IOWN Global Forum Announces First Public Event on Transformative Power of Photonics

‘FUTURES’ will bring together industry stakeholders from across the globe to discuss the impact of photonics technology on business and society

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In Vancouver this month, the Innovative Optical and Wireless Network Global Forum (IOWN Global Forum) will host its first ever public event to envision a future enabled by photonics-driven technology. The hybrid half-day conference on Thursday, April 25, entitled FUTURES - Powering Tomorrow with Photonics, will provide exclusive insights into the mission and work of IOWN Global Forum to deliver a more secure and sustainable world, powered by light.

The event, at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel in Vancouver, is set to engage over 200 key stakeholders representing more than 140 organizations in the optical and wireless network technology space and spark insightful and ground-breaking discussions. Attendees will have the opportunity to:

• Learn more about IOWN Global Forum’s work through a panel discussion and presentations from senior executives and technical experts from Ericsson, Fujitsu, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia, NTT, and The Linux Foundation.
• Engage with industry leaders and visionaries as they explore potential use cases and their integration into business strategies and development plans.
• Network with fellow engineers, business leaders and academics to foster collaboration.

IOWN Global Forum is leading the development of the pioneering technology that augments and replaces electronics with photonics to transfer and process vast quantities of data at speeds previously considered impossible. Ultra-fast processing and data-transfer capabilities will make it possible to develop the next generation of AI systems, which will handle unprecedented levels of distributed data in real time. This revolution will start with photonic networks, but it will soon encompass every sector. According to research, the global photonics markets was valued at US$771.2 billion in 2022 and is predicted to almost double to reach US$1,449.5 billion by 2032.

Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, President and Chairperson of IOWN Global Forum, commented: “IOWN Global Forum is developing the future communication infrastructure to meet technological challenges and social needs, and the best way to shape the future is to get involved today. But to enable the full potential of photonics, we need to drive its rollout at the same pace and at the same time across the globe. We invite stakeholders from across continents and industries to join us to maintain photonics’ momentum and ensure its impact.”

Key event details:

Date: Thursday, 25 April 2024

Time: 2:00PM - 5:00PM PT, with an in-person networking reception to follow

Location: Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, 1128 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V6E 4R5, Canada, with simultaneous streaming

Key URLs: Web page and Registration page

Registration fee:

• Members: included with registration to IOWN Global Forum Member Meeting
• Non-members: in-person: US$199
• Online: US$299

About IOWN Global Forum

IOWN Global Forum was established in 2020 as a private sector organization to develop IOWN technologies and use cases. As of the end of 2023, it is comprised of over 130 organizations. The objective of the IOWN Global Forum is to accelerate innovation and adoption of a new communication infrastructure to meet our future data and computing requirements through the development of new technologies, frameworks, specifications, and reference designs in areas such as photonics R&D, distributed computing, use cases and best practices. For more information, visit: https://iowngf.org/