Photonics West 2026, to be held at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, will return for its 31st year, kicking off Jan. 17 and wrapping up Jan. 22. The event will feature 4000 technical presentations, and organizers expect more than 1500 exhibiting companies from around the world. Visitors will be able to explore the long-standing BiOS Expo and Photonics West Exhibition, as well as the Quantum West Expo, which was introduced in 2024. Photonics West 2026 will offer more than 100 technical conferences across various symposia, including BiOS, LASE, OPTO, and Quantum West. Program highlights include the annual BiOS “Hot Topics” plenary, which will feature a session on chemical imaging by Meng Wang of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. McGill University’s Odile Liboiron-Ladouceur will headline the OPTO symposium with a presentation on integrating photonics and AI for next-generation computing. Additional plenaries and keynotes will explore technologies in imaging, sensing, materials, and more. The LASE symposium plenaries and Hot Topics sessions will feature Michelle Sander from Boston University and Scott Diddams from the University of Colorado Boulder. Sander will discuss recent advancements in all-fiber lasers and their applications in two-photon microscopy. Diddams will focus on the uses of optical frequency combs and explore work with quantum-enhanced frequency combs. Quantum West will showcase six tracks: Quantum Information Systems; Quantum Communications; Quantum Computing and Simulation; Quantum Sensing, Imaging, and Precision Metrology; Quantum Biology; and Enabling Materials, Devices, and Techniques. Additionally, the Quantum West Business Summit will feature panelists and speakers including Frank Koppens of the Institute of Photonic Sciences, who will discuss 2D and quantum materials for topological and quantum nanophotonics. Koppens will be joined by UCLA’s Prineha Narang, who will discuss digital twins in scalable manufacturing of quantum devices, and Andrew White of the University of Queensland, who will discuss quantum science via better quantum technology. Photonics West 2026 will be held Jan. 17 to 22 in San Francisco. The 2026 showcase marks the annual event’s 31st year. Courtesy of SPIE. Following the BiOS Expo, which runs Jan. 17 to 18, the Photonics West Exhibition begins Jan. 20 and runs through Jan. 22. The expo will offer product demonstrations and new product releases, with industry events scheduled for all three exhibition days. Photonics West company announcements are available to view before and after the show at www.spie.org. The 19th annual Prism Awards ceremony will be held Jan. 21 during a gala to honor the best new optics and photonics products on the market. The Catalyst Award, to be presented for the third time in 2026, recognizes for-profit companies with socially or environmentally focused programs that have had significant positive effects within their workplace, on society, or on the environment. The annual SPIE Startup Challenge, in which participating companies vie for sponsored prizes and the attention of potential investors, will also return in 2026. Companies will compete and present their business and financial cases to a panel of industry judges that includes venture capitalists and business development experts. For more information and to register to attend Photonics West 2026, visit www.spie.org/photonics-west.