What if the hottest AI trade isn’t the GPUs grabbing all the headlines, but the high-speed pipes that actually let those chips talk to each other? Although Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA | NVDA Price Prediction) still garners attention because of the booming demand for its Blackwell and upcoming Vera Rubin chips, AI training clusters have scaled so fast that copper cables hit their limits at rack-to-rack distances and 800-gigabit speeds.
Optics solve the bandwidth bottleneck with lower power, longer reach, and the ability to handle 1.6-terabit flows. Industry forecasts show 800G-plus transceiver shipments claiming over 60% of the market in 2026, while the broader optical interconnect space in AI data centers could expand from roughly $3.75 billion in 2025 toward $18 billion by 2033.
Nvidia itself just put $4 billion behind this shift — $2 billion each into two key suppliers — signaling the plumbing now matters as much as the engines. Plenty of stocks touch the optical boom: component makers, module assemblers, even test equipment. Yet three names stand out for investors today: Lumentum Holdings (NASDAQ:LITE), Coherent (NYSE:COHR), and Fabrinet (NYSE:FN). They deliver the lasers, transceivers, and manufacturing muscle that are driving AI’s next leg higher.
Lumentum Holdings (LITE)
Lumentum specializes in the electro-absorption modulated lasers (EMLs) and pump lasers inside 800G and 1.6T pluggable transceivers. These tiny chips turn electrical signals into light that travels across data center racks without the heat or distance penalties copper faces. In its fiscal second-quarter 2026 results, the company reported net revenue of $665.5 million, a 65% jump from $402.2 million a year earlier. Non-GAAP operating margin expanded 1,700 basis points to 25.2%. CEO Michael Hurlston highlighted strength in EML chips, 800G modules, and narrow-linewidth lasers for AI interconnects, with guidance calling for over 85% year-over-year revenue growth in the current quarter.
Last month, Nvidia announced a $2 billion investment in Lumentum plus multibillion-dollar purchase commitments to expand U.S. manufacturing and R&D. An optical circuit switch backlog now tops $400 million, opening another growth lane. Compared with slower-growing peers in the photonics space, Lumentum’s 65% revenue clip shows it captures the high-margin laser share others chase. Shares trade at a premium, granted, yet the sold-out capacity through 2027 and direct hyperscaler pull make the valuation feel earned for patient investors.
Coherent (COHR)
Coherent builds the full transceiver modules that plug into switches and servers, spanning 800G to 1.6T speeds across EML and silicon-photonics platforms. Its vertically integrated indium phosphide lasers give it cost and performance edges as volumes explode. Last quarter, Coherent posted revenue of $1.69 billion, up 17% year-over-year, but its data center and communications segment rose 33.6% to $1.2 billion. Non-GAAP operating margin reached 19.9% (up 147 basis points), while non-GAAP EPS climbed 35% to $1.29. Book-to-bill in data center optics exceeded 4-to-1, with most of calendar 2026 already booked and 2027 filling fast.
On the same day as the Lumentum announcement, Nvidia delivered Coherent another $2 billion investment, plus multi-year supply agreements and capacity rights focused on next-generation optics for AI clusters. Management expects double-digit sequential data center revenue growth through June, with 1.6T modules carrying higher gross margins than 800G. Where smaller rivals wrestle with scale, Coherent’s industrial footprint and hyperscaler long-term forecasts give it the clearest visibility in the group. Yes, industrial markets remain soft, but the AI optics tailwind more than offsets that drag.
Fabrinet (FN)
Fabrinet doesn’t design the lasers or transceivers; it builds them at scale for the OEMs and hyperscalers driving the boom. Its Thailand facilities handle the precision optical packaging that turns Lumentum and Coherent components into shippable 800G and 1.6T modules. Fiscal Q2 results showed record revenue of $1.133 billion, up 36% from $833.6 million the prior year. Optical communications revenue alone hit $833 million, rising 29% year-over-year, with the telecom/data center interconnect piece surging 59% to $554 million. Non-GAAP EPS reached a record $3.36.
Optical communications still make up the majority of sales, and Fabrinet’s book reflects the full ecosystem ramp: as transceiver shipments climb, its assembly lines run fuller. Forward P/E sits around 33.55 — lower than many pure-play designers while delivering comparable growth. Customer concentration remains lower than what designers face, and margins held steady at 10.9% non-GAAP operating even amid foreign-exchange noise. In short, Fabrinet offers leveraged, lower-volatility exposure to the same optical supercycle without the R&D risk.
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