Analyst(s): Olivier Blanchard
Publication Date: May 13, 2025
Coherent’s Q3 FY 2025 earnings report highlights strong AI-driven demand in datacenter and telecom markets, supported by margin expansion and strategic portfolio actions. The company’s networking segment continues to benefit from new optical product launches, while industrial softness and cautious outlook reflect macro uncertainty.
What is Covered in this Article:
- Coherent’s Q3 FY 2025 financial results
- Networking segment momentum driven by AI datacenter and transceiver demand
- Progress on 1.6T and 3.2T optical platforms and expanded indium phosphide capacity
- OCS platform update and expected commercialization in 2025
- Industrial end-market performance and near-term macro caution
- Q4 FY 2025 guidance and strategic focus areas ahead of Investor Day
The News: Coherent Corp. (NASDAQ: COHR) reported a record Q3 FY 2025 revenue of $1.5 billion, marking a 24% year-on-year (YoY) increase and was 4% above consensus expectations. The Networking segment led growth with revenue up 45% YoY, driven by strong AI datacenter demand. The Lasers segment grew 4% YoY, supported by strength in display and semiconductor capital equipment. Materials revenue declined 1% YoY due to continued softness in the consumer electronics end market. Non-GAAP gross margin rose 490 basis points (bps) YoY to 38.5%. Non-GAAP operating income reached $279 million (+10% above consensus), up 83.9% YoY, with an operating margin of 18.6%, compared to 12.6% a year earlier. Non-GAAP net earnings nearly doubled to $177 million (Q3 FY 2024: $90 million), while non-GAAP diluted earnings per share increased to $0.91 (+6.3% above consensus) from $0.38 in Q3 FY 2024.
“We delivered strong growth and profitability in the March quarter with record revenue driven by another quarter of strong AI-related datacenter demand.,” said Jim Anderson, CEO of Coherent. “We also introduced many new industry-leading optical networking products and technologies during the past quarter, which position us well for long-term growth.”
Coherent Q3 FY 2025 Delivers Record Revenue Led by Strength in AI Infrastructure
Analyst Take: Coherent’s Q3 FY 2025 results reflect continued execution across its AI-driven datacenter and telecom segments, backed by sustained gross margin expansion and focused portfolio realignment. Networking remained the company’s core growth driver, aided by strong transceiver demand and a deep pipeline of optical product launches targeting next-gen AI infrastructure. While the company struck a confident tone on datacenter and telecom, macro uncertainty weighed on industrial demand, reinforcing a cautious short-term outlook. Still, with momentum behind new platform introductions – including the ramp of 1.6T transceivers and progress on 3.2T components – Coherent is advancing a multi-year roadmap poised to support long-term growth.
AI Datacenter Demand Accelerates Networking Growth
Coherent’s networking revenue rose 45% YoY and 10% sequentially in Q3 FY 2025, driven by continued strength in AI datacenter demand. The datacenter end-market alone posted 11% sequential and 54% YoY growth, supported by strong traction across 800G, 400G, and lower-speed transceivers.
At OFC 2025, Coherent showcased three internally developed 1.6T transceiver designs – based on VCSEL, EML, and silicon photonics – demonstrating the breadth of its optical technology portfolio. The 1.6T ramp remains scheduled to begin in 2025, with active engagements across multiple lead customers. The company also demonstrated a 400G differential EML, a foundational step toward enabling future 3.2T transceivers.
Meanwhile, Indium phosphide capacity increased more than 3x YoY, supporting rising demand for EML and CW lasers, with 6-inch production set to begin next quarter to enable lower cost and higher scale. With deep technology ownership, manufacturing scale, and strong customer momentum, Coherent is well-positioned to capitalize on the ongoing build-out of next-gen optical infrastructure.
OCS Platform Positions Coherent for New TAM Expansion
Coherent secured its first customer order for its new optical circuit switch (OCS) platform ahead of expected revenue in calendar 2025. The platform is based on digital liquid crystal technology, offering a more reliable and power-efficient alternative to mechanical Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) switches. This proprietary approach has already been deployed in telecom and is now being applied to datacenter use cases. Management confirmed increasing customer engagement and highlighted OCS as a differentiated solution that broadens Coherent’s participation in optical networking. The company remains on track to commercialize the platform this year, marking a key step in expanding its product portfolio.
Industrial End Markets Show Mixed Signals Amid Macro Caution
Aggregate revenue from industrial-related applications was relatively flat, with a 1% YoY increase and a 2% sequential decline. The Lasers segment contributed $364 million in Q3 FY 2025, up 4% YoY but down 3% sequentially, reflecting uneven momentum across end markets.
Growth in semiconductor capital equipment and display capital equipment was supported by rising demand for advanced packaging tools and excimer lasers, with OLED shipments ramping for Gen 6 and Gen 8 fabs amid broader screen adoption in laptops and tablets. However, this was offset by persistent weakness in general precision manufacturing. Meanwhile, consumer electronics exposure continued to weigh on the Materials segment, which declined 1% YoY. Coherent maintained a cautious near-term view on industrial demand, citing macro uncertainty rather than specific customer pullbacks, though the long-term outlook remains constructive on OLED and semicap trends.
Guidance and Final Thoughts: Portfolio Focus, Margin Discipline, and Growth Roadmap
For Q4 FY 2025, Coherent guided revenue between $1.42 billion and $1.57 billion, with non-GAAP EPS of $0.81 to $1.01 and gross margin of 37–39%. Management cited potential mix headwinds as the primary limiter to sequential margin expansion, despite ongoing gains from pricing optimization and cost reductions. Restructuring costs of $74 million were booked in Q3 FY 2025, tied to site closures, workforce reductions, and the discontinuation of unprofitable product lines such as silicon carbide devices and modules.
The company continues to prioritize high-ROI R&D, particularly around optical networking, lasers, and advanced materials. It also remains on track to debut its long-term strategic roadmap, end-market outlook, and financial model at its upcoming Investor Day on May 28. Coherent’s clear focus on datacenter optical leadership, margin expansion, and operational efficiency positions it well to maintain momentum into FY 2026, especially as the 1.6T transceiver ramp and OCS commercialization unfold.
See the complete press release on Coherent’s Q3 FY 2025 results on the Coherent website.
Disclosure: Futurum is a research and advisory firm that engages or has engaged in research, analysis, and advisory services with many technology companies, including those mentioned in this article. The author does not hold any equity positions with any company mentioned in this article.
Analysis and opinions expressed herein are specific to the analyst individually and data and other information that might have been provided for validation, not those of Futurum as a whole.
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Beyond the Numbers: Jim Anderson on Coherent’s Next Chapter – Six Five Media
Author Information
Research Director Olivier Blanchard covers edge semiconductors and intelligent AI-capable devices for Futurum. In addition to having co-authored several books about digital transformation and AI with Futurum Group CEO Daniel Newman, Blanchard brings considerable experience demystifying new and emerging technologies, advising clients on how best to future-proof their organizations, and helping maximize the positive impacts of technology disruption while mitigating their potentially negative effects. Follow his extended analysis on X and LinkedIn.
