What PICadvanced does

PICadvanced, SA is a Portuguese photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design and engineering services company founded in 2014, headquartered in Ílhavo (Aveiro region), Portugal, with a US subsidiary (PICadvanced US LLC) in Orlando, Florida. The company targets the telecommunications market with NG-PON2 compliant 10 Gbps optical transceivers and components, alongside design, packaging, testing, and productization services delivered across multiple PIC material platforms — silicon photonics (SiPh), indium phosphide (InP), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and lithium niobate (LiNbO3). Primary customers are telecommunications service providers (including Altice Portugal) and network equipment manufacturers.

The company operates a vertically integrated full-stack model spanning optical and electronic design and layout, a proprietary die-level to transceiver-level packaging platform with advanced thermal management, test and characterization services since 2015, software/firmware/DSP design, and productization services that include AI-augmented automated production lines for telecom-grade certification. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of transceivers and optical components combined with professional and managed services (design, packaging, testing, software/firmware, production management); pricing is quote-based with no public rates disclosed. PICadvanced sells via direct enterprise B2B sales and through an online storefront at store.picadvanced.com, and is deeply embedded in EU-funded research consortia (EIC-PIC-FAST as lead, FLEX-SCALE, PROTEUS-6G, Microelectronics Agenda PRR, OptWire, Micro-FloTec), with strategic equity backing from Verizon Ventures (lead investor, 2020 round) and additional EIC non-dilutive funding.

Name

PICadvanced

Legal name

PICadvanced, SA

Website

https://picadvanced.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PICadvanced is a Portuguese photonic integrated circuit company designing NG-PON2 optical transceivers and providing full-stack PIC design, packaging, testing, and productization services across SiPh, InP, Si3N4, and LiNbO3 platforms for telecommunications service providers and network equipment manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photonic Integrated Circuits

NAICS

Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Receivers & Transceivers (Photodetectors/Optical Modules) (HDAHALAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs) (HDAHAAAH), Optoelectronic / Photonics Foundries (Silicon Photonics/LED/Laser) (HDAHACAG)

Keywords

• Photonic Integrated Circuits
• Optical Transceivers
• Photonic IC Packaging
• Telecom Optical Modules
• Photonic Chip Design

Headquarters

HQ city

Aveiro

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of photonic integrated transceivers and optical components for telecommunications networks, including NG-PON2 compliant products and future PON technologies.
2. Design & Engineering Services: Design and layout services for optics and electronics including simulation, prototyping, and production validation across multiple PIC platforms.
3. Test & Characterization Services: Full characterization testing at component, module, and transceiver level with quality, stress and aging tests for PIC solutions.
4. Packaging Services: Innovative packaging from die housing to transceiver level with proprietary thermal management solutions.
5. Software & Firmware Development: Customized software, firmware and DSP design services for telecommunications and optical network applications.
6. Production Management: Productization and production management services from prototypes to automated production lines with AI integration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

PICadvanced specializes in photonic integrated circuit (PIC) technology for telecommunications, providing end-to-end services spanning optics and electronics design and layout, packaging, test and characterization, software/firmware/DSP design, and productization and production management. The company develops and manufactures optical components including NG-PON2 transceivers, leveraging multiple photonic material platforms such as silicon photonics (SiPh), indium phosphide (InP), silicon nitride (Si3N4), and lithium niobate (LiNbO3).

Product overview

PICadvanced is a photonic integrated circuit company offering a full-stack innovation approach for the PON market, combining optics, electronics, and their integration. The product portfolio centers on NG-PON2 transceivers and optical components, supported by six core service pillars: Design & Layout (Optics and Electronics), Packaging, Test & Characterization, Software/Firmware/DSP Design, and Productization/Production Management. The company provides PIC solutions across multiple material platforms (SiPh, InP, Si3N4, LiNbO3) and serves the telecommunications market with products ranging from 10Gbps to 50Gbps technologies. A public store is available at store.picadvanced.com.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NG-PON2 Transceivers
• Optical Components
• Photonic IC Design and Layout Services
• PIC Packaging Services
• Test and Characterization Services
• Software, Firmware and DSP Design
• Productization and Production Management

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered major, moderate and minor.

• EIC-PIC-FAST ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024EIC-funded project (Grant 101145256) developing novel PIC-based optical transceiver platform for NG-PON2 with 10Gbps technology. PICadvanced is leader entity. Total cost 3,491,968.75€.
• PROTEUS-6G ConsortiummoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024EU-funded project (Grant 101139134) for 6G network fronthaul and midhaul technologies. Duration 2024-2026, total cost 4,182,601.25€.
• OptWire ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2023FCT-funded project (PTDC/EEI-TEL/2697/2021) on free-space optical communications using AI tools, led by Instituto de Telecomunicações Aveiro. Funding 249,998.58€.
• Micro-FloTec ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2023EU MSCA project (Grant 101082394) on microchannel-based thermal management, led by Sabancı University. EU funding 437,000€.
• FLEX-SCALE ConsortiummoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023EU-funded project (Grant 101096909) advancing optical x-haul network technologies for flexible capacity scaling with University of Patras as leader. Total cost 4,884,278.75€.
• Microelectronics Agenda (PRR) ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan project with ATEP - Amkor Technology Portugal as leader. PICadvanced eligible investment 4.16 million€ for PIC development and industrialization.
• Câmara do ComérciominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCâmara do Comércio e Indústria Portuguesa (CCIP) is a chamber of commerce partner supporting PICadvanced's business development in Portugal.
• EPICmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) partners with PICadvanced on photonic integrated circuit initiatives and industry collaboration.
• Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-InstitutmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with Fraunhofer HHI on photonic technologies and optical communications research and development.
• Instituto de TelecomunicaçõesmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT) Aveiro as leader entity on OptWire project for FSO communications research.
• INESCMNminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with INESCMN (Instituto Nacional de Engenharia, Sistemas e Computadores, Ciência e Microcomputadores) on research initiatives.
• AlticemoderateTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with Altice Portugal, a major telecommunications operator, for optical network solutions and technology integration.
• Broadband ForummoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBF membership contributing to development of broadband standards and specifications for optical networks.
• Inova RiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Inova Ria, a technology and innovation center in the Ria de Aveiro region, for regional innovation initiatives.
• TICE.PTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with TICE.PT, a Portuguese technology and innovation cluster, for collaborative projects.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Source Photonics: Manufacturer of optical transceivers and components for telecom access (FTTH/PON) and data center networks, including NG-PON2 products. Directly comparable to PICadvanced as a focused PON optical transceiver competitor serving carrier customers.
• Hisense Broadband: Major Chinese optical transceiver OEM producing a broad portfolio of PON modules including NG-PON2 products for global operators. Comparable as a scaled competitor in the same NG-PON2/Olt transceiver product category PICadvanced targets.
• POET Technologies: Publicly listed photonic integrated circuit platform company developing optical interconnects for data communications and telecom, using a hybrid wafer-level integration approach. Comparable in being a smaller PIC platform play selling into network and telecom use cases.
• DustPhotonics: Silicon photonics-based transceiver vendor targeting data center and telecom applications including PON-style access networks. Comparable as a small-scale PIC transceiver specialist pursuing similar tier-1 carrier design wins.
• EFFECT Photonics: Dutch fabless photonic integrated circuit company building optical system-on-chip components for next-generation optical networks including PON. Closely comparable to PICadvanced in size, technology stack, and target market (telecom operators seeking PIC-based transceivers for access networks).

Broad incumbents

• Intel (Silicon Photonics): Intel's Silicon Photonics division is one of the largest commercial silicon photonics transceiver operations worldwide, with significant R&D and foundry capability. Relevant as a deep-pocketed incumbent and the benchmark competitor in silicon-photonics-based optical modules.
• Lumentum: Large diversified photonics company offering lasers, components, and transceivers for telecom (including PON), 3D sensing, and industrial markets. Relevant as a broad incumbent whose product portfolio overlaps PICadvanced's NG-PON2 optical component and transceiver lines.
• Coherent (II-VI): Global materials, networking, and laser company with a substantial telecom optical components and transceivers business following the II-VI/Finisar merger. Relevant as a large incumbent competing in PON optical modules where PICadvanced is targeting.
• NeoPhotonics: Established designer and manufacturer of hybrid photonic integrated optoelectronic modules and subsystems for high-speed telecom networks (now part of Lumentum). Relevant as a direct competitor at the transceiver level and the type of scaled incumbent PICadvanced must displace in NG-PON2.

Emerging players

• Vescent Technologies: Smaller U.S. photonics company focused on integrated photonic and laser-based systems, with overlap in advanced packaging and photonic integration tooling. Comparable as a niche emerging photonics player exploring adjacent optical networking use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 PICadvanced