ClassOne Technology Secures Record Solstice® S8 Orders from Applied Optoelectronics, Highlighting Rapid Scale-up of Photonics for AI Datacenters

KALISPELL, Mont., June 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ClassOne Technology, a leading global provider of advanced electroplating and wet processing tools for microelectronics manufacturing, today announced record follow-on orders from Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI) for multiple Solstice^® S8 advanced single-wafer wet processing systems to support the company’s expanding production of optical devices in Houston.

Marking the largest customer order in ClassOne’s history, these orders reflect a pivotal inflection point in the semiconductor industry: the rapid transition from electrical to optical interconnects within artificial intelligence (AI)-driven datacenter architectures. Industry analysts such as Yole Group project that photonics will become a foundational technology in AI datacenters over the next decade, with silicon photonics markets growing at approximately 30% CAGR through 2030, while AI-driven optical interconnect infrastructure expands at more than 20% CAGR as hyperscalers transition from pluggable optics to co-packaged architectures.

“The continued growth of AI datacenter infrastructure is placing new demands on both scale and process consistency in optical device manufacturing,” said Stephen Hu, Deputy Director of Wafer and Chip Production at AOI. “These additional Solstice systems will support our expansion in Texas, and having ClassOne’s world-class wafer processing technologies in house will help us speed our production ramp.”

This order further strengthens ClassOne’s move into high-volume manufacturing (HVM) to meet accelerating global demand for high-speed optical interconnect devices driven by AI infrastructure buildout. With the addition of these systems, AOI is expanding both capacity and process capability, including its transition to 6-inch InP wafer production.

“This milestone order is not only a validation of the performance and scalability of our Solstice platform, but also a clear signal of where the industry is heading,” said Byron Exarcos, CEO of ClassOne Technology. “We are in the early stages of a major architectural shift in AI datacenters toward optical interconnects. From transceivers today to co-packaged optics tomorrow, photonics will play a central role in enabling the next decade of AI growth.”

ClassOne has established an early leadership position in this transition, with Solstice systems deployed at leading photonics manufacturers such as AOI. This latest order builds on AOI’s adoption of the Solstice S8 platform last year, while ClassOne continues to expand its footprint among leading photonics manufacturers, with Solstice systems now deployed across the world’s top five photonics device makers to support their transition to volume 6-inch InP production. With its differentiated approach to precision single-wafer wet processing, ClassOne is ideally positioned to support both current production needs and future technology transitions.

About ClassOne Technology
ClassOne Technology is a leading provider of advanced electroplating and wet processing systems for semiconductor and microelectronic device manufacturing around the world. Its advanced IP portfolio comprises highly customized, cost-effective processing solutions for critical wafer processes used to manufacture devices for photonics, power, 5G, microLED, and MEMS and sensor markets. With tools installed in leading fabs and research organizations worldwide, ClassOne’s flagship Solstice^® platform is highly configurable, comprising fully automated wet processing applications with the industry’s most competitive ROI. For more information, visit classone.com. Stay in touch on LinkedIn and X.

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Solstice is a registered trademark of ClassOne Technology.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6f1b5ad5-f298-44e3-8778-3b7809f16e23