Safran has signed a partnership agreement with CAILabs to increase drastically data transport capacity onboard aircraft

Safran Electrical & Power has signed a technological and trade cooperation agreement with the startup CAILabs to transpose CAILabs’ innovative technology currently implemented in telecom networks to the aeronautical domain. 

This technology, called Multi-Plane Light Conversion, which consists in mixing several optical flows on the same fiber optic, will allow Safran to increase drastically data transport capacity onboard aircraft. The aim is to meet the growing need for onboard data exchanges, both for passenger connectivity and the aircraft's technical functions that require ever-more bandwidth.  

The jointly developed optical components should eventually help Safran to facilitate the development of onboard data interconnect systems and reduce aircraft modification costs, by decreasing the quantity of wiring.

"This partnership with CAILabs helps us meet the challenges of the aeronautical market. We have to transport more and more onboard data while simplifying the design and production of interconnect systems for our clients. This technology helps us to have the equivalent of 10 fibers in one", Sébastien Jaulerry, General Manager of Electrical Interconnect Systems in Europe and Asia for Safran Electrical & Power, states proudly.

"We are proud to have signed this ambitious agreement with Safran Electrical & Power, the leader in aeronautical wiring. This partnership is a great example of our "CAILabs inside" strategy - bringing new and relevant solutions to the market by combining CAILabs' innovative technology and Safran Electrical & Power's deep understanding of market challenges," says Jean-François Morizur, Chairman of CAILabs.

Safran has taken a stake in Cailabs in 2017, through Safran Corporate Ventures, its corporate venture subsidiary dedicated to investments in innovative technology companies.