WA-SPIE
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, held an impactful and vibrant Photonics West last week at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, with 24,000-plus technical professionals registered from more than 70 countries across the international optics and photonics community. The largest annual photonics conference, which ran from 27 January to 1 February, hosted over 1,500 exhibitors, and featured over 5,000 technical presentations across an interactive and engaging week that included BiOS, LASE, OPTO, Quantum West, the BiOS Expo, the Photonics West exhibition, the Quantum West Expo, and the co-located AR|VR|MR conference and exhibition.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240208158413/en/
SPIE Photonics West 2024 hosted an enthusiastic crowd of optics and photonics professionals at San Francisco's Moscone Center. (Photo: Business Wire)
“Photonics West heralds the beginning of the optics and photonics calendar each year for good reason,” said SPIE CEO Kent Rochford. “The invigorating energy and high levels of enthusiasm throughout the Moscone Center characterized a truly exciting week. AR|VR|MR continues to grow by leaps and bounds, and the addition of a standalone exhibit to the Quantum West program reflects the growing impact of the technology. We were also delighted by the success of our brand-new SPIE Global Business Forum, a packed event that drew top industry executives together for high-level presentations and conversation. Altogether it was a pleasure to be part of the networking, research-sharing, and collaborative discussions among world-leading scientists, engineers, students, and businesspeople and I’m already looking forward to Photonics West 2025.”
As always, the dynamic week showcased the latest innovative technologies and discoveries stemming from a diverse and thriving optics and photonics community, bringing together researchers, innovators, engineers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders from across the globe. Over 100 distinct technical conferences paired perfectly with the four exhibitions held during the week, bringing researchers and companies together to further science, technology, and applications. The week also included a wide range of live product demonstrations on the exhibition floors as well as a job fair.
The inaugural SPIE Global Business Forum was a resounding, sold-out success. With the 16th annual Prism Awards honoring the top new optics and photonics products, and the fast-paced Startup Challenge pitch competition, SPIE Photonics West recognized the best optics and photonics technologies, trends, and entrepreneurial opportunities, while the Quantum West Business Summit featured talks and panels that provided key insights into that expanding commercial ecosystem.
In addition, a program of 56 educational courses offered expert-led technical training and learning, which complemented the dozens of professional development and networking sessions. From Lunch and Learn programming focused on EDI, to networking and social events that provided many opportunities for in-person conversations and possible future collaborations, Photonics West featured a packed calendar of special events.
While the week held myriad opportunities for attendees to learn, network, and share their latest advancements, it was the buzzing exhibitions that best showcased the increasingly vital photonics industry and the importance of in-person meetings.
“The Global Business Forum made it clear that the optics and photonics industry is in the midst of a remarkable era of growth and innovation,” said Stratos Kehayas, PhD, Chief Product & Technology Officer, G&H. “The industry's collective enthusiasm at Photonics West underscores the pivotal role this trade show plays in driving collaboration, fostering innovation, and shaping the future.”
"This has been arguably one of the most productive Photonics Wests we've had in the last five years,” said nLIGHT Vice President and General Manager, Semiconductor Lasers, Matthew Randall. “It’s been very engaging, with lots of people coming through, and we're seeing new things at our booth and at other booths that make this particular show a positive experience. We are definitely seeing way more innovation now than in the last couple of years and that's been incredibly positive not only for nLIGHT, but for the entire photonics industry.”
“The week has been very good,” said MKS Instruments Senior Director of Marketing, Photonics Solutions Division, Vincent M. Issier. “The traffic has been very high and the attendance is incredible this year, and we are very happy with the level of engagement from people here.”
“The week has been great,” said IPG Photonics Director of Product Management, Beam Delivery, UV, Green & Ultrafast Lasers, Mustafa Coskun. “There was nice traffic coming through and it was really nice to connect with colleagues as well as our customers and other visitors. And this is what we're here for: to listen to our customers and understand what their problems are and how we can help them. This Photonics West has been great.”
“This year we were quite busy, even just walking around the show with so many people we know here and so many companies we are in touch with,” said TNO Business Consultant, Optics Manufacturing, Bart Snijders. “It’s great to see them all again. We’ve enjoyed being busy on the floor, busy with meetings. I would always like the show to be six or nine days long, because time is always too short for me here.”
During the Photonics West week, SPIE also announced its latest partnership – this one with The University of Manchester – in the SPIE Endowment Matching Program.
SPIE Photonics West 2025 will take place 25-30 January at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The call for papers for the 2025 event will open in Spring of 2024.
About SPIE
SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, brings engineers, scientists, students, and business professionals together to advance light-based science and technology. The Society, founded in 1955, connects and engages with our global constituency through industry-leading conferences and exhibitions; publications of conference proceedings, books, and journals in the SPIE Digital Library; and career-building opportunities. Over the past five years, SPIE has contributed more than $24 million to the international optics community through our advocacy and support, including scholarships, educational resources, travel grants, endowed gifts, and public-policy development. www.spie.org.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240208158413/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Frontgrade’s Next-Generation SADA-10 Enhances Satellite Power System Efficiency for LEO and MEO Missions19.11.2025 13:30:00 CET | Press release
Frontgrade™ Technologies, a leading provider of high-reliability electronic solutions for space and national security missions,today announced the SADA-10, a compact Solar Array Drive Assembly (SADA) engineered to deliver precise, reliable solar array positioning for Low and Medium Earth Orbit missions. Designed with the latest technology for New Space and leveraging Frontgrade learnings from heritage systems, the SADA-10 combines flight-proven reliability with optimized size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) to give customers greater efficiency and mission assurance in a smaller footprint. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251119865921/en/ The SADA-10’s hybrid stepper motor and harmonic gear drive provide high torque output, zero backlash, and accuracy of 0.015°, ensuring precise solar tracking and maximum power generation in orbit. Dual potentiometers enable redundant position sensing for reliable performance,
Frontgrade Unveils RT-SADE: Precision Motor Control for Next-Gen Space Missions19.11.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Frontgrade™ Technologies, a leading provider of high-reliability electronic solutions for space and national security missions, today announced the release of the RT-SADE (Radiation-Tolerant Solar Array Drive Electronics), a next-generation microprocessor-based stepper motor controller engineered to deliver precision, reliability, and versatility for demanding spacecraft and defense applications. Designed for mission-critical motion control systems such as solar array drives, RT-SADE combines radiation-tolerant electronics, advanced fault management, and flexible configuration options to give customers superior performance and confidence in the harshest environments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251119546361/en/ Built around a microprocessor and advanced circuitry rated to 30 krad total ionizing dose, RT-SADE ensures long-term durability and mission assurance for Low- to Medium-Earth Orbit (LEO/MEO) operati
Murata Named Top Innovator for UltraSonic Clearing Device Technology Advancing All-Weather ADAS19.11.2025 13:00:00 CET | Press release
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 6981) (ISIN: JP3914400001) has been selected as a Top Innovator in the Digital category of the CLEPA Innovation Awards. The award recognizes Murata’s UltraSonic Clearing Device (USCD) technology, which is currently in development to augment the effectiveness of cameras and sensors used in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving applications, regardless of weather conditions. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251119372516/en/ [Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.] CLEPA While current camera and sensor technologies often rely on ideal operating conditions, their performance can be negatively impacted by rain, fog, dust, ice, and snow. Murata’s USCD technology is addressing this challenge by using ultrasonic vibrations to disperse water and remove debris from the camera lens and sensor, maintaining visibility. The ultrasonic vibrations also heat the outer le
CMOs Face a ‘Reputation and Results’ Reckoning, According to NIQ’s 2026 Outlook19.11.2025 12:00:00 CET | Press release
Despite economic volatility, 83% of marketing leaders remain confident in their brands but cite ROI proof and data connectivity as top challenges, NIQ finds. NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence, today released its CMO Outlook: Guide to 2026 report, revealing how chief marketing officers (CMOs) are navigating a critical inflection point between brand building and revenue accountability. According to the report, 83% of CMOs remain confident in their brand’s equity, even as they face tightening budgets and heightened scrutiny over ROI. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251118947080/en/ NIQ CMO Outlook: Guide to 2026 “Every marketing dollar is now under the microscope,” said Marta Cyhan-Bowles, Chief Communications Officer & Head of Global Marketing COE, NIQ. “With organizations prioritizing cost reductions, CMOs are being challenged not just to spend wisely, but to prove how marketing di
Data Space Technology Leaders Advance Data Interoperability in Construction and Real Estate at the Gaia-X Summit19.11.2025 11:03:00 CET | Press release
Leaders in data space technology are converging at the Gaia-X Summit, in Porto November 20-21, to address the imperative of interoperability within and across data spaces in the construction and real estate sectors. The main objective is to assess how data spaces can leverage the world’s estimated $393 trillion in real estate assets. Achieving this involves exploring numerous use cases among the entire building lifecycle, from design to demolition, including construction, renovation and facility management operations, which creates a win-win situation for both industry and technology stakeholders. In France, the construction and renovation market alone is estimated at €200 billion annually. Designed to address the sector’s challenges, Digital TER-X is a technology demonstrator serving the construction and real estate use cases. Its relevance has been recognized, notably by being named in November 2025 Gaia-X Lighthouse Project, just one year after its Gaia-X Endorsed Project status, an
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom