SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics, will host its inaugural Photonics Industry Summit September 21 in Washington, D.C. The event is aimed toward companies manufacturing optics and photonics products as well as executives in related industries. U.S. government agency and Congressional speakers will discuss plans for optics and photonics-related programs in key technology areas — including AI, quantum, hypersonics, energy, and semiconductors — as well as ways in which the industry can align to support and benefit from these efforts. Featured speakers include the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s principal deputy director for policy, Kei Koizumi; Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s acting director for technology, Jennifer Gerbi; the U.S. Department of Defense’s deputy chief technology officer for critical technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Maynard Holliday; and under secretary of commerce for standards and technology and director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Laurie Locascio. The event will also include a panel discussion with industry leaders regarding the current challenges faced within the optics and photonics field and ways the U.S. government can assist in mitigating these issues. More speaker announcements will be made between now and September, SPIE said. Information and registration are available at www.SPIE.org.