20 January 2016

TeraXion's High-Speed Photonics Components Division acquired by Ciena

Ciena Corp of Linthicum, MD, USA has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the High-Speed Photonics Components (HSPC) assets of TeraXion Inc of Quebec City, Canada (which designs and manufactures optoelectronic components and modules for high-speed fiber-optic transmission networks as well as fiber lasers and optical sensing applications) for $CAD46.6m (US$32m).

The asset purchase includes TeraXion's high-speed indium phosphide (InP) and silicon photonics technologies as well as critical underlying intellectual property. Ciena says that these technologies are key enablers of its WaveLogic coherent optical chipsets, which make the optical layer of next-generation networks more intelligent and responsive to today's web-scale demands.

"Being part of Ciena will provide the scale needed to accelerate the development of the HSPC technologies and will enable the continued development of highly differentiated solutions for Ciena's customers," says TeraXion's president & CEO Alain-Jacques Simard.

The TeraXion HSPC assets enhance Ciena's ability to develop differentiated solutions that enable service providers to scale their networks with greater programmability and agility, says Scott McFeely, senior VP, Networking Platforms at Ciena. "This acquisition also reinforces our commitment to serving as a growth and innovation engine in Canada, which is home to our largest employee base and more than 50% of our global research and development team," he adds. 

With the acquisition, Ciena will maintain critical design and innovation resources in Québec City and bolster its R&D center of excellence in Ottawa. "This is a new chapter for our HSPC activities and clearly an exciting opportunity for our employees to advance our technology set as part of the vision of an industry leader like Ciena," says TeraXion's chief technology officer Martin Guy, who will join the Packet Optical Platforms organization at Ciena and serve as the firm's site leader in Québec City. "As part of Ciena, the HSPC team will be in a position to optimize its high-speed photonic solutions specifically for use in Ciena's WaveLogic coherent platform, providing significant benefits," adds Ian Woods, leader of TeraXion's current HSPC business unit, who will also be joining the Packet Optical Platforms organization.

Following the transaction, TeraXion will continue to operate its fiber-optic communication, fiber lasers and optical sensing applications business, with 120 staff remaining in Québec City. "We will keep supporting our existing customers with the same dedication to quality they have come to expect from TeraXion over the years while continuing to address future business opportunities in the markets we serve," says Simard.

See related items:

TeraXion launching its first generation of packaged InP I-Q modulator

TeraXion and Canadian Photonic Fabrication Center form strategic partnership

Tags: InP

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