Note A - Organization and Operations	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Notes to Financial Statements
Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]	NOTE A—ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (“AOI” or the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Texas on February 28, 1997. In March 2013, the Company converted into a Delaware corporation. The Company is a leading, vertically integrated provider of fiber-optic networking products, primarily for four networking end-markets: internet data center, CATV, telecom and FTTH. The Company designs and manufactures a wide range of optical communications products at varying levels of integration, from components, subassemblies and modules to complete turn-key equipment. The Company has manufacturing and research and development facilities located in the U.S., Taiwan and China. At its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Sugar Land, Texas, the Company primarily manufactures lasers and laser components and performs research and development activities for laser component and optical module products. The Company operates in Taipei, Taiwan and Ningbo, China through its wholly-owned subsidiary Prime World International Holdings, Ltd. (“Prime World”, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands). Prime World is the parent of Global Technology, Inc. (“Global”, incorporated in the People’s Republic of China). Through Global, the Company primarily manufactures certain of its data center transceiver products, including subassemblies and transceivers, as well as Cable TV Broadband (“CATV”) systems and equipment, and performs research and development activities for the CATV products. Prime World also operates a branch in Taiwan, which primarily manufactures transceivers. The Company also has a research and development center in Duluth, Georgia. On September 15, 2022, we entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Yuhan Optoelectronic Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd ("Purchaser"), which is a company incorporated in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), to divest the Company's manufacturing facilities in the PRC and certain assets related to our transceiver business and multi-channel optical sub-assembly products (collectively, the "Divestiture"). The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including the approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS"). The purchase price will be an amount equal to the $150 million USD equivalent of Renminbi, less a holdback amount. Prior to the closing of the transaction the Company anticipates investing an amount equal to between 4% and 10% of the estimated proceeds from the transaction in exchange for a 10% equity interest in the Purchaser. The transaction is expected to close in 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. Our management has performed an evaluation as required by ASC-360-10-45-9 to determine whether to classify certain of our assets and liabilities as held for sale as of December 31, 2022. ASC 360 requires that a company classifies a business as held for sale in the period in which management commits to a plan to sell the business, the business is available for immediate sale in its present condition, an active program to complete the plan to sell the business is initiated, the sale of the business within one year is probable and the business is being marketed at a reasonable price in relation to its fair value. Although we have announced the execution of a definitive purchase agreement regarding the Divestiture, completion of this transaction is not certain for reasons that include the fact that the proposed sale is subject to regulatory approval in the US and China, the timing and likelihood of which is uncertain and beyond our control, and the fact that we cannot be certain that the buyer will not request modification of terms within the definitive purchase agreement. As a result, we have concluded that at the present time the business is not "available for immediate sale" under the meaning defined in ASC 360 and therefore none of our assets or liabilities should be classified as held for sale.

Note A - Organization and Operations

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2022

Business Description and Basis of Presentation [Text Block]

NOTE A—ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (“AOI” or the “Company”) was incorporated in the State of Texas on February 28, 1997. In March 2013, the Company converted into a Delaware corporation. The Company is a leading, vertically integrated provider of fiber-optic networking products, primarily for four networking end-markets: internet data center, CATV, telecom and FTTH. The Company designs and manufactures a wide range of optical communications products at varying levels of integration, from components, subassemblies and modules to complete turn-key equipment.

The Company has manufacturing and research and development facilities located in the U.S., Taiwan and China. At its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Sugar Land, Texas, the Company primarily manufactures lasers and laser components and performs research and development activities for laser component and optical module products. The Company operates in Taipei, Taiwan and Ningbo, China through its wholly-owned subsidiary Prime World International Holdings, Ltd. (“Prime World”, incorporated in the British Virgin Islands). Prime World is the parent of Global Technology, Inc. (“Global”, incorporated in the People’s Republic of China). Through Global, the Company primarily manufactures certain of its data center transceiver products, including subassemblies and transceivers, as well as Cable TV Broadband (“CATV”) systems and equipment, and performs research and development activities for the CATV products. Prime World also operates a branch in Taiwan, which primarily manufactures transceivers. The Company also has a research and development center in Duluth, Georgia.

On September 15, 2022, we entered into a definitive purchase agreement with Yuhan Optoelectronic Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd ("Purchaser"), which is a company incorporated in the People's Republic of China ("PRC"), to divest the Company's manufacturing facilities in the PRC and certain assets related to our transceiver business and multi-channel optical sub-assembly products (collectively, the "Divestiture"). The closing of the transaction is subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including the approval from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS").

The purchase price will be an amount equal to the $150 million USD equivalent of Renminbi, less a holdback amount. Prior to the closing of the transaction the Company anticipates investing an amount equal to between 4% and 10% of the estimated proceeds from the transaction in exchange for a 10% equity interest in the Purchaser. The transaction is expected to close in 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval.

Our management has performed an evaluation as required by ASC-360-10-45-9 to determine whether to classify certain of our assets and liabilities as held for sale as of December 31, 2022. ASC 360 requires that a company classifies a business as held for sale in the period in which management commits to a plan to sell the business, the business is available for immediate sale in its present condition, an active program to complete the plan to sell the business is initiated, the sale of the business within one year is probable and the business is being marketed at a reasonable price in relation to its fair value. Although we have announced the execution of a definitive purchase agreement regarding the Divestiture, completion of this transaction is not certain for reasons that include the fact that the proposed sale is subject to regulatory approval in the US and China, the timing and likelihood of which is uncertain and beyond our control, and the fact that we cannot be certain that the buyer will not request modification of terms within the definitive purchase agreement. As a result, we have concluded that at the present time the business is not "available for immediate sale" under the meaning defined in ASC 360 and therefore none of our assets or liabilities should be classified as held for sale.