Korea Advanced Materials Acquires 800G Optical Receiver Module Technology from ETRI, Accelerates Business Expansion

Korea Advanced Materials has secured a core technology to respond to the ultra-high-speed optical communication market. On April 20, the company announced that it had signed a technology transfer agreement with the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) on April 17 for the "800Gbps Dual LWDM4 Optical Receiver Submodule."

With this agreement, Korea Advanced Materials has established a foundation to enter the high-speed optical module business, targeting data centers and future 6G communication infrastructure. In particular, this technology features a passive alignment structure, rather than the conventional lens-based active alignment method, enabling a simpler manufacturing process while maintaining performance. This is expected to improve production efficiency and reduce costs.

This technology can be applied not only to 800Gbps-class ultra-high-speed data transmission, but also to the construction of next-generation networks at the 1Tbps level in the future, broadening its potential applications in high-bandwidth network environments.

Recently, with the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI)-based large language models and cloud services, data traffic has surged, making optical modules supporting 800Gbps or higher speeds a core infrastructure for data centers. As a result, demand for high-speed optical networks is expected to continue growing steadily.

The market outlook is also positive. According to Global Market Insights, the optical transceiver market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 13-14% from 2025 to 2035. Omdia also predicts that more than 60% of the entire market will be driven by data centers, with the adoption of 800Gbps and higher optical modules becoming mainstream.

With the acquisition of this technology, Korea Advanced Materials plans to move beyond its previous focus on individual optical components such as AWG, expanding into the development of integrated packaging modules that include optical receivers. Furthermore, the company aims to build a value chain spanning from components to modules and equipment, thereby enhancing its responsiveness to the market.

In addition, the company will combine its own optical measurement technology to develop an "800G-class portable optical network tester." This device will serve as a solution for real-time inspection and maintenance support of ultra-high-speed communication networks at data centers.

A company representative stated, "Through this technology transfer, we have established a foundation to expand beyond our existing optical components business into optical modules and field measurement equipment. We will continue to advance our business structure into a comprehensive optical solutions company covering data centers and next-generation communication infrastructure."

Meanwhile, Korea Advanced Materials plans to sequentially optimize mass production processes, develop modules, and commercialize measurement equipment, while pursuing global market expansion and strengthening partnerships.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.