What Nubis Communications does

Nubis Communications was a photonics startup founded in 2020 and headquartered in New Providence, New Jersey, that developed high-density optical engine technologies for AI data center and telecommunications applications. The company's core technology leveraged silicon photonics to enable co-packaged optics (CPO) and near-packaged optics (NPO) architectures that minimize ASIC-to-optics interconnect length, eliminating retimers to reduce power consumption and latency while supporting higher optical port densities. Its portfolio included the XT1600 optical engine for 6G RAN applications, high-performance optical and electrical interconnects, and electrical redriver technologies, with technical milestones including demonstrated 1.6 Tbps connectivity and record-setting linear optics operations.

The company's go-to-market was enterprise field sales targeting hyperscalers, AI infrastructure operators, and telecom equipment vendors, with pricing and contract terms never publicly disclosed. Its primary customer segment was AI infrastructure operators requiring high-bandwidth, low-power optical connectivity for data center scale-up and scale-out architectures, with a secondary vertical in mobile network operators deploying next-generation 6G networks. Nubis secured strategic investments of over $50 million from TDK Ventures and Ericsson Ventures in November 2023, and demonstrated its XT1600 optical engine in a joint technology showcase with Ericsson at ECOC 2024 in Germany.

In September 2025, Ciena Corporation acquired Nubis Communications for $270 million in an all-cash transaction, with the company's 50+ engineers and CPO/NPO technology integrated into Ciena's interconnects portfolio. The acquired IP underpins Ciena's Vesta optical engine family, including the Vesta 200 6.4T CPX launched in February 2026, which targets up to 70% power reduction for AI workloads in hyperscaler and cloud data center environments. Nubis therefore exists today as a technology platform inside Ciena rather than as an independent operating company.

Name

Nubis Communications

Legal name

Nubis Communications, Inc.

Website

https://nubis-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nubis Communications was a New Jersey-based photonics startup developing high-density silicon photonics optical engines for AI data center and telecom applications, including co-packaged optics and the XT1600 6G RAN engine, acquired by Ciena in September 2025 for $270 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Interconnects / Silicon Photonics

NAICS

Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing (33429), Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (334220)

SIC

Communications Equipment, Nec (3669), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Active Optical Cables (AOC) & Optical Interconnects (HDAFAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs) (HDAHAAAH), Optical Transceivers (SFP/SFP+/SFP28/QSFP/QSFP-DD/OSFP) (HDAFAEAE), Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM)

Keywords

• Silicon photonics
• Co-packaged optics
• Optical engines
• Data center interconnects
• High-density optical connectivity

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Optical Engine Technology Licensing/Sales: Developing and commercializing high-density optical engine technologies for AI market connectivity applications

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Nubis Communications developed high-density optical engine technologies using silicon photonics for co-packaged optics (CPO) and near-packaged optics (NPO) applications targeting AI workloads and next-generation networks. The company's products included the XT1600 optical engine for 6G RAN, CPO/NPO solutions that minimize ASIC-to-optics interconnect length to reduce power consumption, and electrical redriver technologies.

Product overview

Nubis Communications developed a portfolio of high-performance optical and electrical interconnect technologies for AI-driven data center and communication network applications. The company's core offerings included the XT1600 optical engine for 6G RAN deployments, co-packaged/near-packaged optics (CPO/NPO) solutions that eliminate retimers to reduce power consumption, and electrical redriver technologies. In September 2025, Ciena acquired Nubis Communications for $270 million to expand its data center connectivity strategy. The acquired technologies were integrated into Ciena's product portfolio, with the Vesta optical engine family (including Vesta 100 and Vesta 200) representing the commercialized products following the acquisition, designed to deliver ultra-high density and up to 70% power reduction for AI infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• XT1600 optical engine: High-capacity, low-power optical engine developed for 6G RAN applications, demonstrated in partnership with Ericsson at ECOC 2024 in Germany.

Products and services

• XT1600 Optical Engine High-capacity, low-power optical engine designed for 6G RAN applications, demonstrated in partnership with Ericsson at ECOC 2024 to reduce power consumption and deployment complexity for future mobile networks.
• Co-Packaged/Near-Packaged Optics (CPO/NPO) Optical engine technologies that minimize ASIC-to-optics interconnect length to significantly reduce power consumption, allowing critical power resources to be redirected toward XPU operations while reducing latency and supporting higher optical port densities for AI and data center applications.
• High-Performance Optical and Electrical Interconnects Optical and electrical interconnect technologies developed by Nubis Communications for AI workloads, providing high-density connectivity solutions for data center applications, including scale-up and scale-out networks.
• Electrical Redriver Technologies Electrical signal conditioning technologies used in co-packaged and near-package optical implementations to support high-speed signal integrity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.6 Tbps connectivity capability demonstrated
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EricssoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 September 2024Joint technology demonstration at ECOC 2024 showcasing high-capacity, low-power optical engine (XT1600) for 6G RAN applications in Germany, targeting reduced power consumption and deployment complexity for future mobile networks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ayar Labs: Ayar Labs develops optical I/O and in-package optical interconnect solutions using silicon photonics for AI and data center applications — directly competing with Nubis in the CPO/NPO architecture space targeting hyperscalers.
• Lightmatter: Lightmatter builds photonic computing and interconnect platforms for AI data centers, including optical engines and interconnects — overlapping directly with Nubis's CPO/NPO and high-bandwidth optical interconnect focus.
• Celestial AI: Celestial AI develops optical interconnect technology (Photonic Fabric) for AI accelerator clusters, targeting the same hyperscaler and AI infrastructure customers with in-package optical solutions comparable to Nubis's CPO/NPO offerings.
• Ranovus: Ranovus delivers silicon photonics-based optical interconnect solutions for data centers, including CPO platforms — directly competing with Nubis's co-packaged optics technology for hyperscale and AI workloads.

Broad incumbents

• Intel: Intel is a broad incumbent in silicon photonics through its Integrated Photonics research and silicon photonics transceivers, competing with Nubis in optical interconnect technology while also serving as a potential customer ecosystem partner for CPO/NPO deployments.
• Broadcom: Broadcom is a major incumbent in optical interconnect components and ASICs for hyperscale data centers, with its own CPO roadmaps competing against Nubis's technology for the same AI infrastructure customers.
• Marvell Technology: Marvell (including Inphi) is an established supplier of high-speed optical DSPs and interconnect silicon for data centers, serving as a broad incumbent competitor to Nubis's optical engine technology in AI infrastructure.
• Coherent Corp: Coherent Corp is a large optical components and subsystems manufacturer serving datacom and telecom markets, including emerging CPO applications — making it a broad incumbent comparable to Nubis's optical engine business.
• Lumentum: Lumentum is an established photonics and optical networking components supplier with growing exposure to AI infrastructure interconnects, positioning it as a broad incumbent peer to Nubis's optical engine focus.

Others

• Ciena Corporation: Ciena acquired Nubis in September 2025 for $270M and has since productized the technology into its Vesta optical engine family. As the acquirer and now operator of Nubis's technology, Ciena serves as the commercial channel rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nubis-communications

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nubis Communications