New EU Photonics Roadmap published

The Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), Light Driving the Future, argues that Europe must act quickly to strengthen investment, innovation and supply-chain resilience if it is to maintain leadership across technologies ranging from artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing to healthcare, communications, defence and quantum systems. The strategy calls for targeted investment, mission-driven innovation, and a coordinated European approach to securing long-term competitiveness in one of the world's most important enabling technologies.

Central to the new strategy is a series of Photonics “Grand Challenges” – mission-driven priorities designed to help Europe maintain leadership in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and other next-generation technologies, including energy‑efficient AI infrastructure, photonic chip manufacturing, secure optical communications, and scalable quantum networks.

The explosive growth of AI systems is driving strong demand for technologies in which photonics plays an increasingly important role, including fast data transfer, powerful processing chips and lower-energy computing infrastructure.

Although often invisible to the public, photonics has become a key enabling technology for modern economies. It underpins everything from AI datacentres and smartphone sensors to satellite communications, lasers, advanced healthcare imaging and emerging quantum technologies.

The SRIA can be downloaded here.


Contact Swissphotonics
Dr. Christian Bosshard
Managing Director Swissphotonics
+41 79 405 1826

10 June 2026, Christian Bosshard