Selected for NICT’s 2025 Function Realization and International Joint R&D Program “Innovative ICT Fund Projects for Beyond 5G/6G”

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. (Head office: 2-6-4 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Hideya Moridaira) was selected by the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NICT) through open bidding for Research Project ③: R&D on Integrated Platform Technology for 1.6 Tbps-Class Optical Transceivers under the 2025 Function Realization and International Joint R&D Program “Innovative ICT Fund Projects for Beyond 5G/6G”.

The transition to Beyond 5G/6G and the growing adoption of cloud computing are driving a significant increase in data traffic. Even more rapidly, advances in generative AI technologies and the widespread deployment of services utilizing them are accelerating this trend. As a result, a dramatic surge in both data traffic and flow volume is anticipated. In particular, to accommodate the increasing data traffic between large-scale AI data centers that support generative AI, there is a critical need to enhance the capacity and speed of the optical networks that connect them.
The research Project ③: R&D on Integrated Platform Technology for 1.6 Tbps-Class Optical Transceivers under the 2025 Function Realization and International Joint R&D Program “Innovative ICT Fund Projects for Beyond 5G/6G” aims to develop a 1.6 Tbps pluggable coherent transceiver for All-Photonics Network (APN) connections between data centers, along with the key devices required for such systems. By integrating the elemental technologies of these devices and establishing them as a unified platform for next-generation pluggable coherent transceiver, the project aims to strengthen Japan’s competitiveness in optical transmission technologies and enhance its industrial infrastructure.

Leveraging its expertise in photonics—one of its core technologies—Furukawa Electric will develop high-density integration technologies for tunable laser assemblies and optical amplifiers, which are essential for realizing 1.6 Tbps-class pluggable coherent transceivers. The project is scheduled to run for four years, through FY2028.