From 20–22 April 2026, in Brussels, two of our colleagues Dr. Pramod and Dr. Salman stepped into one of the most dynamic gatherings in the photonics world: PIC International 2026.
What unfolded over those three days was more than a conference. It felt like a glimpse into the future of computing — one being built, piece by piece, by a deeply interconnected global ecosystem. With over 750 delegates and 90 exhibitors and over 850 attendees, the room brought together everyone shaping the photonic integrated circuit landscape from material innovators and equipment suppliers to foundries, advanced packaging houses, and OEMs.
For QRDC, our presence had a clear purpose: to position QuantLase Research & Development Centre and by extension, the MENA region within this rapidly evolving ecosystem that is redefining next-generation compute infrastructure. But what stood out wasn’t just the scale of the event. It was the conversations, the depth and the openness. The sense that real progress happens when ecosystems move together.
Across the halls and meeting rooms, discussions unfolded with partners and peers alike. We reconnected with our strategic partner Luceda Photonics and engaged with FiconTEC, CPFC, and HYB-PIC. Each interaction added another layer to a simple but powerful realization: innovation in photonics is no longer happening in isolation it is ecosystem driven.
As the days progressed, three themes began to take shape.
First, there was a growing recognition of QRDC on the international stage. Not just as a participant, but as a contributor building capabilities aligned with global demand. Our work in photonic AI particularly the silicon photonics–based matrix multiplication chip sparked meaningful discussions around the future of compute architectures.
Second, our partnerships are evolving into something more tangible. Conversations across design, fabrication, and integration pathways made one thing clear: what we are building is no longer theoretical. It is real, connected, and steadily moving toward execution.
Third, we had the opportunity to share our broader vision through the Photonic Intelligence Processing Unit (PIPU) and its white paper. The idea of harnessing physics-native processes for computation continues to resonate especially at a time when traditional scaling approaches are reaching their limits.
By the end of PIC International 2026, what remained wasn’t just a collection of meetings or insights it was a strong sense of alignment.
Alignment between where the industry is heading and what QRDC is building.
Alignment between our roadmap and the capabilities of the global ecosystem.
And alignment between ambition and execution.
There is still a long road ahead. But moments like this serve as a reminder:
QRDC is not just part of the global conversation we are growing within it, contributing to it, and building momentum that will carry forward.
More to come.