The following is excerpted from the question-and-answer section of the transcript.
(Questions from industry analysts are provided in full, but answers are omitted - download the transcript to see the full question-and-answer session)
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: <_ALACRA_META_ABSTRACT>Lumentum has undergone a number of changes, over the past few years. How does the company look at the market opportunity
and ways in which it can participate in the multiple avenues of growth, after Cloud Light, NeoPhotonics, and the AI explosion?
Chris Coldren - Lumentum Holdings Inc - Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy and Corporate Development Officer
Well, thanks, Meta, and thanks for everybody attending. It's been a great conference, so far. A lot of people eager and interested in
talking about what's going on.
In terms of what we've tried to do at Lumentum over the last, frankly, 10-plus years -- is really make sure that we have foundational
photonic technologies that are well aligned with where we think the overall world is going, over the long run. And so, that started
with Internet infrastructure, as well as some industrial and consumer applications.
And, now, as you've highlighted, the AI explosion is driving tremendous demand for the kinds of technologies that we provide and,
in particular, many of our products. So as we look ahead, I think what's really exciting is that what we're seeing, now, is really only
the tip of the iceberg because there are multiple industry technology transitions ahead, particularly in the cloud and data center
space, where photonics and our type of photonics will be used much more so.
REFINITIV STREETEVENTS | www.refinitiv.com | Contact Us
consent of Refinitiv. 'Refinitiv' and the Refinitiv logo are registered trademarks of Refinitiv and its affiliated companies.
MARCH 04, 2025 / 6:45PM, LITE.OQ - Lumentum Holdings Inc at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media &
Telecom Conference
For example, in the coming year, our indium phosphide lasers that we make -- market leader in those. They played only in a certain
set of the data center applications. Now, they're going to play in a much larger set in the 1.6T generation, as you build out all these
data centers and put in massive amount of equipment inside of them. There's a lot of infrastructure that needs to go in, connecting
the data centers together.
That's driving the outlook in the next end years of our telecom product business.
Eventually, photonic is going to replace copper and copper interconnects in data centers. The volume of opportunities there are, in
order of magnitude, larger than the things that we're doing, today. So all of these things provide significant growth opportunities
for our technologies, not only in the next year but in the years to come.
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: All right. Got it. And we've talked about some of these opportunities ahead of you. You're ramping Cloud Light, you're ramping EMLs,
you're ramping VRs, you're vertically integrating Cloud Light, in addition to just ramping the traditional industrial lasers business.
Just how are you, as Chief Strategy Officer, figuring out what to focus on?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Okay. And so, maybe, starting with EMLs, you noted on the fiscal Q2 call that despite these additions to capacity you're going to
have throughout the year, you expected it to be in a state of capacity constraint through the end of calendar year 2025.
How has the customer base expanded, here, over the past year? And just how much visibility do you have into that demand, as you
invest in expanding capacity?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Okay. Would you expect EML pricing to remain attractive throughout it being capacity-constrained? Or are you seeing normal
contracts being put into place where: Yes, we'd like you to continue to invest in capacity but we'd like to enter into these multi-year
contracts?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Okay. Got it. Maybe, turning to that transceiver business on Cloud Light. You've had one late customer when you acquired the
company but you've added two additional customers, who are ramping.
Just what are the ramp path for these three customers? And what's the line of sight to qualifying additional customers?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. Given geopolitical concerns, it would be natural for customers to try to line up multiple sources. Just how do you assure that
qualifications turn into meaningful volumes that justify your investment?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: In those cases, are they minimums or are they, like, true volumes? (multiple speakers)
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. Today, the transceivers you sell are not vertically integrated from Cloud Light. Just when do you think or what is that timeline
for when the transceivers could have more Lumentum content?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: You spoke about supply chain limitations around areas like CW lasers, on the fiscal Q2 call, how does that impair your ability to gain
share, currently?
REFINITIV STREETEVENTS | www.refinitiv.com | Contact Us
consent of Refinitiv. 'Refinitiv' and the Refinitiv logo are registered trademarks of Refinitiv and its affiliated companies.
MARCH 04, 2025 / 6:45PM, LITE.OQ - Lumentum Holdings Inc at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media &
Telecom Conference
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: And when do you think that CW laser constraint should clear? Is it similar timing as EMLs, where, maybe, we are constrained for most
of the year?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Okay. All right. We've got 16 minutes in, before we mention CPO. So just how do you think about CPO, as a threat versus an opportunity
for Lumentum?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: In terms of content that you would put into a CPO system, should we think of it as higher-dollar EMLs but you have the loss of
potential transceiver revenue? Just, like, how do you, guys, think about that -- what your content was before versus what your content
becomes?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. You talked about that incremental opportunity -- more in scale scale-up networks, because of replacing copper. Can you just
give us a sense of both, in this industry, a long time -- talking about CPO, for a long time. Just how you see that timeline of, maybe,
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. So you've talked about how we're in the initial days of 1.6T. Just how do you see that adoption path being different for 1.6T
than, maybe, what we saw with 800 gig?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. And, then, just how do innovations like DeepSeek change how you think about either the amount of speed transitions or just
overall demand?
REFINITIV STREETEVENTS | www.refinitiv.com | Contact Us
consent of Refinitiv. 'Refinitiv' and the Refinitiv logo are registered trademarks of Refinitiv and its affiliated companies.
MARCH 04, 2025 / 6:45PM, LITE.OQ - Lumentum Holdings Inc at Morgan Stanley Technology, Media &
Telecom Conference
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Okay. I have a ton of other questions on the rest of the business but I wanted to, maybe, open it up to questions to see if anybody
had any transceiver datacom questions. Maybe, one in the back.
You can just yell it and I'll repeat it.
Unidentified Participant 1
(inaudible - microphone inaccessible)
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Okay. I can take off my tariff question, then. All right.
So one of the things that caused a transition, during the quarter or fiscal Q2, was that you had shut down the NeoPhotonics fab. Just
how has that influenced the timing of how you think about the ZR ramp or some of the telco business being able to capture that
telco business recovery?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. You've had this $500 million-dollar quarterly exit run rate, exiting calendar year '25 target, as you look forward, just what are
the biggest factors towards meeting or exceeding that, as well as this 40% gross margin target, longer term?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Got it. Okay. And, then, maybe, just last question on the industrial tech side. You're seeing demand remain challenged, just given
weaker industrial end markets. Just how are you thinking about recovery or opportunities, within this market?
Question: Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley & Co LLC - Analyst
: Great. Well, Chris, thanks so much for being here, today.
|