Vice President, Optical Interconnect Technology - Technology

Fujikura: agreement reached with US Conec to strengthen manufacturing and sales of PRIZM(R) TMT expanded beam ferrules and MMC connectors. Published on 03/11/2026 at 08:24 am EDT Fujikura Ltd. (Director, President and CEO: Naoki Okada) has reached an agreement with US Conec Ltd. (President & CEO: Joe Graham, hereinafter referred to as US Conec) to utilize its VSFF (Very Small Form Factor) manufacturing technology to strengthen manufacturing and sales of products that use [PRIZM(R) TMT ferrules, which incorporate expanded beam optics technology. In addition to Fujikura, Corning Incorporated and Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation have also individually signed similar agreements with US Conec, and each company will work to popularize and standardize this technology. [Background to interface unification] As generative AI becomes more widespread and widespread, data center are becoming larger in scale, and the multi-fiber optical connectors used are also being required to have higher densities. [PRIZM(R) TMT ferrules are next-generation expanded beam technology [*1] that uses the ultra-compact TMT ferrule standard developed by US Conec, and can be mounted on MMC connectors, a high-density optical wiring solution. This allows for excellent scalability and high density in large-scale AI data center, while providing stable, low-loss performance. As the construction of data center continues to progress rapidly around the world, it became necessary to standardize ultra-compact multi-fiber optical connectors to [PRIZM(R) TMT ferrules and strengthen our global supply chain foundation in order to contribute to the realization of a digital society. [strong point / feature of [PRIZM(R) TMT ferrules] The tip of the [PRIZM(R) TMT ferrule is equipped with a lens integrally molded from optically transparent resin, and is equipped with a micro-hole structure that enables high-precision alignment simply by inserting Optical Fiber. This not only enables low-loss expanded beam connection that is resistant to foreign matter, but also reduces mating force by approximately 70% compared to conventional ferrules, which connect the Optical Fiber end faces by physical contact. In addition, by ensuring high reliability and performance for high-density bulk insertion, it also contributes to a significant reduction in the amount of work required for cleaning and troubleshooting during installation. This structure makes the process of attaching Optical Fiber to optical connectors easier and also makes it possible application in high-density multi-core optical connectors. [PRIZM(R) TMT and MMC-based solutions will be exhibited at the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) to be held in Los Angeles, USA from March 17th to 19th, 2026, at Fujikura/AFL's booth 4907. We look forward to seeing you there. * [PRIZM(R) is a registered trademark of US Conec Ltd. *1 Next-generation expanded beam technology This technology uses lenses to magnify and parallelize optical signals before transmitting them, and has strong point / feature of being able to maintain stable performance even in harsh environments. About US Conec Ltd. Corning is a global leader in the design and development of high-density optical interconnects. With a history of developing innovative products spanning more than 30 years, Corning offers industry-leading components for data center and enterprise structured cabling, public networks, board-to-board interconnects, and industrial applications. Headquartered in Hickory, North Carolina, Corning is a joint venture between Corning Incorporated, Fujikura Ltd., and NTT Advanced Technology Corporation. For details Please visit https://www.usconec.com/. Attachments * Original document * Permalink Disclaimer Fujikura Ltd. published this content on March 11, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 11, 2026 at 12:23 UTC. (C) Publicnow - 2026

US Conec, Corning incorporated, Fujikura and Sumitomo Electric Lightwave announce multi-source framework for PRIZM(R) TMT expanded beam ferrules and associated MMC connectors. HICKORY, NC, March 11, 2026 - US Conec, Corning, Fujikura and Sumitomo Electric Lightwave announce separate agreements to broaden the MMC VSFF (Very Small Form Factor) platform to include expanded beam optics. The PRIZM(R) TMT ferrule delivers next-generation expanded beam technology in the prevalent TMT format, enabling use in the widely adopted MMC connectivity platform. Corning, Fujikura and Sumitomo Electric Lightwave are each enabled to produce the US Conec designed ferrule and associated MMC connector components and will provide PRIZM(R) TMT based cabling solutions. The agreements further expand on the rapidly growing high density optical connectivity supply chain infrastructure by addressing the scale, density, and operational demands of new, AI factory link architectures. Featuring precision micro holes for passive fiber to lens alignment, PRIZM(R) TMT achieves a low-loss expanded beam solution with debris insensitivity, reducing time spent cleaning and troubleshooting during installation. The expanded beam PRIZM(R) TMT ferrule reduces the mating force by 70% compared to physical contact ferrule technology enabling high-density mass insertion configurations without compromising performance. The PRIZM(R) TMT precision passive alignment structure enables scalable, automatable termination processes which leverage existing high-volume manufacturing infrastructure. The PRIZM(R) TMT ferrule is suitable for any existing or future high density connector embodiments designed for multi-fiber ferrules. PRIZM(R) TMT and MMC based solutions will be on display at OFC in Los Angeles from March 17-19, 2026, at Corning booth 1739; Fujikura/AFL booth 4907; Sumitomo Electric Lightwave booth 1658; US Conec booth 1938. About US Conec: US Conec is a global leader in the design and development of high-density optical interconnects. With over 30 years of innovative experience, the company provides industry leading components for data center and enterprise structured cabling, public networks, circuit board interconnect, and industrial and military markets worldwide. US Conec is headquartered in Hickory, North Carolina, and is an equity venture of three leading communications technology companies - Corning Optical Communications, Fujikura, and NTT-AT. For more information, please visit www.usconec.com. US Conec Press Contact: Youa Yang-Xiong Marketing Communications Manager +1 (828) 624-6417 [email protected] About Sumitomo Electric Lightwave, Corp. Sumitomo Electric Lightwave (SEL), a subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., is a leading provider of optical product families and solutions. SEL provides complete end-to-end network solutions for today's requirements and evolving demand in the Data Center space. SEL focuses on the Americas market, while drawing on the well-established global integrated support of Sumitomo Electric worldwide. For more information, visit https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/. About Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. (Sumitomo Electric) is a global corporate group founded in 1897, comprised of 421 subsidiaries and affiliates, and more than 280,000 employees in 40 countries worldwide. Sumitomo Electric produces a comprehensive array of solutions from optical fibers, cables, components, fusion splicers to electronic devices and automotive parts. Through effective research, diversification in innovation, and customer advocacy, Sumitomo Electric has become one of the world's leading companies in information and communication technology. For more information, visit https://sumitomoelectric.com/. Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Press Contact: Jacob Godwin Marketing and Communications Manager +1 (919) 541-8121 [email protected] ###

US Conec, Sanwa Technologies and Hakusan have announced agreements to expand supply of MMC Very Small Form Factor connectors and TMT ferrule components for high-density optical connectivity. Sanwa Technologies will add MMC multi-fibre connectors to its existing VSFF solutions, whilst Hakusan will manufacture TMT ferrules in 12 and 16 fibre variants. The partnerships aim to support growing demand from hyperscale data centres transitioning from traditional MPO cabling to higher-density MMC connector platforms. The technology is also being adopted in emerging networking and server cluster systems employing co-packaged and embedded optics. The companies will showcase MMC solutions at OFC in Los Angeles from 17-19 March 2026. US Conec is headquartered in North Carolina and is backed by Corning Optical Communications, Fujikura and NTT-AT.