North America Equity Research 17 March 2026 J P M O R G A N Hardware & Networking OFC Insights: Executive Forum Takeaways The first day of the Optical Fiber Communication (OFC) Conference opened with the Executive Forum, featuring a plethora of industry leaders, including CEOs, CTOs, and senior engineers from the likes of large hyperscalers and model builders (e.g., Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI) as well as infrastructure and component providers (e.g., Arista, Broadcom, Ciena, Coherent, Lumentum, Marvell, ...

Summary of the Conference Call Notes Industry Overview - The focus of the 2025 Open Compute Project (OCP) will be on the US Communications Equipment industry, particularly in areas such as intra networking, photonics, and AI clusters [1] Key Points 1. **Conference Details**: The OCP will take place in San Jose from October 13th to 16th, 2025, emphasizing the need for open scale-up and scale-out architecture, particularly with Ethernet and UALink technologies [1] 2. **Optical Innovations**: There will be discussions on optical innovations that support the growth of AI clusters and how optical technologies can help manage the increasing power consumption in AI data centers [1] 3. **Sustainability Focus**: The conference will address the development of sustainable and power-efficient zettascale AI clusters, indicating a trend towards environmentally conscious technology solutions [1] 4. **Investment Opportunities**: The event is expected to act as a catalyst for companies involved in intra and inter-server networking, suggesting potential investment opportunities in this sector [1] 5. **Citi's Participation**: Citi will host an investor booth tour featuring companies like Astera Labs, Credo, and Advanced Energy, along with a client dinner with Dell'Oro's data center and switching experts [1] Additional Important Information - The conference is anticipated to provide insights into the challenges and advancements in the communications equipment sector, particularly in relation to AI and networking technologies [1] - Investors are encouraged to engage with the companies and presenters during the event to gain deeper insights into the market dynamics and potential investment strategies [1]