Infinera CEO on CHIPs, AI and 'spinning the wheel of innovation'

In addition to providing an update on the CHIPS and Science Act, Infinera CEO David Heard discusses Infinera's ability to fabricate and package its photonic integrated circuits in the US, giving it a unique market advantage.

At a Glance

  • Impact of the CHIPS and Science Act on Infinera and Infinera's role in the US semiconductor market (03:54)
  • Impact of Infinera's vertical integrations on its different product lines (06:07)
  • Will bandwidth demand for AI push AI workloads beyond the data center? (22:09)

Infinera CEO David Heard joins the podcast to discuss how the government's $53 billion investment in semiconductor research and manufacturing could significantly impact the optical networking industry in the US. 

In addition to providing an update on the CHIPS and Science Act, Heard discusses Infinera's ability to fabricate and package its photonic integrated circuits in the US, giving it a unique market advantage.

He discusses which geographies are ripe for market expansion, how the industry can prepare for massive AI workloads and how webscalers are affecting the speed of technological innovation in the telecom industry. 

Click on the caption button for a lightly edited transcript.

Here are a few topics we cover:

  • Impact of the CHIPS and Science Act on Infinera and Infinera's role in the US semiconductor market (03:54)

  • Impact of Infinera's vertical integrations on its different product lines (06:07)

  • Market opportunities in broadband access, 5G and cable networks (09:03)

  • Open XR Forum's mission to advance the development of XR optics products and services, and flexibility in the access network (12:45)

  • New opportunities for Infinera in India (15:52)

  • How webscalers are impacting speed of innovation in the telecom industry (18:47)

  • Will bandwidth demand for AI push AI workloads beyond the data center? (22:09)

  • Infinera's sustainability strategies and ESG initiatives (26:45)

Related:Infinera CEO on CHIPs, AI and 'spinning the wheel of innovation'

About the Author(s)

Phil Harvey

Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading

Phil Harvey has been a Light Reading writer and editor for more than 18 years combined. He began his second tour as the site's chief editor in April 2020.

His interest in speed and scale means he often covers optical networking and the foundational technologies powering the modern Internet.

Harvey covered networking, Internet infrastructure and dot-com mania in the late 90s for Silicon Valley magazines like UPSIDE and Red Herring before joining Light Reading (for the first time) in late 2000.

After moving to the Republic of Texas, Harvey spent eight years as a contributing tech writer for D CEO magazine, producing columns about tech advances in everything from supercomputing to cellphone recycling.

Harvey is an avid photographer and camera collector – if you accept that compulsive shopping and "collecting" are the same.

Kelsey Ziser

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Kelsey is a senior editor at Light Reading, co-host of the Light Reading podcast, and host of the "What's the story?" podcast.

Her interest in the telecom world started with a PR position at Connect2 Communications, which led to a communications role at the FREEDM Systems Center, a smart grid research lab at N.C. State University. There, she orchestrated their webinar program across college campuses and covered research projects such as the center's smart solid-state transformer.

Kelsey enjoys reading four (or 12) books at once, watching movies about space travel, crafting and (hoarding) houseplants.

Kelsey is based in Raleigh, N.C.

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