Shaping the Immediate Future of Photonics | Malaga, Spain | October 7&8, 2025

A Strategic Platform for Industry Leaders

The Second Edition of the Global Photonics Economic Forum will convene October 7 and 8 in Malaga, Spain. Building on the success of the 2024 inaugural event, this year the forum will focus on defining and sharing joint strategies to tackle the current volatile geopolitical landscape.

Global photonics and semiconductor industries are facing unprecedented disruption. Rising trade barriers, escalating global tensions, and shifting industrial policies, such as the CHIPS Act and Europe’s strategic autonomy push, are fragmenting supply chains and inflating the cost of doing business. Export controls, investment restrictions, and localization mandates are no longer isolated events. For companies navigating this environment, resilience can no longer be built in isolation. Strategic alliances and cross-border collaboration are now essential to maintain access to critical markets, secure supply chains, and influence future standards.

There is no other forum exclusively dedicated to shaping the global economic future of optics and photonics technologies. It’s not just about the message, it’s about who delivers it. The GPEF brings you direct insights from billion-dollar CEOs and senior executives who are navigating these very challenges. Their collective experience, strategic vision, and real-world solutions will shape the conversations and collaborations that will define the future of our industry.

What’s Driving the 2025 Agenda? 

Photonics is at the center of several high-stakes global transitions, from AI compute demand and sustainable manufacturing to defense readiness and semiconductor sovereignty.

Global Photonics Economic Forum 2025 – Focus Areas

1. Navigating Geopolitical Trade Dynamics and Supply Chain Resilience
   • Understanding how global trade policies, strategic alliances, and regional initiatives (e.g., CHIPS Act, European Strategic Autonomy) impact photonics and semiconductor industries.
   • Exploring opportunities for Europe, Japan, Singapore, and other regions to strengthen global collaborations.
2. Scaling Photonics Innovations and Industrial Leadership
   • Sharing strategies for turning R&D breakthroughs into scalable, commercially viable technologies.
   • Insights from CEOs of billion-dollar corporations on market trends, industrial policies, and innovation roadmaps in photonics and semiconductors.
3. Strategic Investment, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Impact
   • Discussing venture capital perspectives, funding models, and pathways for start-ups and scale-ups.
   • Highlighting the economic impact of photonics in AI, Quantum, and Data-driven technologies over the next 25 years.
4. Defense, Security, and Critical Technologies for Global Stability
   • Examining the role of photonics in defense, security, and strategic industries.
   • Bridging innovation in photonics with global security needs and industrial resilience.

 

Be in Malaga. Shape What Comes Next.

This isn’t just a conference, it’s a boardroom-level briefing on the future of photonics.

Register | View Agenda Highlights | Watch 2024 Recap Videos

 

Sponsored by

 

                      Platinum Sponsor 

         

                            

       

                      Gold Sponsor

 

                   

 

 

 

 

Farewell Reception at Málaga Historic Centre hosted by University of Málaga