OFC 2027 — Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition

OFC 2027 is the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California, with the technical conference running 7-11 March 2027 and the exhibition 9-11 March 2027. Optica manages it and co-sponsors it with the IEEE Communications Society and the IEEE Photonics Society. The program is split into a devices track, a subsystems and systems track, a networks and services track, and a quantum track, plus symposia, workshops, short courses and show-floor theaters. OFC 2026 drew nearly 18,000 attendees from 91 countries and 706 exhibitors, and its organizers reported that AI infrastructure dominated the week: co-packaged and near-package optics, 224G lanes moving toward 448G, and 1.6T modules for AI scale-up networks. For 2027 OFC also runs a machine learning challenge with a public dataset and a separate machine learning paper submission route.

• Abstract and summary submission deadlineOct 20, 2026
• ML Challenge launch (dataset and instructions released)Nov 24, 2026
• ML Challenge submission deadlineJan 23, 2027
• ML Challenge finalists announcedFeb 8, 2027

Date

March 7–11, 2027

Location

Los Angeles Convention Center, California

Format

In-Person

Event Type

Conference

Status

Upcoming

Expected Attendance

18,000

Pricing

Paid

Organizer

Optica, co-sponsored by IEEE Communications Society and IEEE Photonics Society

Added

Oct 10, 2026

Updated

Oct 10, 2026

• ✓Data center and AI infrastructure architects
• ✓Network engineering leaders at cloud and carrier operators
• ✓CTOs of hardware and networking companies
• ✓Optical and photonics researchers
• ✓Semiconductor and transceiver product managers
• ✓Infrastructure investors and market analysts

Every AI cluster you buy over the next three years is limited by how fast its accelerators can talk to each other, and OFC is where the optics and copper that set that limit are shown first. An infrastructure leader can compare co-packaged optics, near-package optics, active copper and 1.6T pluggables from competing vendors on one floor, hear operators explain deployment timelines at the Data Center Summit, and leave with a realistic view of when 448G lanes and CPO switches will actually ship.

• ✓D-Track: Devices, Components and Fibers (five categories including photonic integrated circuits and advanced packaging)
• ✓S-Track: Subsystems and Systems, including S1 Datacom Subsystems and Systems
• ✓N-Track: Networks and Services, including N2 Optics and Photonics for Data Center and Computing Applications
• ✓N5: Market Watch, Network Operator Summit and Data Center Summit (invited program)
• ✓SC-Q: Quantum Devices, Systems, Networking and Secure Optical Communications
• ✓OFC 2027 Machine Learning Challenge with a public dataset and a live final at the conference
• ✓Short courses, workshops, symposia and three show-floor theaters

• ★Very large scale for a peer-reviewed conference: nearly 18,000 people from 91 countries and 706 exhibitors at OFC 2026
• ★Peer-reviewed technical program alongside a sold-out exhibition, so vendor launches and the research behind them sit in the same building
• ★A postdeadline paper session for late results; OFC 2026's included OpticsGPT, a foundation model pre-trained for optics
• ★Co-sponsored by two IEEE societies and Optica, which keeps the program governed by researchers

2027 registration prices are not yet published on the OFC site.

When is OFC 2027?

OFC 2027 takes place March 7–11, 2027 in Los Angeles, California.

Where is OFC 2027 held?

OFC 2027 is held in Los Angeles, California. The event format is in-person.

What is the OFC 2027 submission deadline?

The next OFC 2027 deadline is abstract and summary submission deadline on Oct 20, 2026. Remaining dates: ML Challenge launch (dataset and instructions released) — Nov 24, 2026; ML Challenge submission deadline — Jan 23, 2027; ML Challenge finalists announced — Feb 8, 2027.

How much does OFC 2027 cost?

OFC 2027 is paid. 2027 registration prices are not yet published on the OFC site.

Who should attend OFC 2027?

OFC 2027 is aimed at Data center and AI infrastructure architects, Network engineering leaders at cloud and carrier operators, CTOs of hardware and networking companies, Optical and photonics researchers, Semiconductor and transceiver product managers, Infrastructure investors and market analysts.

What topics does OFC 2027 cover?

OFC 2027 covers AI data center interconnects, Co-packaged optics and near-package optics, Silicon photonics and photonic integrated circuits, 1.6T and 3.2T optical transceivers, Optical networks for data center and computing, Machine learning for optical networks, Quantum and secure optical communications, Free-space and satellite optical communications.

This page was written from 6 sources, 2 on domains other than ofcconference.org.

1. 1.ofcconference.org — homevendor
2. 2.ofcconference.org — submit a papervendor
3. 3.ofcconference.org — topic categoriesvendor
4. 4.ofcconference.org — machine learning submissionvendor
5. 5.laserfocusworld.com — optica ofc 2027
6. 6.ieeephotonics.org — ofc 2026 delivers a high impact week marked by breakthrough