Málaga hosts the European ECOC 2026 conference on photonics from September 20 to 24
The Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) brings together more than 6,500 scientists and professionals from the optical communications sector at the 52nd edition of the European Conference on Optical Communication.
Redacción · Published on September 18, 2026
The Palacio de Ferias y Congresos de Málaga (FYCMA) is holding, from Sunday, September 20 to Thursday, September 24, 2026, the 52nd edition of the European Conference on Optical Communication (ECOC), a congress focused on optical communications and photonics, according to the note issued by FYCMA.
The event is organized by professor Iñigo Molina Fernández, from the Photonics & RF Research Lab of the Universidad de Málaga, and by professor José Capmany Francoy, from the Photonics Research Labs of the Universitat Politècnica de València. According to the organizers, it will be inaugurated by the mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, and by the general director of Andalucía TRADE, Antonio Castro.
ECOC 2026 is divided into two parts. On one hand, the scientific conference, with more than 2,300 delegates and the presentation of more than 550 selected research papers. On the other hand, a commercial exhibition of 16,000 square meters in which more than 350 companies and institutions from 30 countries take part.
Among the plenary talks are those of Peter Winzer, vice president of Systems Architecture at Ciena, who will present «AI Cluster Communications» on co-packaged optics and connectivity for interconnecting processors in artificial intelligence clusters; and that of Patrick Vandenameele, CEO of IMEC, who will give the talk «Integrated photonics at the heart of a scalable AI revolution» on silicon-scale photonic integration.
According to the note, representatives of Huawei and Psiquantum also lead the plenary talks, in a program focused on photonic chips for artificial intelligence clusters and on quantum computing.
The organization estimates that the congress will bring together more than 6,500 people, including scientists, company executives and managers, and it estimates an economic impact of over five million euros in sectors such as hospitality, transport and accommodation in the city.
FYCMA links the holding of the congress to other recent technological projects in Málaga, such as the arrival of an IMEC center, the Cátedra PERTE-Chip and the Global Photonics Economic Forum.
Those who wish for more information about the scientific program or sponsorships can visit the official congress website, www.ecoc2026.org.
The event is organized by professor Iñigo Molina Fernández, from the Photonics & RF Research Lab of the Universidad de Málaga, and by professor José Capmany Francoy, from the Photonics Research Labs of the Universitat Politècnica de València. According to the organizers, it will be inaugurated by the mayor of Málaga, Francisco de la Torre, and by the general director of Andalucía TRADE, Antonio Castro.
ECOC 2026 is divided into two parts. On one hand, the scientific conference, with more than 2,300 delegates and the presentation of more than 550 selected research papers. On the other hand, a commercial exhibition of 16,000 square meters in which more than 350 companies and institutions from 30 countries take part.
Among the plenary talks are those of Peter Winzer, vice president of Systems Architecture at Ciena, who will present «AI Cluster Communications» on co-packaged optics and connectivity for interconnecting processors in artificial intelligence clusters; and that of Patrick Vandenameele, CEO of IMEC, who will give the talk «Integrated photonics at the heart of a scalable AI revolution» on silicon-scale photonic integration.
According to the note, representatives of Huawei and Psiquantum also lead the plenary talks, in a program focused on photonic chips for artificial intelligence clusters and on quantum computing.
The organization estimates that the congress will bring together more than 6,500 people, including scientists, company executives and managers, and it estimates an economic impact of over five million euros in sectors such as hospitality, transport and accommodation in the city.
FYCMA links the holding of the congress to other recent technological projects in Málaga, such as the arrival of an IMEC center, the Cátedra PERTE-Chip and the Global Photonics Economic Forum.
Those who wish for more information about the scientific program or sponsorships can visit the official congress website, www.ecoc2026.org.
