Ayar Labs raises USD 500 mln Series E to scale co-packaged optics production
UNITED STATES 01:06

Ayar Labs raises USD 500 mln Series E to scale co-packaged optics production

US-based optical interconnect company Ayar Labs has closed a USD 500 million Series E funding round to expand high-volume production and testing capacity for its co-packaged optics (CPO) technology, bringing total funding to USD 870 million and valuing the company at $3.75 billion. The round was led by Neuberger Berman, with participation from institutional investors including ARK Invest, Insight Partners, Qatar Investment Authority, Sequoia Global Equities and 1789 Capital. 

Arrcus and Fujitsu partner on sovereign AI infrastructure architecture
GLOBAL 00:50

Arrcus and Fujitsu partner on sovereign AI infrastructure architecture

Arrcus has announced a collaboration with Fujitsu and 1Finity to develop an architecture aimed at supporting distributed and sovereign AI infrastructure. The initiative centres on Fujitsu-Monaka, Fujitsu's next-generation Arm-based CPU, and combines it with Arrcus's ArcOS network operating system and 1Finity's optical interconnect technology. The companies said the joint architecture is designed to address requirements linked to distributed AI workloads, including edge inference and large-scale training, wi

Skyworks presents pre-6G FR3 front-end power amplifier
GLOBAL 3 MRT

Skyworks presents pre-6G FR3 front-end power amplifier

Signal components vendor Skyworks Solutions is presenting an early reference design for 6G RF front-end (RFFE) low noise and power amplifiers at Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona. Its live demo showcases an integrated low noise and power amplifier module with integrated filters tailored to upper 6 GHz spectrum in the 6.425 - 7 GHz range, considered a viable option to deliver large channel bandwidths up to 400 MHz. The reference design, supported by Skyworks' mobile silicon partner MediaTek, is based o

MaxLinear to supply Sierra SoC to Samji Electronics' O-RU project
GLOBAL 3 MRT

MaxLinear to supply Sierra SoC to Samji Electronics' O-RU project

South Korea-based mobile site equipment vendor Samji Electronics has selected MaxLinear's Sierra RF system-on-chip to underpin its upcoming radio unit targeting macro base stations. A live demo of Samji Electronics' upcoming SNOO2-44N28 Macro Radio is planned for MWC 2026 in Barcelona. Samji's Open RAN-compliant radio unit (O-RU) is designed to provide next-generation functionality aligned with modern cellular networks.

Fibocom prepares new FWA CPE with MediaTek 5G, Wi-Fi 8 chip
GLOBAL 3 MRT

Fibocom prepares new FWA CPE with MediaTek 5G, Wi-Fi 8 chip

Fibocom and MediaTek unveiled a CPE chip package powered by the FG390 5G module and Filogic 8800 Wi-Fi 8 chipset. The new design combines 5G-Advanced speeds with Wi-Fi 8 for the latest fixed-wireless access equipment. Fibocom said providers can expect reduced interference, longer range even through walls, and better latency. Throughput as much as doubles, supported by tri-band connectivity at once. 

Samsung and AMD extend AI-focused work towards commercial deployments
GLOBAL 3 MRT

Samsung and AMD extend AI-focused work towards commercial deployments

Samsung Electronics has announced further developments in its collaboration with AMD across its 5G Core, virtualised RAN (vRAN) and private network portfolio, marking a move from joint verification to commercial deployment. The companies said their latest work spans RAN and core network functions, with a focus on software-based and AI-driven architectures. Samsung recently secured a contract with Videotron to deploy 5G non-standalone and 4G LTE core gateway solutions powered by AMD EPYC 9005 Series CPUs.

Nvidia to invest USD 4 bln in Lumentum and Coherent for advanced optics
UNITED STATES 3 MRT

Nvidia to invest USD 4 bln in Lumentum and Coherent for advanced optics

Nvidia announced multiyear strategic partnerships with Lumentum and Coherent to develop advanced optics technologies for next-generation AI data centre infrastructure. Under non-exclusive agreements, Nvidia has made multibillion-dollar purchase commitments for advanced laser and optical networking products and will invest a total of USD 4 billion, split 50:50, in the two companies to support research and development, expand manufacturing capacity, and fund US-based operations, including new fabrication faci

South Korea to allocate 4,000 GPUs to industry, academia and researchers
KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 3 MRT

South Korea to allocate 4,000 GPUs to industry, academia and researchers

South Korea's ministry of science and ICT has announced that it will begin allocating approximately 4,000 graphics processing units (GPUs) from March, as part of a broader programme to strengthen national AI capabilities. The GPUs form part of a total of 10,000 units secured under a 2025 supplementary budget. Of these, around 4,000 are currently available for distribution. The ministry said the initiative is designed to provide large-scale GPU resources rapidly and stably to industry, academia and research

MediaTek to present Wi-Fi 8-enabled CPE for 5G-A networks and give MWC26 keynote presentation
GLOBAL 2 MRT

MediaTek to present Wi-Fi 8-enabled CPE for 5G-A networks and give MWC26 keynote presentation

MediaTek president Joe Chen is scheduled to give a keynote presentation at Mobile World Congress 2026 Barcelona, outlining the scope for its RF silicon chips to drive edge-to-cloud AI advances in multiple device classes. MediaTek's booth will host presentations centred on 6G networks, 5G-Advanced CPE with Wi-Fi 8 LAN connectivity, and localised intelligence for smartphones and IoT, as well as automotive connectivity and next-generation data centre technology.

Qualcomm debuts Wi-Fi 8 range at MWC
GLOBAL 2 MRT

Qualcomm debuts Wi-Fi 8 range at MWC

Qualcomm is debuting at Mobile World Congress a full range of chips for Wi-Fi 8 devices. Its native Wi-Fi 8 system, the Fastconnect 8800, promises up to twice the performance of its previous Wi-Fi 7 chips and up to three times the range for gigabit speeds thanks to a 4x4 radio configuration. In addition, through Bluetooth High Data Throughput (HDT), Bluetooth speeds are greatly increased, from 2 Mbps to 7.5 Mbps.

Qualcomm unveils first 3GPP Rel 19 modem for 5G phones
GLOBAL 2 MRT

Qualcomm unveils first 3GPP Rel 19 modem for 5G phones

Qualcomm Technologies has unveiled its first modem running the 3GPP's Release 19 specifications for the most advanced 5G networks. Presented at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the X105 5G modem-RF is sampling to customers already and should appear in smartphones in the second half of 2026. Also coming later this year is a new processor for wearables, to drive new "personal AI" devices such as pendants. 

Micron inaugurates its first semiconductor assembly and test facility in India
INDIA 2 MRT

Micron inaugurates its first semiconductor assembly and test facility in India

Micron has opened its first semiconductor assembly and test facility in India. Located in Sanand, Gujarat, the facility is designed to convert advanced DRAM and NAND wafers from Micron's global manufacturing network into finished memory and storage products. Once fully ramped, the first phase of Micron's Sanand operation will feature more than 500,000 square feet of cleanroom space. The site will provide memory and storage fueled by AI for customers worldwide.

GLOBAL 2 MRT

Samsung completes multi-cell AI-RAN test with Nvidia

Samsung Electronics has completed a multi-cell test combining its virtualised RAN software with accelerated computing from NVIDIA, validating performance in what it described as a realistic network environment and marking a step towards commercial AI-RAN deployment. The test, conducted at Samsung's R&D centre, integrated the company's vRAN software with Nvidia's accelerated computing platform. Samsung said the validation supports its strategy to advance AI-native, software-driven networks.

GLOBAL 2 MRT

Ericsson and Intel expand partnership to accelerate commercial AI-native 6G

Ericsson and Intel have expanded their long-standing collaboration to accelerate the transition from 6G research to commercial AI-native network deployments. Announced at Mobile World Congress 2026, the initiative spans compute, connectivity and cloud technologies across radio access networks, packet core and edge environments. The companies said the effort is designed to support ecosystem readiness for AI-native 6G, including alignment with global standards bodies and industry organisations.

GLOBAL 2 MRT

Nvidia outlines live AI-RAN deployments and ecosystem growth

Nvidia and its partners have detailed live field trials, benchmarking results and ecosystem developments aimed at advancing software-defined AI-RAN architectures for 5G and future 6G networks, ahead of Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona. The company said AI-RAN is moving from laboratory environments into field deployments, with collaborations spanning operators in Europe, Asia and North America. Working with Nokia, Nvidia highlighted implementation milestones achieved by T-Mobile US, SoftBank and Indos

GLOBAL 2 MRT

Nvidia and global operators commit to AI-native, open 6G platforms

Nvidia and a group of international telecom operators and infrastructure providers have announced a joint commitment to develop 6G networks based on AI-native, software-defined and open platforms. The companies include BT Group, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Nokia, Cisco, SK Telecom (SKT), SoftBank and T-Mobile, alongside Booz Allen, Mitre, ODC and the new OCUDU Ecosystem Foundation.

GLOBAL 27 FEB

Zenlynx picks MaxLinear's Sierra radio SoC for indoor O-RU unit

Zenlynx has selected MaxLinear's Sierra single-chip RF system-on-chip (SoC) to power its upcoming indoor open radio unit (O-RU) product. The MaxLinear SoC is an eight-port model designed to reduce signal complexity and power usage. Zenlynx's RRU4401S is pitched as a next-generation O-RU suited to indoor 4G and 5G coverage in space-constrained environments with evolving capacity requirements. The device will be marketed to neutral-host deployments and other enterprise and venue use cases.

GLOBAL 27 FEB

Qualcomm hires former Intel Foundry Services manager as executive VP for operations

Qualcomm has appointed Kevin O'Buckley as executive vice president for global operations and the supply chain. Starting 02 March, O'Buckley will lead operational activities including manufacturing, engineering and procurement as well as foundry and supplier partnerships. He will report directly to Qualcomm chief financial officer and operating officer Akash Palkhiwala.

JAPAN 26 FEB

AI-RAN Alliance to demonstrate intelligence in every RAN layer at MWC

The AI-RAN Alliance will present almost three dozen demonstrations at Mobile World Congress, bringing its pitch to embed AI in every layer of mobile sites closer to fruition. The presentation will cover every flavour of AI-RAN, including AI for RAN applications that optimise performance, AI-on-RAN to deploy AI workloads directly from mobile infrastructure, and end-to-end AI-and-RAN orchestration that places workloads on shared compute based on cost and performance targets. Attendees will also get a glimpse

GLOBAL 26 FEB

Sivers Semiconductors lifts FY sales 25% but reports negative earnings

Sivers Semiconductors said revenue was higher year on year in 2025 but it reported negative earnings. It posted a 25 percent sales rise in 2025 to SEK 304.1 million from SEK 243.7 million and said the growth was 33 percent in constant currency. Its "opportunity pipeline", an indicator of future revenues, increased by 64 percent in 2025 to USD 453 million, reflecting the strength of its proposition to its target customers.

GLOBAL 26 FEB

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 to power Samsung Galaxy S26 series

Qualcomm Technologies has introduced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which will power the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra globally and the Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 in selected regions. The new platform is based on Qualcomm's third-generation Oryon CPU, alongside an updated Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU. Qualcomm said the chipset is designed to enable advanced on-device artificial intelligence capabilities, including personalised AI features and support for new camera functions such as Advan

GLOBAL 25 FEB

AMD and Meta agree multi-year 6 GW GPU deployment for AI infrastructure

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and Meta have announced a definitive multi-year, multi-generation agreement to deploy up to six gigawatts of AMD Instinct GPUs to support Meta's next generation of AI infrastructure. The agreement expands an existing strategic partnership between the two companies and includes alignment of GPU and CPU silicon, systems and software roadmaps. The first deployment will use a custom AMD Instinct GPU based on the MI450 architecture, designed to support Meta's workloads at gigawatt sc

GLOBAL 24 FEB

Edgecore unveils 102.4 Tbps data centre switches with Broadcom's Tomahawk 6 silicon

Edgecore Networks announced the launch of 102.4 Tbps capacity switches targeted at data infrastructure use cases, including hyperscale AI and other advanced cloud compute fabrics. The AIS1600-64O and AIS800-1280 contain Broadcom's latest generation Tomahawk 6 silicon. The AIS1600-64O delivers 64 x 1.6 Tbps OSFP ports in a three-rack-unit (3RU) form factor. It supports a number of breakout configurations from 100G to 1.6 Tbps, including upcoming 800G network interface card (NIC) configurations, driven by Edg

KOREA, REPUBLIC OF 20 FEB

Korea begins Nvidia GPU distribution under 260,000-unit plan

South Korea has begun distributing 10,000 high-performance Nvidia graphics processing units to universities, research institutes and national artificial intelligence projects as part of a broader plan to secure 260,000 GPUs by 2030, according to Korea Herald, citing government sources. The rollout follows an announcement last October by Jensen Huang, chief executive of Nvidia, on expanding AI infrastructure in Korea. 

Just In

02:52

KDDI launches Starlink Direct international roaming in the US

01:25

SKT advances modular and CXL-based AI data centre strategy

01:23

LG Uplus CEO Hong Beom-sik outlines AI voice strategy at MWC26 keynote

01:17

Australia sees 211-day average approval time for new mobile towers

Commentary

11 FEB 12:29

Odido shareholders face tricky exit after abandoned IPO

2 FEB 13:49

KPN results show little bother from the competition

2 JAN 13:21

Open Dutch Fiber's new management team takes up turnaround challenge

15 DEC 2025 13:56

Video market set for slower growth ahead

Background

1 MRT 13:21

The week in telecoms: Paramount tops bidding for WBD, Samsung S26 kicks off MWC showcase

23 FEB 00:28

The week in telecoms: Liberty Global tackles cable vs fibre question, Orange promises dividends and MEA market goes wholesale

16 FEB 00:17

The week in telecoms: Cisco rides AI investment wave and European telcos invest in South America

9 FEB 01:54

The week in telecoms: hyperscalers vie for capex crown, Telenor and Vodafone profit from smaller footprints