Optical data connections are used mostly in long-haul communications and in large server farms. Due to their ability to transfer massive amounts of data at the fastest rate possible, these connections make up the backbone of communications infrastructure. Most of the interconnect technologies use electrical signals sent along copper wire to transfer data between the high-speed fiber optic connections and the users. Copper is also used inside computers as a core interconnect technology. However, copper has reached its peak performance and the only solution to transfer higher volumes of data using electrical signals is to have more connections. This limitation of copper poses a major threat to the future of microprocessor manufacturers.

PART 01: Executive summary

Highlights

PART 02: Scope of the report

Definition

Source year and forecast period

Market reportage

Market size computation

Segmentation

Geographical coverage

Vendor segmentation

Common currency conversion rates

Top-vendor offerings

PART 03: Market research methodology

Research methodology

Economic indicators

PART 04: Introduction

Key market highlights

Components to be used in silicon photonics

Macroeconomic factors leading to the requirement for

silicon photonics

PART 05: Market landscape

Market overview

Market size and forecast

Five forces analysis

PART 06: Market segmentation by application

Global silicon photonics market by application 2015

Global silicon photonics market by application 2020

Silicon photonics in the communication sector

Silicon photonics in the consumer electronics sector

Silicon photonics in other sectors

PART 07: Geographical segmentation

Global silicon photonics market by region 2015

Global silicon photonics market by region 2020

Global silicon photonics market in North America

Global silicon photonics market in Europe

Global silicon photonics market in APAC

PART 08: Market drivers

Need for higher network bandwidth

Reduction in transportation costs and scalability beyond

40G

Huge investments through public funding

Silicon photonics will improve energy efficiency

Use of hybrid silicon photonics

PART 09: Impact of drivers

PART 10: Market challenges

Lack of standards and guidelines

Silicon: a poor light detector

High heat generation by components

Availability of substitute technology

High cost of development

PART 11: Impact of drivers and challenges

PART 12: Market trends

Emergence of optical data centers

Photonics-electronics convergence system for inter-chip

interconnects

Silicon photonics as surface-mounted components

On-chip optical memory

PART 13: Vendor landscape

Competitive scenario

Vendors

PART 14: Appendix

List of abbreviations

PART 15: Explore Technavio