Dominic Sulway
Chief Technology Officer
Light Trace Photonics
Dominic Sulway is a co-founder and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Light Trace Photonics, where he leads the technical development of UPIc, a high-performance, micro-optics free, universal fiber-to-chip connector for CPO and quantum applications. He earned his PhD from the University of Bristol’s Quantum Engineering Centre for Doctoral Training, focusing on ultra-high performance integrated photonic component designs operating in the mid-infrared on silicon. Dominic has been recognized in the Electro-Optics Photonics 100 and is actively discussing the importance of high-performance optical interconnect for quantum applications.
Presentations
Scaling Co-packaged Optics Requires a Fundamental Rethink of Fibre-to-chip Interconnects
Today’s leading CPO interconnect approaches rely on complex micro-optics and precision assembly, creating performance ceilings, manufacturing bottlenecks, and fragile supply chains that fundamentally limit scale. As AI systems push toward ever-higher bandwidth density, insertion loss and packagability at the fibre–chip interface are becoming the dominant constraints. In this talk, we present our latest results on UPIc (Universal Photonic InterConnect) — a passive, detachable fibre-to-chip interconnect based solely on standard fibre and standard PIC processing. UPIc achieves ultra-low insertion loss (~450 mdB) with large alignment tolerance (>60 µm) and supports repeated plug-and-unplug operation, enabling scalable, high-yield manufacturing flows for co-packaged optics. We will discuss recent performance results, manufacturability considerations, and why our solution is essential for scaling CPO to high-volume deployment.
Panel Sessions
Novel Startups in Photonic Integrated Circuits — From Concept to Deployment
Moderated by Jon Pugh, Director of PIC and Quantum Technologies at OPTICA. This panel brings together a new generation of innovative PIC startups pushing beyond traditional transceivers and into emerging applications across AI infrastructure, lighting, sensing, quantum technologies, and advanced communications. Founders and technical leaders will share how they are translating breakthrough photonic architectures, materials, and integration approaches into manufacturable, deployable products. The discussion will explore what differentiates these startups from incumbent solutions, where PICs are genuinely adding value today, and what barriers still exist around packaging, yield, reliability, and ecosystem readiness.