9 March 2026
/ 15:00
- 17:00
CET
EPIC Online Technology Meeting on Photonics for Optical Computing and AI
Online Event
EPIC Online Technology Meeting on Photonics for Optical Computing and AI will spotlight how photonic technologies are driving the next wave of innovation in computing architectures. As traditional electronic systems approach their performance and energy-efficiency limits, optical computing is emerging as a powerful alternative—offering speed, parallelism, and reduced power consumption, all critical for AI workloads. This online meeting will gather leading experts and innovators from across the EPIC network to explore recent breakthroughs in integrated photonics, neuromorphic computing, optical accelerators, and AI-enhanced signal processing. Participants will discuss key trends in hardware development, system-level integration, and the path to scalable, commercially viable optical computing platforms. From advanced materials and modulators to on-chip photonic neural networks and machine learning co-processors, the agenda will cover the ecosystem shaping this rapidly evolving field. The meeting offers a unique platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and insight into how photonics is redefining the future of AI and computing at large.
Agenda
Speakers
O‑RAN Specialist Engineer leading photonics R&D for telecom, driving optical beamforming, hybrid photonic–digital architectures, and European innovation collaborations
Specialist O-RAN Development Engineer Lead
at Vodafone
CEO & Co-Founder
at Phanofi
CEO
at Cognifiber
Assistant Professor - Photonics and RF Research lab
at Universidad de Malaga
After studying physics, Adrian investigated organic solar cells during his PhD and has worked with organic electronics ever since. Today, he is one of the co-founders and the CEO of SilOriX, a company dedicated to commercialize high-speed electro optic modulators based on silicon and organic materials
CEO & Co-Founder
at SilOriX
Professor
at Ghent University
Rolando Ferrini (Chief Product Officer) joined FEMTOprint in 2022. In 1999, he obtained his PhD degree in Physics at the Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy, with a thesis on the optical properties of III-V semiconductor materials for electronics and optoelectronics. From 2000 to 2004, he worked as Research Associate at EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland, where he studied the optical properties of semiconductor-based photonic crystal devices. From 2004 to 2011, as Senior Research Associate at EPFL, he was in charge of the activities on organic devices for optics, photonics and lighting. From 2011 to 2022, he worked at CSEM as Group Leader MicroNano Optics and in 2021 as Head of the Focus Area Photonics. From 2020 to 2021, he founded the PHABULOuS pilot line for the manufacturing of freeform micro-optical components, acting both as project coordinator of the related H2020 project and as Managing Director.
Chief Product Officer
at FemtoPrint
Attendees
- Adrian Mertens , CEO at SilOrix
- Alain Chardon , Director at ArzhOptics
- Alessandra Scotti, Ho Scouting & Institutional relations at LIFTT
- Amir Sharghi , Product Manager at SUSS MicroTec
- Andon Bano , Head of Sales Europe at ficonTEC Service
- Andre Schenk , Technical Marketing Manager at Evatec
- Andy Sun, Founder at ASPHIC
- Anh Tuan Vu , Principal Investigator at Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT
- Anna Hetzelt, Technical Content Specialist at Edmund Optics
- Anthonin Van Impe , Business Development at O'Shenu Technologies
- Antonio Raspa , Laser at Luxinar
- Aymen Chargui , International Business Developer at AUREA Technology
- Bartu Yaman , Research Associate at Fraunhofer HHI
- Boris Eichhorn , Senior Manager New Venture at SCHOTT
- Borja Jerez González , Senior Application Engineer at VLC Photonics
- Capucine Laprais , Research engineer at CEA
- Charles Goeller , COO at ICON Photonics
- Chris Maloney , Managing Director of US Operations at VPIphotonics
- Christian Krutzler, Deputy Head of Research Group at JOANNEUM RESEARCH
- Christopher Rowan , Managing Director at Arscientia
- Ciro Pentangelo , Photonics Engineer at Ephos
- Desalegn Wolde Feyisa, Postdoc at Eindhoven university of Technology
- Diego Pérez Galacho, Assistant Professor – Photonics and RF Research lab at Universidad de Malaga
- Dirk Hauschild , Senior Strategic Marketing Expert at Focuslight Technologies
- Dominic Schlegel, Product Manager at ETEL
- Dominic Schulz , Head of Strategy Photonics at Fraunhofer HHI
- Egor Chebaniuk , Student at University of Ljubljana
- Elena Sokolova , optical engineer/designer at RiverD International
- Elena Sokolova , Applied Science Manager Gen AI at Amazon
- Eleonore Hardy , Partnership manager at CEA-Leti
- Eric Belhaire , Senior expert in electro-optical technologies at Thales
- Eric Mounier , Chief Analyst at YOLE GROUP
- Erwin Vergeest , Optical Interconnect Architect at Alivelights
- Eyal Cohen , CEO at CogniFiber
- Fabio Brandao , R&D Engineer Trainee at SMART Photonics
- Fabrizio Magistrali , Chief Operating Officer at StarTech Trieste
- Felicia Li, PhD student at University of Colorado Boulder
- Florent Colas , Optronics Technical Referent at Thales Land and Air Systems
- George Williams , CEO at nanovox
- Giacomo Benvenuti , CTO at Nio-Lith
- Guido Giuliani , CEO / CTO at Julight
- Harvey Washbrook , Sales Manager at Laser Components Nordic
- Heidi Lind , Technical Sales Ansys Optics at EDRMedeso
- Hening Almeida, Photonic IC Packaging Engineer at PHIX
- Hitesh Sahoo , CEO & Co-founder at Phanofi
- Hongming Zhao, Senior Scientist at DR laser
- Ignazio Ciccomascolo , Sales and Business Development Specialist at I-Photonics
- Isabella Douzoglou, CEO at laser neuron
- Iwan Davies , Group Technology Director at IQE
- J?rn Epping , CEO at Epiphany Design
- Jacques Cochard , CEO at TEMATYS
- James Bantock, Technology Innovation at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology
- Jangsun KIM , CEO at Panoptics Corp. / OSK (Optical Society of Korea)
- Jean-Francois Cormier , Scientific Advisor at INO
- Jean-Michel Romano , Engineer at The Swatch Group
- Joerg Knorr , Co-Managing Director / CCO at HETEROMERGE
- John Yang, Quantum Hardware Engineer at Quix Quantum
- Jonas Allerbeck, Optics Specialist at Empa
- Joni Mellin , Principal Product Market Manager at ams-OSRAM
- Joost van Beek, CTO at XIVER
- Jörg Nowack , Senior Strategist, EMEA Corporate Strategy Office at Hitachi High-Tech
- Kévin Cognée , PIC scientist at TNO
- Laura Horan , Product Management Lead at Vanguard Automation
- Laureline David , Marketing Manager at Acqiris
- Luiz Schweitzer , Head of department at Fraunhofer IPK
- Lyes Kadi, Development Engineer at HUBER+SUHNER
- Makoto Nishimura , Senior Manager, Marketing & Business Development at NIppon Electric Glass Europe
- Manoj Kumar , Sales Engineer Europe at ficonTEC Service
- Maria Munoz , Sales at Meetoptics
- Martin Holters, Senior Photonics Engineer at PHIX
- maryvonne chalony , Application engineer at Keysight
- Masashi Nakamura, Principle Engineer at JX Advanced Metals Corporation
- Maximilian Pfeiffer, Silicon Photonics Packaging Engineer at CERN
- Mike Cox , Photonics Development at Bay Photonics
- Milan Mashanovitch , GM at Freedom Photonics
- Nemo Mong, Optical Engineer at ChromaATE
- Nick Werstiuk , CEO at Quantum Valley Ideas Lab
- Oliver Matyssek , Product Manager at DELO
- Oliver Pütsch, Senior Manager at DENSO AUTOMOTIVE
- OZGUR ONDER KARAKILINC , Assoc.Prof. Dr. at Pamukkale University
- Philippe Bouchilloux , Business Development at Keysight Technologies
- Prasanna Simha Shivanagere Rama Rao, Sr. International Sales Manager at ETEL
- Pruthvi Krishnamurthy , Junior Account Manager at Shin-Etsu
- Qiong Tong , Business Development Manager at Merck Electronics
- Quentin Mocaer , Business Development Manager at Amplitude
- Rene Liebers , Business Development Manager at 3D Micromac
- Rolando Ferrini , Chief Product Officer at FEMTOprint Neuchaetel
- Rolf Eckert , Business Development Manager at CSEM
- Sabine Schneider-Betz , Director Innovation New Materials and Markets Photonics at HERAEUS COVANTICS
- Samuel Mottier , Senior Product Manager at ETEL
- Sanjay Gangadhara , Senior Program Director at Ansys, part of Synopsys
- Sebastian Caballer , Specialist O-RAN Development Engineer Lead at Vodafone
- Sebastien Degaugue , Sales Director at DIMIONE Systems
- Shi Li , Principal Application Engineer at VPIphotonics
- Simon Kempf , OEM Sales Manager at Newport Spectra-Physics
- Simon Kibben , CTO at Photonics Foundry
- Simon Schwarz, Senior Expert Optics at Heraeus Covantics
- Souaad Gargari, Marketing Manager at OPTOPRIM
- Stefano bonifacio , NPI & Engineering Director at StarTech Trieste
- Stephanie Hesse-Ertelt , Research Manager at Fraunhofer IOF
- Suleyman Turgut , Innovation and Partnerships Director at Moveon Technologies
- Sven Krueger , VP Product Management at HUBER+SUHNER CUBE OPTICS
- Takenori Kumagai , Senior Manager at JX Advanced Metals Corporation
- Timo Sommer , R&D Engineer at Phanofi
- Tom Mitcheltree , BDM at US Conec
- Tony Piscard , Advisor at UGent / Imec
- Wenjiang Zeng, Application engineer at Synopsys
- Wim Bogaerts , Professor at Ghent University - IMEC
- Xiaoqi Cui, Integrated Photonics Scientist at Cycle
- Zhanxiang Zhao , Commercial solutions team leader at Oxford Instruments
Contact Information
Technology Manager
Technology scope and agenda
Ivan Nikitski, PhD
Technology Expert for Quantum and Integrated Photonics
Event Manager
Logistics, venue, accommodation, and transportation
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