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OG still got it

THE 7 LAYERS OF PHOTONICS 1. Materials & Wafers (substrate layer) $AXTI, $IQE $WOLF, $COHR, $LWLG 2. Tools (fabrication layer) $ASML, $AMAT, $LRCX 3. Lasers (light generation layer) $LITE, $COHR, $LASR, $SMTC 4. Foundries (manufacturing layer) $TSM, $TSEM, $GFS, $UMC, $INTC 5. Test, Inspection & Packaging (reliability layer) $AEHR, $VIAV, $ONTO, $AMKR, $FN 6. Optics (module layer) $AAOI, $POET, $GLW 7. Networking (connectivity layer) $CRDO, $MRVL, $AVGO, $ANET, $CIEN

THE OPTICAL PHOTONICS BOTTLENECK As AI clusters scale past copper’s physical limits, the bottleneck shifts to optical & these are the companies building that layer across the stack: 1. $AAOI building the transceiver layer of the AI network through vertically integrated U.S.-based InP laser manufacturing. It has already secured over $200M in its first volume 1.6T order from one hyperscale customer followed by another $124M in 800G orders from a second. 2. $AEHR building the reliability layer for the optical & AI hardware stack through burn-in & test systems. It just received a record $41M follow-on order from its lead hyperscale customer reinforcing the idea that Sonoma is becoming a key production burn-in platform for high-power AI ASICs. 3. $CRDO building the connectivity layer that helps AI clusters move data faster through active electrical cables, retimers & high-speed interconnect silicon. The DustPhotonics acquisition also extends that platform into silicon photonics before copper becomes a real constraint. 4. $LITE building the laser layer of the AI optical stack through EMLs, optical components & optical switching exposure. The setup is backed by a $2B $NVDA strategic investment & optical circuit switch backlog above $400M with orders reportedly extending through 2028. 5. $VIAV building the testing & validation layer of the optical stack through network instrumentation & photonics measurement tools. It is the picks-and-shovels layer of the transition because every high-speed optical buildout still needs to be tested regardless of which transceiver vendor wins. 6. $COHR building one of the core photonics bottlenecks through indium phosphide lasers, optical engines & communications components tied to next-gen AI networking. It also has a $2B $NVDA strategic investment behind it & is doubling InP device capacity into the 1.6T ramp. 7. $MRVL building the DSP & optical infrastructure layer through electro-optics, PAM DSPs, interconnect silicon & custom networking chips. The Celestial AI deal & NVLink Fusion exposure both strengthen its position as photonics becomes more central to AI cluster design.

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