This interview with Julie Eng, CTO of Coherent and recent recipient of the Lisa Su Woman of Innovation Award, covers her distinguished career, her strategic approach to the CTO role, and her insights into the evolving world of optical technologies. Eng recounts her career path from AT&T Bell Labs to leading a billion-dollar transceiver unit at Finisar, and now shaping innovation at Coherent. As CTO, she focuses on fostering internal innovation through initiatives like an internal "Shark Tank" and ensuring R&D aligns with high-growth business areas. She discusses key technology trends, expressing confidence in the future of VCSELs beyond 200Gbps, the dual roles of VCSEL and silicon photonics in co-packaged optics, and the significant market potential for optical circuit switches in reconfigurable AI clusters. Beyond datacom, Eng highlights Coherent's work in semiconductor inspection, fusion energy, and quantum technologies. The interview also addresses major industry challenges, including supply chain pressures, the accelerating pace of technology adoption, and the strategic shift from standardized products to custom, non-standard solutions driven by AI.
Insights from Coherent's CTO: Julie Eng on Innovation, Technology, and the Future of Optics
Julie Eng's Recognition: The interview highlights Julie Eng, CTO of Coherent, as the recipient of the Lisa Su Woman of Innovation Award and her election to the US National Academy of Engineering, recognizing her significant contributions to the semiconductor and engineering fields.
Path to CTO: Eng details her career progression, starting with an aptitude for math, joining AT&T Bell Labs during the fiber boom, leading a billion-dollar optical transceiver design unit at Finisar, and ultimately being appointed CTO of Coherent after the II-VI acquisition.
Defining the CTO Role: As CTO, Eng's mission is to make her office useful to business units by fostering internal innovation (e.g., an internal "Shark Tank" competition) and aligning R&D with the most profitable, high-growth areas, a methodology reinforced by Coherent's new CEO.
VCSELs and Co-Packaged Optics (CPO): Eng is confident that VCSELs will exceed 200Gbps per lane and sees them as crucial for short-reach (<30m) CPO in scale-up networks due to low cost and power (1pJ/bit). However, she notes thermal management is a critical challenge. Silicon photonics-based CPO will also be deployed for longer-reach applications.
The Rise of Optical Circuit Switches (OCS): Eng identifies OCS as a key technology for solving customer problems, particularly for reconfiguring AI accelerator clusters. Coherent is investing in this area and estimates the market could exceed its initial $2 billion projection by 2030.
Beyond Datacom and Telecom: Coherent's technology portfolio extends far beyond communications. Key applications include lasers for semiconductor wafer inspection at advanced 2nm nodes, OLED display manufacturing, biomedical brain imaging, fusion energy development, and various quantum technologies.
Perspective on Women in Engineering: While Eng describes her experience in the optical industry as meritocratic, she acknowledges the importance of diversity. She advocates for including different backgrounds and genders in discussions to broaden perspectives and achieve better results.
Industry Challenges and Accelerating Pace: Eng points to several key challenges: supply chain strain from high demand, the shortening time between data rate increases, and a much faster ramp-to-volume for new products (from a 10-year cycle to 2-3 years).
The AI-Driven Market: Eng confirms that AI is the primary driver of the photonics industry. Despite concerns of a bubble, she states that Coherent's visibility on demand remains robust, viewing the current stage as the "early innings" of AI's impact.