Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAOI) is a U.S.-based technology company headquartered in Sugar Land, Texas, founded in 1997, that designs and manufactures optoelectronic components and products for fiber-optic data transmission. The company is vertically integrated – producing its own laser chips, optical subassemblies and finished transceivers – and serves primarily data center operators (including hyperscalers), cable television (CATV) operators and telecom providers. Most of its manufacturing takes place in facilities in Taiwan and China, and growing demand for high-speed optical modules in AI infrastructure has made it a closely watched player in the optical networking segment in recent years.