OIDA Forum on Optics in Autonomy

27 June 2019 San Jose McEnery Convention Center, San Jose, California United States

While the ultimate activity is “matchmaking” the emphasis will be on the end-product vendors’ needs.  The workshop will focus on segments within the field that have particular promise today, and manufacturing issues related to these products.  Some key questions for discussion will be:

• What is needed from the photonics industry?  Which are the problems that optics and photonics can have the greatest impact on?
• What are the enabling technologies that have the most promise?
• What are the bottlenecks or “showstoppers” among photonics technologies today, and potential solutions?

Who should attend: 

• Business development and strategic marketing staff from industry, including large companies and start-ups
• Private and corporate investors
• Program managers and research directors from government funding and research agencies
• Directors from university centers and academic researchers

 

Program

Keynote: The View From an OEM—CEO of Guangzhou Automotive Company (GAC) R&D Center Silicon Valley

One of the largest automakers in China shares its views on ADAS/AD mass production, and usage of LIDAR and other optical sensors.  The major new platform technologies, AD, Big Data Analysis and Cybersecurity, in the connected and autonomous vehicle are introduced. Moreover, the main architecture in AD platform considering the safety and cost is described,  the use cases and necessary functionalities for sensors in Level 3 and Level 4 autonomy, and the requirements for cost & reliability are discussed. Combining industry experience across multiple disciplines is the key to winning in the next automotive revolution.

Introduction: Rob Murano, II-VI Incorporated

• Jin Shang, GAC, Guangzhou Automotive Corp

Panel 1:  Investment and Market Perspectives

Investments by corporations and the venture capital world will continue to feed an increasingly diverse set of applications for mobility, autonomy, and robotics. It is creating new systems and service opportunities, driving new opportunities for semiconductors, optics and AI software. Our speakers will share their perspectives on riding these waves.

Moderator: John Dexheimer, Lightwave Advisors, Inc.

• Alexei Andreev, Autotech Ventures
  • The perspective of a Physicist VC : The forefront of Driving Transportation technologies and business models.
• Anand Joshi, Tractica
  • ​Tracking the evolution of autonomous machines and applications—the roadmap and challenges and implications for the optical sector
• Yvonne Lutsch, Robert Bosch Venture Capital
  • The perspective of a corporate VC : Where’s the action and why we invest 

Panel 2: Optics and Imaging in Autonomy—Accelerating Breadth and Depth

As radar and IMUs before, optical components and systems are entering the mainstream of autonomy—from on-board optics to off-the-shelf automotive grade cameras, computational and AI engines, adaptive lighting, TOF building blocks, and LIDAR systems.  What does the future look like? 

Moderator: Rob Murano, II-VI Incorporated

• Carl Conti, Spatial Integrated Systems (SIS)
• Scott Davis, Analog Devices
• Alex Kormos, Veoneer
• Amit Mehta, North American Lighting

Panel 3:  The Vehicle as a Data Center: Next-Generation On-Board Computing & Communications

The vision for autonomous vehicles of all types is on a path to equip highly autonomous vehicles with hundreds of sensors in the future that generate massive and rich datasets. Our speakers will address what infrastructure is required to integrate all this data, and to make consistent and safe decisions within timeframes required in a given environment that is variable and often unpredictable. We will hear from leading edge players on: (1) the state-of-the-art on-board communications networking and integration of multi-sensors in the computing architectures to come, (2) latency issues and how and when solutions will enable the bandwidth needed; (3) the role of on-board vs. cloud, 5G wireless and V2X networks, and the implications for imaging and optical sensor players.   

Moderator: John Dexheimer, Lightwave Advisors, Inc.

• Amir Bar-Niv, Aquantia
  • ​Arming Auto with High Bandwidth Ethernet- the State-of-the-Art and the Roadmap to Level 4 and 5
• Byron Hill, TE Connectivity
  • The Connected Car– Architectures and Needs for in-vehicle systems, car-to-car and car-to-infrastructure

Panel 4: Driving down costs: The Manufacturability Challenges for the Optical Supply Chain 

With so many potential applications and technologies in the market, the question remains how to drive down manufacturing costs in volume production.  What are the manufacturing challenges for systems and components vendors?  What’s the tool kit for cost reduction and scaling volume and meeting reliability needs?  What are the limits, and what is good enough?  How do you trust a partner?

Moderator: Anna Tatarczak, Finisar Corporation

• Andrew Rickman, Rockley Photonics
• Arlon Martin, Samtec
• Sean Mitchell, Fabrinet

Panel 5:  The Evolution of LIDAR in Transportation: Opportunities for Non-Auto Applications and Deployment Progress in Auto

Auto is a massive market for LIDAR, as investment and firms continue to pursue a multi-billion dollar market. Yet other applications are also opportunities for large and near term pursuit.  How are some of the leaders allocating resources? Will leaders broaden offerings to have an array of solutions—different wavelengths, powers, form factors, lifetimes and channel strategies? What do they need for the supply chain to execute on their upstream customers targets?

Moderator: Sabbir Rangwala, Patience Consulting, LLC

• Akram Benmbarek, Aeye
• Paul Banks, TetraVue
• Malcom Minty, Gener8
• Angus Pacala, Ouster, Inc.

Networking Reception

Please join your speakers and fellow attendees for food and drinks after the OIDA Forum.