Photonics took center stage at SOHJO Business event this year. Photonics Finland and the Finnish Chips Competence Centre (FiCCC) kicked off the SOHJO Week on Wednesday 25 March with the official side event PICS & CHIPS, hosted in the atmospheric Botania gardens. The event gathered an international audience to explore how photonics is reshaping the future of chips — and what Finland can bring to the table in the rapidly evolving deep tech sector.
Photonics Integrated Circuits – From Research to Real-World Impact
The keynote lineup brought together leading voices from both academia and industry. Juha Purmonen from Photonics Finland gave a short overview of the Photonics in Finland and highlighted how the development of PICs is becoming increasingly important in solving the challenges of current technologies. For example the electricity demand for data centers continues to sky-rocket and photonics is a key disruptive technology in solving the energy challenge.
Pasi Pylväs, the director of the Finnish Chips Competence Centre outlined that in the race towards the semiconductor future local investment is critical as investing in the photonics infrastructure boosts the whole ecosystem. For semiconductors, the $1T threshold is now in sight.
“If we talk about annual chip sales, we are approaching one trillion dollars. If we talk about the broader investment race — fabs, R&D, capacity, industrial scaling — then we are already in multi-trillion territory”, says Pylväs and continues that regions that build capacity early will benefit more.
Photonics Finland had invited Professor Ryszard Piramidowich from Warsaw University of Technology to speak at the event. Prof. Piramidowich is an Expert in Optoelectronic Systems Team in VIGO Photonics, a photonic semiconductors company, where he is responsible for mid-IR PICs development program. He is also the Co-founder and CEO of LightHouse – the first Polish PIC design house, a spin-off of WUT. Prof. Piramidowich highlighted the advantages of integrated photonics: compactness, low power consumption, high reliability as well as the low costs from manufacturing to packaging. The possible applications of PICs go far beyond optical- and data communication to sectors such as agrifood, security, industrial sensing and automation, health and wellbeing, mobility and space, consumer electronics and high-performance computing.
One rapidly developing field is sensing:
- next-generation optical interrogators
- SARS-CoV‑2 virus detection technologies
- Lidar System‑on‑Chip solutions
- biosensing modules for drug screening
- spectrometer-on-a-chip
Professor Matthieu Roussey from the Center for Photonics Sciences presented the research done at University of Eastern Finland and the importance of testing environments and pilot lines to ensure future growth. Pauli Turunen, CEO and CO-founder of HyComCore presented from a Startup point of view how the company aims to solve the connectivity challenge of AI datacenters by offering a multi-wavelength Is-controlled BTO platform. Discussions underscored the importance of testing environments and pilot lines in accelerating the journey from early design and characterization to prototyping and industrial production.
SOHJO2026: Luminous – A Multidisciplinary Celebration of Light
This year’s main SOHJO2026 event took place at Original Sokos Hotel Kimmel in Joensuu 26.-27.3.2026. The event has grown rapidly into the key yearly business event in Eastern Finland. This year the event theme was Luminous and Photonics Finland was one of the event’s official partners. The program approached photonics from artistic, scientific, and strategic angles.
Light Artist Kari Kola Illuminates the Stage from Australia
One of the most anticipated moments was the virtual keynote from internationally renowned Finnish light artist Kari Kola, who joined live from Australia. Kola, known for some of the world’s largest outdoor light installations, shared insights into his creative process and the making of monumental works such as Savage Beauty and his ongoing Lighting the Sound installation in Albany, Australia.
Kola is also the brand ambassador for the City of Joensuu and its globally recognized photonics cluster. Through this Light from Joensuu initiative, he highlights how world-class research, companies, and creative industries in the region blend the art and science of light—and why Joensuu continues to be an inspiring base for his work.
Panel on Digital Security and the Future of Photonics
Another key session was the panel discussion, From Light to Insight: Photonics in Digital Border Security, led by Executive Director of Photonics Finland Juha Purmonen. The panel consisted of expert panelists from academy and industry: Professor Jyrki Saarinen from UEF, CEO and Founder of Peak PC Oy Timo Vuorenpää, Co-founder and Head of Sales at Kelluu Jiri Jormakka as well as International growth strategist with an impressive track record working as a Federal contractor for the Department of Defense, Ms. Stacy K. Vaughn from the US. The session explored the central role of photonics in future digital border security. The panel emphasized the importance of photonics in situational awareness, advanced detection systems, infrastructure monitoring, and border control. Finland is becoming an internationally interesting testbed for dual-use applications thanks to our geographical location, diverse seasons and demanding northern conditions.
Living in a World of Light
Professor Ryszard Piramidowich delivered a keynote speech to introduce photonics – the hidden technology shaping our lives. The keynote aimed to reach a wider audience beyond those already familiar with photonics, explored how photonics powers the technologies we rely on daily from communications and healthcare to security, sensing and sustainable solutions – often without us even realizing it.
Innovation Competitions Highlight Photonics in Practice
The Susicorn Startup Competition crowned Recolth as its 2026 winner. The company’s infrared‑based RedStep device aims to relieve foot pain and support recovery through personalized, app-guided rehabilitation programs—once again demonstrating how photonics enables tangible health-tech solutions.
Meanwhile, at SOHJO HACKS, the University of Eastern Finland opened its research laboratories for an international hackathon designed to bridge research and industry collaboration. The challenge was won by Rami Saarikorpi, whose concept focused on creating 3D models of research laboratories to support future commercial cooperation and accessibility.
Finnish photonics is thriving and Joensuu is one of its important hubs
Across all events, SOHJO2026 demonstrated the extraordinary range and potential of photonics—from life‑changing technologies to artistic expressions on a massive scale. With its thriving ecosystem of researchers, companies, and creators, Joensuu continues to emerge as a city where new ideas in light-based technologies are developed, tested, and launched to the world.
Professional photos: Harri Säynevirta.
SOHJO2026 After movie: BrainyDay Oy.