Q.ANT Secures Further Funding: Week in Brief: 10/31/25

Photonics.com
Oct 2025SUGAR LAND, Texas, Oct. 31, 2025 — Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (AOI), a provider of advanced optical and hybrid fiber coax networking products, revealed plans to onshore part of its international manufacturing to Sugar Land, Texas, southwest of Houston. The move is part of a 10-year agreement facilitated by the City of Sugar Land Office of Economic Development and supported by a $2 million incentive package from the city. The expansion includes the addition of a new manufacturing line to AOI’s existing headquarters, and a 210,000 sq ft facility for manufacturing optical transceivers for AI-focused data centers, expected to be operation by the summer of 2026.

STUTTGART, Germany — Q.ANT, a developer of photonic processing technologies, has made a second closing of its series A funding round, securing an additional investment from Duquesne Family Office LLC. The raise brings Q.ANT’s total funding to $80 million. Funding will be used to accelerate commercialization of the company’s light-based processors, drive next-stage technology development, and support the company’s expansion into the U.S. market. Sue Meng, managing director at Duquesne Family Office, will serve as an observer on Q.ANT’s advisory board.

Q.ANT founder and CEO Michael Förtsch holds the company’s commercial photonic processor, designed for real-world AI and high-performance computing workloads. Courtesy of Q.ANT.

TANEGASHIMA, Japan — The University of Florida, in collaboration with NASA, MIT, Vanguard Automation, AIM Photonics, and Germany’s Heinrich Hertz Institute, launched a suite of photonic AI chips to the International Space Station aboard JAXA’s HTV-XI spacecraft. The mission, which launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, is part of NASA’s MISSE, or Materials International Space Station Experiment, which tests how materials and devices perform when exposed to the harsh environment of low Earth orbit. The chips will be exposed to space radiation and atomic oxygen to see how well they maintain performance. The experiment will help scientists understand how photonic technologies can be used in future satellite communication systems, autonomous spacecraft and advanced sensing technologies.

MÉRIGNAC, France — Exosens will further expand production capacity with an additional €17 million ($19.7 million) investment in Europe. The investment follows the company’s planned €20 million investment to expand production capacity in both Europe and the U.S., with the combined investments expected to deliver a more than 40% increase in the group’s global capacity by 2027.

JENA, Germany — ZEISS and LG Chem established a strategic alliance for industrial-scale photopolymer film supply in advanced optics. Under the agreement, LG Chem will supply photopolymer films within the ZEISS Microoptics Enabling Ecosystem to support integration into automotive windshields and deliver HWD functionality. The companies target 2029 of first serial production launch for automotive OEMs.

Ko Kyung-deok, vice president and head of the Electronics Materials Business Unit at LG Chem (left), and Stephan Höfer, senior vice president and head of business development and marketing at ZEISS Microoptics sign a business cooperation agreement for photopolymer film. Courtesy of ZEISS Microoptics.

VELDHOVEN, Netherlands — ASML honored TRUMPF with the Supplier Award in the “Technology” category in recognition of the develop and first light of a new extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) high-energy laser intended to aid in the supply of advanced micropchips in ASML’s next generation of EUV lithography systems. TRUMPF has reported the successful testing of the laser, with series production scheduled to begin next year.

Mirror assembly in the TRUMPF clean room for the production of the EUV laser system, which is scheduled to begin series production next year. Courtesy of TRUMPF.

Mirror assembly in the TRUMPF clean room for the production of the extreme-ultraviolet laser system, which is scheduled to begin series production next year. Courtesy of TRUMPF.

GOLETA, Calif. — Aeluma, a high-performance semiconductor company, said that it acquired significant capital equipment assets from a major components and solutions supplier to expand its prototyping and wafer-scale test capabilities. The resources acquired include automated and semi-automated wafer probers, backend packaging and prototyping equipment, test and validation instruments, and facility infrastructure, according to Aeluma. This investment supports Aeluma’s go-to-market plan and will help qualify manufacturing processes for key target markets.

BOZEMAN, Montana — The Montana Microfabrication Facility at Montana State University (MSU) received a $1.1 million grant form the U.S. Economic Development Administration through its Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program. The funding will support current and new Montana Microfabrication Facility customers to rapidly develop, assemble, and test PICs. The facility plans to purchase new equipment for PIC assembly and testing, hire a dedicated photonics equipment engineer and support undergraduate employment positions.

A Montana State University student works with equipment in the Montana Microfabrication Facility during an electrical engineering class. The facility is a shared cleanroom environment used in high-tech research applications. Courtesy of MSU/Marcus “Doc” Cravens.

A Montana State University student works with equipment in the Montana Microfabrication Facility during an electrical engineering class. The facility is a shared cleanroom environment used in high-tech research applications. Courtesy of MSU/Marcus “Doc” Cravens.

A Montana State University (MSU) student works with equipment in the Montana Microfabrication Facility during an electrical engineering class. The facility is a shared cleanroom environment used in high-tech research applications. Courtesy of MSU/Marcus “Doc” Cravens.

TORONTO — Arthrolense, a medical technology company developing a machine vision and machine learning-based surgical guidance in orthopedics, established a strategic partnership with Waldemar Link. Under the non-exclusive agreement, the companies will collaborate to drive innovation of the Arthrolense 4Di visual guidance system with Link’s primary knee system, as well as other advanced knee implant solutions across revision knee indications.

TOKYO — AGC, a manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and other high-tech materials, initiated a collaboration with NPC Incorporated to promote the recycling of solar panel cover glass. Aiming to recycle several thousand tons of solar panels annually by 2030, AGC is partnering with various companies to establish a collection system for cover glass. Through this collaboration, AGC has developed a new scheme to horizontally recycle cover glass — separated using NPC’s solar panel recycling equipment — into architectural flat glass.

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