[News] Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi, Baidu, ZTE and Lenovo Invest in Optical Communications

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Optical communications has become an increasingly important investment area for technology companies in recent years. Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi, Baidu and ZTE, among others, have expanded their presence in related fields, including optical chips and optical modules, through investments. Huawei has invested in upstream technologies through its investment arm Hubble Technology Investment, spanning indium phosphide (InP) substrates, thin-film lithium niobate, VCSELs and other laser chips, specialty optical fibers and high-speed connectors. In December 2020, Hubble invested CNY 30 million in Xinyao Semiconductor, a subsidiary of Yunnan Germanium, acquiring a 23.91% stake and becoming its second-largest shareholder. Huawei also holds stakes in optical chip companies such as Yuanjie Semiconductor, Everbright Photonics and Milphoton Semiconductor; Yuanjie develops DFB and EML laser chips and continuous-wave (CW) light sources for 800G and 1.6T optical modules, while Milphoton focuses on high-speed InP optical chips targeting 800G and 1.6T AI computing applications. Hubble also invested in specialty optical fiber manufacturer Changjin Photonics, holding a 3.80% stake ahead of its IPO. Alibaba's portfolio includes silicon photonics modules and optical interconnect chips, with Crealights Technology and Shanghai Xizhi Technology (Lightelligence) among the companies to watch; Xizhi is described by media reports as a potential first publicly listed company focused on AI silicon photonics, and its LightSphere X distributed optical switching GPU supernode platform has been deployed in multiple clusters with thousands of GPUs. Tencent is also an investor in Xizhi; according to its listing documents, Tencent Mobility held a 4.19% stake before its IPO, declining to 3.56% after listing. Tencent has also invested in JaguarMicro (DPU chips) and Qting Optoelectronic (high-precision 3D optical inspection equipment used to inspect optical communications modules). Xiaomi-related entities and Alibaba are both shareholders in Crealights; Xiaomi has invested in Vertilite, and Hainan Jimu Venture Capital, an entity under Xiaomi, holds approximately 6.48% of Photonx Technology. Baidu, ZTE and Lenovo have also invested in Crealights and Xizhi, although their entry points and investment timelines differ.

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Source: TrendForce · 11/4/2026 · View original source