Samsung Asset Management said on the 31st it will newly list the KODEX U.S. AI Optical Communication Network exchange-traded fund (ETF), which focuses on representative corporations in the optical communications and network sectors.
As artificial intelligence (AI) performance advances, optical communication technology that links large-scale data without bottlenecks is rapidly emerging as a core competitive edge for data centers.
KODEX U.S. AI Optical Communication Network is a product that selects and includes corporations specializing in optical components and equipment that convert electrical signals into light to dramatically increase data transmission speeds. In particular, it concentrates investment in key corporations that resolve network bottlenecks cited as a physical limit of AI operation.
Optical communications is a technology that overcomes the limits of existing copper cables and converts electrical signals into light to enable ultra-high-speed, ultra-low-power transmission.
The ETF built its core portfolio around Lumentum and Coherent, the two leading corporations in global optical conversion. In particular, Nvidia at the recent GTC 2026 made investments of $2 billion each in Lumentum and Coherent.
It also invests across the AI network in leading corporations such as Marvell, a powerhouse in optical chip design; Ciena, a specialist equipment corporation for inter–data center connections; Corning, a key player in optical fiber infrastructure; and Tower Semiconductor, which handles optical chip production.
Kim Cheon-heung, a manager at Samsung Asset Management, said, "In the AI era, the competitive landscape is rapidly shifting from 'who has more chips' to 'who connects chips faster and without interruption,'" and added, "The optical communication network is a key driver of growth in the artificial intelligence industry, and we have carefully selected only the corporations that can most directly benefit from this structural shift to construct the product."