What Optiwave does

Optiwave Systems Inc., founded in 1994 and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, is a privately-held software company specializing in photonics design automation. The company develops and licenses a suite of nine integrated simulation tools — OptiSystem (flagship optical system design with 600+ combinable components), OptiFDTD, OptiBPM, OptiFiber, OptiGrating, OptiMode, OptiOmega (GPU-accelerated 3D-FDTD solver with Python scripting), OptiSPICE (optoelectronic circuit simulation at the transistor level), and OptiInstrument (co-developed with EXFO for instrument control via SCPI commands) — used by engineers and researchers to plan, test, and simulate optical links, photonic integrated circuits, fibers, waveguides, and gratings before physical prototyping.

The software suite serves a vertical mix that includes fiber optic communications, sensing, pharmaceutical/biophotonics, defense and satellite communications, test and measurement, fundamental research, solar/photovoltaics, and photonic component design, with an additional academic channel offering affordable student licenses. Distribution combines direct sales (quote-based enterprise subscriptions and multi-year contracts) with self-serve 30-day free evaluations, European distribution through SPECTROPOL, and a wholly-owned Japanese subsidiary. The company also generates revenue from customized engineering services and training. Marketing centers on industry event presence (OFC, PIC Summit Europe, IEEE Photonics Conference, Optica congresses), webinars, technical content, and a developer-direct support model.

Optiwave reports 1,000+ licensed customers across 80+ countries and three decades of continuous operation without disclosed external funding, indicating a bootstrapped, founder/management-owned business. Recent product cadence (OptiMode in February 2024, OptiOmega 1.0 in November 2025, OptiOmega 2.0 in April 2026, and three OptiSystem releases from 2025 to 2026 adding ML-driven design, free-space optics, and advanced sensing capabilities) signals ongoing R&D reinvestment, while new partnerships with NRC Canada, uOttawa SUNLAB, and PIC Summit Europe indicate geographic and ecosystem expansion into integrated photonics and free-space optical communications.

Name

Optiwave

Legal name

Optiwave Systems Inc.

Website

https://optiwave.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Optiwave Systems is a privately-held Ottawa-based software company, founded in 1994, that develops a nine-product photonics design automation suite — including the flagship OptiSystem and GPU-accelerated OptiOmega — for telecom, defense, sensing, and academic photonics engineers across 80+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photonics Design Automation Software

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Semiconductors & Related Devices (3674)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom & Application-Specific ASIC Design Services (HDAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Photonics simulation software
• Optical system design
• Photonic design automation
• Optoelectronic circuit simulation
• Waveguide design tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Nepean

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses: Perpetual and subscription-based software licenses for Optiwave's photonics design suite. Pricing is quote-based, not publicly disclosed.
2. Student Licenses: Essential, affordable student-specific licensing options for academic users and researchers.
3. Upgrades and Updates: Regular software version upgrades (e.g., OptiSystem 23.1, 23.0, 22.1) with new features and capabilities.
4. Training and Support Services: Professional training services with customized curriculum for organizations, webinars, and direct developer support.
5. Customized Engineering Design Services: Customized engineering design services offering distinct competitive advantage to customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Optiwave develops and sells a comprehensive suite of nine photonics design automation software tools used to plan, test, and simulate optical links, photonic components, waveguides, fibers, gratings, and optoelectronic circuits. Its flagship product OptiSystem contains 600+ combinable components for simulating optical networks from SAN/LAN/MAN to ultra-long-haul. The suite addresses research and engineering needs across fiber optic communication, sensing, bio-photonics, military/satcom, and solar/photovoltaic applications.

Product overview

Optiwave offers a complete photonics design and simulation software suite comprising nine distinct products. OptiSystem serves as the flagship comprehensive optical system design platform with 600+ components for simulating optical links across SAN, LAN, MAN, and ultra-long-haul networks. OptiInstrument provides optical system measurement and testing capabilities with SCPI command support. OptiSPICE enables transistor-level optoelectronic circuit simulation. OptiFDTD delivers FDTD-based design and analysis for photonic components. OptiBPM handles complex optical waveguide design. OptiFiber specializes in optical fiber parameter analysis. OptiGrating focuses on optical grating simulation. OptiMode provides modal analysis for waveguide structures. OptiOmega offers photonic integrated circuit simulation with GPU-accelerated 3D-FDTD solvers and Python scripting capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OptiSystem Comprehensive software design suite that enables users to plan, test, and simulate optical links in the transmission layer of modern optical networks, with 600 different combinable components supporting networks from SAN, LAN, and MAN to ultra-long-haul applications. Used by telecom engineers and photonics researchers.
• OptiInstrument Versatile software for photonic and optoelectronics fields, enabling remote communication and control with various instruments using SCPI commands, with EXFO equipment integration. Targets researchers, scientists, photonic engineers, professors, and students working with optical instruments.
• OptiSPICE First circuit design software for analysis of integrated circuits including interactions of optical and electronic components at the transistor level, covering laser drivers, transimpedance amplifiers, optical interconnects, and electronic equalizers.
• OptiFDTD Powerful, highly integrated CAD environment based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm with second-order numerical accuracy and UPML boundary conditions for designing and simulating advanced passive and non-linear photonic components.
• OptiBPM Comprehensive CAD environment used for the design of complex optical waveguides, performing guiding, coupling, switching, splitting, multiplexing, and demultiplexing of optical signals in photonic devices.
• OptiFiber Optical fiber design software using numerical mode solvers and specialized fiber models for calculating dispersion, losses, birefringence, and PMD in optical communication systems.
• OptiGrating Design software for modeling integrated and fiber optic devices that incorporate optical gratings, emerged as a de facto standard for grating simulation.
• OptiMode Robust CAD platform for the design and modal analysis of waveguide structures with numerical mode solvers, providing modal analysis as a pivotal component of modelling optical structures.
• OptiOmega Collection of products specialized for photonic integrated circuit simulation, automating the design flow for generating compact models from device level simulations. Includes Vector Finite Difference (VFD) Mode Solver and Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) Electromagnetic Solvers accessible via Python scripting, with GPU-based 3D-FDTD solver capability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Shortened time to market for optical designs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• PIC Summit Europe 2025regionalGTM or Marketing Partner · 21 October 2025Optiwave is a proud partner of PIC Summit Europe 2025, participating as sponsor and exhibitor to build European partnerships and showcase photonics design automation solutions.
• National Research Council Canada (NRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2025Optiwave and NRC partnered to advance laser-powered optical wireless communications. The collaboration leverages simulation technology to enable next-generation free-space optical (FSO) communications. Successfully completed the FreeSpace program in collaboration with uOttawa SUNLAB.
• SPECTROPOLregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 November 2024SPECTROPOL is Optiwave's European distributor, representing the company at events like Electronica 2024 in Munich. They handle distribution and sales support for Optiwave products in European markets.
• EXFOcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOptiInstrument was developed by Optiwave in collaboration with EXFO. The partnership focuses on streamlining control and communication processes with photonic instruments. EXFO equipment (CTP10, OTDR, OSA, VOA) is integrated with OptiInstrument for automated optical measurements in lab and manufacturing environments.
• uOttawa SUNLABcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with University of Ottawa SUNLAB on the FreeSpace project for advancing optical wireless communications technology through simulation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lumerical (now part of Ansys): Lumerical's FDTD, varFDTD and MODE solvers compete head-on with OptiFDTD and OptiMode; following its acquisition by Ansys it is being bundled into a multiphysics platform aimed at the same photonics R&D customers.
• VPIphotonics: VPIphotonics' VPI TransmissionMaker and VPIcomponentMaker directly compete with OptiSystem for optical communication system simulation and with OptiBPM/OptiFiber for component-level design.
• Photon Design: UK-based Photon Design offers FimmWave, FimmProp and CrystalWave for waveguide, fiber and grating design, placing it in direct competition with OptiBPM, OptiFiber, OptiGrating and OptiMode.
• Crosslight Software: Crosslight's APSYS and PICS3D provide TCAD-level opto-electronic device simulation for lasers, LEDs and photodetectors, competing directly with OptiSPICE and OptiFDTD in transistor- and device-level design.

Broad incumbents

• Synopsys (OptSim / RSoft / PhoeniX Software): Synopsys's OptSim, RSoft (now Synopsys) and PhoeniX Software portfolios cover photonic circuit, waveguide and link-level simulation, overlapping with OptiSystem, OptiFDTD and OptiOmega as part of a much broader EDA stack.
• COMSOL: COMSOL's multiphysics platform with its Wave Optics module competes with OptiSystem, OptiFDTD and OptiBPM, particularly for customers seeking an integrated thermal-electrical-optical simulation environment.
• Cadence: Cadence is extending its Virtuoso and Spectre platforms into photonic IC co-design and opto-electronic simulation, making it an emerging broader-EDA threat to OptiOmega and OptiSPICE customers.
• Ansys: Ansys bundles Lumerical, Zemax and its multiphysics solvers into a broad simulation platform that competes with OptiSystem, OptiFDTD and OptiMode across the same photonics R&D and product-design buyer base.

Emerging players

• Luceda Photonics: Luceda's IPKISS and PDK-driven photonic IC design platform overlaps with OptiOmega and OptiBPM, particularly for foundries and fabless photonics teams standardizing on Python-driven PIC workflows.
• Tidy3D (Flexcompute): Tidy3D's cloud-native FDTD solver targets the same photonics-device simulation workload as OptiFDTD and OptiOmega, but with a SaaS/cloud delivery model attractive to customers who do not want to install desktop software.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/optiwave-systems

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Optiwave