The European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) and the Consortium for On-Board Optics (COBO) have signed a memorandum of understanding in order to encourage direct contact and cooperation between the two organisations and their respective members.
The MoU will lead to the two consortiums participating in more events together, writing joint articles, collaborating in information exchange and promotion, and producing advisory information with an aim of encouraging cooperation and ultimately supporting the development of an efficient and sustainable industry. Both organisations are also mutually motivated in cooperative activities involving industry endorsement of standards and technology roadmaps.
COBO is comprised of 63 companies in the fields of telecommunications, semiconductors, IT and software. According to EPIC, this complements the interests of most of its 385 members, which encompass the entire value chain from photonics fields.
‘I am excited about this additional collaboration with COBO; it will bring EPIC members in contact with the main players in the standardisation of on-board optical interfaces, to enable a turning point for accelerating the time to market for novel optical modules,' commented Dr Jose Pozo, CTO of EPIC.
’As the importance of optics grows as technology advances, it is important that organisations like EPIC and COBO collaborate to eliminate barriers and smooth the adoption of innovative photonic developments,' added Brad Booth, president of COBO. 'I look forward to our future engagements and bringing about change in our industry,’
The signing of the MoU took place in conjunction with an EPIC event held during the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC), currently taking place in Rome, Italy. The event gathered 150 industry leaders, and decision makers from the photonics and telecom industry.
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COBO is a membership-driven, mutual-benefit, non-profit corporation developing specifications for the use of embedded optical modules in the manufacture of networking equipment (i.e. switches and servers). The consortium references industry specifications where possible and develops specifications where required with attention to electrical interfaces, pin-outs, connectors, thermals and materials for the development of interchangeable and interoperable optical modules that can be mounted onto motherboards and daughtercards.
EPIC is a membership-led not-for-profit industry association that promotes the sustainable development of organisations working in the field of photonics. The association fosters a vibrant photonics ecosystem by maintaining a strong network and acting as a catalyst and facilitator for technological and commercial advancement. EPIC works closely with related industries, universities, and public authorities to build a more competitive photonics industrial sector, capable of both economic and technological growth in a highly competitive world-wide marketplace.
Image caption: Brad Booth, president of COBO, and Dr Jose Pozo, CTO of EPIC signed the MoU on 24 September 2018 at an EPIC event held during ECOC in Rome, Italy. (Image: EPIC)
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