MicroVision wants investors to see it as a silicon company, not just a lidar story.
On July 14, MicroVision (NASDAQ: MVIS) launched MicroVision Semiconductor, a Colorado Springs-headquartered organization that consolidates the custom chip design capability it gained through the acquisition of Black Forest Engineering from Luminar. The unit brings a portfolio of more than 300 custom mixed-signal integrated-circuit designs, with capabilities spanning custom ASICs, readout ICs, and radiation-hardened and automotive-qualified electronics, plus manufacturing partnerships with Tower Semiconductor, TSMC and X-FAB. Target markets include industrial automation, security and defense, commercial transportation, autonomous systems and smart infrastructure.
CEO Glen DeVos said semiconductors are becoming one of the most important differentiators in advanced perception systems, and the launch slots into the company's Lidar 2.0 strategy of combining hardware, semiconductors, photonics and software into integrated perception products. MicroVision must still convert that design portfolio into meaningful revenue, something the company has yet to demonstrate at scale. This is market commentary, not investment advice — small-cap technology stocks are highly speculative and you can lose your entire investment.