What Coherent makes for data centers
public · HQ Saxonburg, United States · coherent.com
Coherent (formerly II-VI) makes optical transceivers at 400G/800G moving toward 1.6T, EML and DFB lasers, and silicon-photonics components used in AI data-center interconnects, plus SiC substrates for power devices. From fiscal 2026 it reports a dedicated "Datacenter and Communications" segment.
Parts, by layer
Layer 3 — Networking & interconnect
| Part | Role | Confidence | Competitors | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Optical transceivers | manufacturer | disclosed | Accelink, Applied Optoelectronics, Broadcom, Cisco, Eoptolink, HG Genuine | |
| Lasers | manufacturer | inferred | Broadcom, Lumentum, Mitsubishi Electric, POET, Sivers, Sumitomo Electric | |
| DCI / coherent optics | manufacturer | inferred | Adtran, Ciena, Cisco, Lumentum, Marvell, Nokia | |
| External laser sources | manufacturer | inferred | Lumentum |
Layer 4 — Servers, racks & integration
| Part | Role | Confidence | Competitors | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GaN and SiC | manufacturer | inferred | Infineon, Navitas, Wolfspeed, EPC | SiC substrates |
Layer 7 — Electrical: power distribution (grid to rack)
| Part | Role | Confidence | Competitors | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 800 V DC architecture & solid-state transformers | manufacturer | inferred | Schneider Electric, ABB, Delta Electronics, Eaton, Flex, Infineon | SiC |
Where Coherent sits in the stack
Coherent's placements in this catalog cover 6 parts, from layer 3 (networking & interconnect) to layer 7 (electrical: power distribution (grid to rack)). None of them currently carries a sourced supply constraint tag. Across these parts it overlaps with other companies most often on the lines below.
What these parts are
- Optical transceivers — Pluggable optical modules that convert electrical signals to light for transmission over fiber between switches and servers, sold at 400G, 800G, and 1.6T speeds.
- Lasers — The laser sources — EML, CW/DFB, and VCSEL types — that generate the light signal inside optical transceivers and co-packaged optics.
- External laser sources — Laser sources supplied externally to co-packaged optics designs rather than integrated on the photonic chip itself.
- DCI / coherent optics — Coherent optical systems that carry data center interconnect (DCI) traffic between buildings on a campus or between metro sites, distinct from the shorter-reach optics inside a data hall.
- GaN and SiC — Gallium-nitride and silicon-carbide power semiconductors used inside VRMs and power stages to switch at higher frequency and efficiency than silicon at the currents modern GPU boards need.
- and 1 more in the table above.
Closest peers in this catalog
Seen in real machines
Coherent is named in 1 of the rack teardowns and supercomputer breakdowns on this site. Each line below is a piece of that machine.
- Nvidia GB300 NVL72 · rack teardown
- 800G / 1.6T OSFP transceivers (scale-out)
Disclosed customers
Questions about Coherent
- What does Coherent make for AI data centers?
- This catalog places Coherent on 6 parts: Optical transceivers (manufacturer), Lasers (manufacturer), DCI / coherent optics (manufacturer), 800 V DC architecture & solid-state transformers (manufacturer), External laser sources (manufacturer) and GaN and SiC (manufacturer).
- Is Coherent publicly traded?
- Yes — Coherent is listed on US exchanges (NYSE/Nasdaq) under COHR. Prices shown on this page are a nightly snapshot, not real-time, and nothing here is investment advice.
- Where is Coherent based?
- Saxonburg, United States, per the company record in this catalog.
- Who else makes optical transceivers for AI data centers?
- Accelink, Applied Optoelectronics, Broadcom, Cisco, Eoptolink and HG Genuine are also placed on Optical transceivers in this catalog.
- How well sourced are these placements?
- Every part→company placement carries a confidence tag. For Coherent the mix is 1 disclosed and 5 inferred. "disclosed" means the company or a filing says so; "reported" comes from trade press or a reference-design list; "inferred" is a lead from the taxonomy with no citation yet. Treat reported and inferred as leads, not facts.
Answers are generated from this catalog's own rows — see sources & method.
Verification: enriched, last verified 2026-08-27. Sources: www.coherent.com · www.sec.gov.· Markdown · JSON