Coherent opens first datacom R&D centre in Penang
US-based photonics manufacturer Coherent has opened its first Datacom R&D centre in Malaysia, expanding its global footprint to advance optical transceiver technologies for AI and cloud computing.
Located at Menara IJM Land in Penang, the new facility complements Coherent’s manufacturing plants in Ipoh, Perak and Perai, Penang, strengthening supply capacity for datacom transceivers.
Datuk Shamsul Ibrahim, CEO of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), said in a press release that the expansion supports Malaysia’s National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), introduced in 2024, which focuses on high-value R&D and advanced technologies such as chip packaging, photonics and silicon technologies. He added that Coherent’s work in Penang would benefit from the skilled talent pipeline the NSS aims to develop.
The facility will develop next-generation silicon photonics solutions and optical transceiver modules capable of 400G, 800G and 1.6T speeds, while also housing specialised testing environments for AI and cloud computing applications.
Coherent said that the expansion strengthens its ability to serve its global markets while creating valuable connections between its manufacturing sites in Ipoh, Perak and Perai, Penang and its R&D operations in Shanghai.