ficonTEC breaks CPO test bottleneck, teams with Hermes Testing

German silicon photonics (SiPh) test equipment maker ficonTEC has achieved a significant breakthrough in co-packaged optics (CPO) 'electrical-in, optical-out' testing, launching what it claims is the ... Read original →

ficonTEC’s breakthrough in CPO testing marks a critical inflection point for Silicon Photonics moving from lab to mass production. Its Insertion 2 automated optical test solution resolves a key bottleneck in high-speed, low-power optical interconnects, directly boosting yield and efficiency in data center and 5G module manufacturing. This advancement pressures upstream chip and packaging technologies to evolve, while accelerating downstream demand for high-speed optical modules in AI computing centers. With Germany’s strong testing equipment heritage, the company gains strategic resilience amid geopolitical tensions. Competitors like Teradyne and Keysight may respond with increased R&D investment or M&A activity to maintain market share. Over the next 12–24 months, the CPO test equipment market is poised for rapid expansion. If ficonTEC leverages its partnership with Hermes Testing, it could dominate standard-setting and establish a competitive moat in the silicon photonics testing space.