TrendForce forecasts worldwide shipments of 800G-and-higher optical transceivers will jump 2.6 times, from 24 million units in 2025 to nearly 63 million units in 2026, as AI data centers strain the supply of the EML and CW lasers these modules require
TrendForce's research indicates that worldwide shipments of 800G-and-higher optical transceivers are expected to reach 24 million units in 2025. The firm forecasts these shipments will then increase by 2.6 times to nearly 63 million units in 2026. This growth is driven by the increasing demand from AI data centers, which are causing a bottleneck in the supply of EML and CW lasers required for these modules.
Verified 2026-09-22
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Fast optical links between AI chips are in such demand that the lasers inside them are scarce.
More on Supply chain
- TrendForce says a shortage of critical optoelectronic components — EML and CW lasers — is reshaping the AI optical transceiver supply chain, and projects the global market to grow from $16.5 billion in 2025 to $26 billion in 2026, an AI optical transceiver market up more than 57% year-over-year
- Applied Materials agreed in October 2026 to raise its stake in Besi, the Dutch maker of chip assembly equipment, to about 20%
- Applied Materials' Semiconductor Systems segment — the deposition, etch and inspection tools chipmakers install before fabricating a single AI chip — reported fiscal third-quarter 2026 revenue up 26.5% year-over-year to $7.04 billion in Applied Materials' Semiconductor Systems segment revenue
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