indie Semiconductor, an innovative company dedicated to automotive solutions, recently announced significant advances in photonics technology. By introducing in-house photonic integration, packaging, and system testing capabilities, the company has further strengthened its leading position in the photonics technology market. This capability enhancement combines the company's previous world-class portfolio of optical components through the acquisitions of TeraXion and EXALOS, as well as the introduction of the latest automated assembly and optical test technologies to enable customers to provide complete photonic subsystem solutions.
These photonic subsystems enable rapid solution evaluation, pre-production validation, and low-volume production to meet the growing demand for high precision and quality in the automotive, mobility, and related industrial sectors.
In recent years, the market demand for photonic technology has been growing, especially in emerging fields such as 5G communications, data centers, and artificial intelligence. According to publicly released information, the global photonic integrated circuit market size has reached billions of yuan in 2023 and is expected to maintain stable growth in the next few years. By 2029, the global photonic integrated circuit market is expected to reach a higher level, with an average annual compound growth rate.
Key capabilities to drive app innovation
indie Semiconductor aims to support：
Automotive:
This includes key applications such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) sensors, head-up displays (HUDs), and gyroscopes, which are at the heart of enabling the future of autonomous driving and smart mobility.
Industrial:
Photonics can also be applied to industrial applications that require precision and reliability similar to those in the automotive industry, such as precision manufacturing and industrial sensors.
By integrating optical components such as lasers, superlight-emitting diodes (SLEDs), photodiodes, and gratings into a complete photonic subsystem, Indie makes the leap from a single component to a complete solution. This shift not only provides customers with greater system reliability, but also significantly simplifies supply chain management while accelerating the implementation of optical functions in real-world scenarios.
Figure: indie Semiconductor expands photonics capabilities for automotive and industrial
Fast-growing optical market
According to S&P Global Mobility, the optical components market size in the automotive sector reached $6.5 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow to $9.2 billion by 2030. As the demand for photonic technology continues to increase, the value of integrated photonic subsystems becomes more and more prominent.
"Indie has built a world-class portfolio of optical components through targeted acquisitions and in-house R&D. In our work with our customers, we have found that they need not only innovative optical components, but also complete photonic subsystems that can solve component integration, supply chain logistics, and reliability issues," said Mathieu Drolet, executive vice president of the Photonics Group at indie Semiconductor.”
Commercialization is imminent
Currently, Indie is developing commercialized photonic integration solutions for several customers. The first products are expected to go into production in the first half of 2025, which will be an important milestone in the large-scale adoption of photonics technology in the automotive and industrial sectors.
Conclusion
Through in-house technology integration and resource optimization, indie Semiconductor not only enhances its competitiveness in the photonics technology market, but also brings more efficient solutions to the automotive and related industries. This strategic move will help customers integrate optical functions into their end applications more quickly, providing strong support for the development of future smart vehicles and industrial technologies. In the growing optical components market, Indie's ability to innovate will undoubtedly be an important driving force for the industry to move forward.
