of a next-generation commercial-vehicle driver-assistance system, while SICK has launched its first industrial sensing product using Aeva’s Eve technology.
Aeva remains financially small compared with established optical-component manufacturers. Second-quarter revenue was $6.1 million, compared with $5.5 million a year earlier, and GAAP operating loss was $34.6 million. Available liquidity stood at $302.9 million at the end of June, including cash, marketable securities, and an available financing facility.
Those figures put the development timetable into perspective. The optical programme will require qualification and manufacturing work well before meaningful production revenue appears, while Aeva is simultaneously supporting automotive and industrial programmes. The stated H2 2027 deployment target gives the company roughly a year to convert its optical-source specifications into a qualified near-packaged-optics implementation.
The engineering milestones between now and the planned 2028 production ramp will be more informative than the size of the addressable AI market. Optical packaging, efficiency under operating temperature, reliability, manufacturing yield, and customer qualification will determine whether a photonics platform created for coherent lidar can establish a durable second role inside high-bandwidth data centre networks.
