Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics (SIOM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, founded in 1964, is China’s earliest and largest specialized research institute in laser science and technology. Its current research areas cover high-power laser technology, intense-field physics and strong-field optics, space laser and time-frequency technology, information optics, quantum optics, laser and optoelectronic devices, and optical materials.

SIOM has about 1,000 staff members, including over 900 technical professionals. Nine of its scientists have been elected as academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences or Chinese Academy of Engineering, and two as foreign academicians. It hosts over 1,000 graduate students. The institute operates four national-level research platforms (including state key laboratories), one joint laboratory with the China Academy of Engineering Physics, and two Shanghai municipal key laboratories.

SIOM’s main research directions are: ultra-intense laser science and fusion new systems, space-based laser information network technology, and autonomous optical core materials and high-end laser equipment. It has completed numerous major projects, including fundamental and applied research in optics and lasers, as well as large-scale laser engineering applications.

Major facilities include: the "Shenguang II" high-power laser facility (one of the few worldwide combining high-energy short-pulse loading and active probe beams); an ultra-intense ultra-short laser system reaching 12.9 PW peak power (world-class); and a next-generation ultra-intense ultra-short laser experimental facility that demonstrated the first free-electron laser amplification based on a laser accelerator. It also developed the first space cold atomic clock operating in orbit and conducting scientific experiments; and the "Daqi-1" atmospheric detection lidar (primary payload for national space infrastructure) which achieved the first global nighttime and polar CO₂ column density measurements. By the end of 2023, SIOM had received 49 national awards, 123 CAS awards, 160 provincial/ministerial awards, filed 5,372 patents, and been granted 3,454.

SIOM engages in technology transfer and commercialization, focusing on serving national strategic needs within the Yangtze River Delta region. It is a designated "International Cooperation Base" under the Ministry of Science and Technology, with joint laboratories established with research institutions in Russia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, and other countries under the Belt and Road Initiative.

The institute maintains an integrated R&D chain from optical materials and core components to system integration, covering fundamental research, key technology development, engineering validation, and technology transfer. Its stated goal is to become a global center for laser science and technology.