POET reorganizes engineering team, plans closing of Allentown, PA operation

POET Technologies announced a reorganization of its engineering team to streamline design, component engineering and New Product Introduction activities globally, in response to active customer demand for 800G and higher products directed at the AI systems and hyperscale data center markets. While the major AI network and systems companies are located in North America and China, almost all module makers, including the Company’s current customers for optical engines, are located in China, Taiwan and other Asia Pacific countries. To better serve these and other customers, POET has established a Global Engineering Organization based in Singapore, which will be led by Dr. Mo Jinyu, Senior Vice President, with the New Product Introduction and component engineering teams reporting to her. NPI is responsible for taking optical engine and module products from prototype design to initial manufacturing, coordinating with the product design and production teams along the way. All of these functions benefit from tight integration and geographic proximity. Critical product design and architecture, key customer relationships, global marketing & sales, and intellectual property management all continue to remain centered in Silicon Valley California, while the Company’s finance, investor relations and other administrative functions are managed from its headquarters in Toronto, Ontario. As a result of this reorganization, the functions of engineering design and manufacturing interface, previously managed by POET’s Allentown, PA organization will be transferred to POET’s Shenzhen operation, with other functions being transferred to Singapore. Compared to its annualized spend at the beginning of the year, the annual savings realized from the closing of Allentown on or before March 31, 2025, will be between $1.8 million and $2 million annually, with one-time costs estimated at approximately $250 thousand.