Registration has opened for SPIE Photonics West 2025, the world’s largest annual event in optics and photonics, set to take place from 25 to 30 January at the Moscone Centre in San Francisco. The conference will bring together thousands of researchers, innovators, and business leaders from across the globe for a week of collaboration and exploration of the latest breakthroughs in the industry.
This year’s event will feature over 4,500 technical presentations across more than 100 specialised conferences, covering a diverse range of topics. Alongside this, four major exhibitions will showcase cutting-edge products and solutions from more than 1,200 companies in fields such as biophotonics, lasers, quantum technologies, and optoelectronics.
Four key areas will be highlighted during the week:
- BiOS: Focusing on biomedical optics and imaging technologies used in diagnostics and therapeutics.
- LASE: Exploring innovations in the laser industry and its wide-ranging applications.
- OPTO: Covering optoelectronics, photonic materials, and optical devices.
- Quantum West: Featuring emerging quantum technologies, including quantum sensing, computing, and biology.
SPIE Photonics West’s four exhibitions will run at various points throughout the week. The BiOS Expo, focusing on healthcare and biomedical innovations, will take place on 25 and 26 January. Other highlights include the AR | VR | MR Expo on 28 and 29 January, featuring the latest in augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies, and the Quantum West Expo, showcasing quantum-enabled technologies on the same dates. The flagship Photonics West Exhibition, running from 28 to 30 January, will present the latest laser technologies and optical devices. All exhibitions are free to attend with registration.
Keynote Speakers and Events
A number of high-profile speakers are set to deliver keynote presentations, including two Nobel Prize winners: Moungi Bawendi from MIT and Eric Cornell from the University of Colorado Boulder. Additional plenary speakers include Daniel Elson of Imperial College London, Kate Grieve from the Institut de la Vision in France, and several other leading figures in the field of photonics.
Complementing the technical presentations, SPIE will host the Quantum West Business Summit, which will explore the progress of quantum technologies in reaching the commercial market. Attendees can also look forward to the Prism Awards, recognising the best innovations in the industry, and the SPIE Startup Challenge, where emerging companies showcase their new ventures.
“We are excited to welcome both returning and new companies to our exhibitions this year,” said Bonnie Peterson, SPIE Global Exhibition Services Director. “Photonics West always brings out the best in innovation and ingenuity, and 2025 promises to be no different.”
Special Events
Several special programmes will also take place during the week. The Women in Optics event on 26 January will celebrate 20 years of the SPIE Women in Optics planner and notebook. Panels will feature women from leading institutions like ETH Zurich, Johns Hopkins University, and ZEISS Group. Additionally, the SPIE Global Business Forum on 27 January will focus on trends in the international optics and photonics market, with speakers from major companies such as ASML and Thorlabs.
Photonics West 2025 is expected to be a hub of innovation, bringing the global photonics community together for another year of collaboration and groundbreaking research. For more information and to register, please visit https://spie.org/pw.