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3D sensor chip and solutions provider Adaps Photonics recently completed a C+ round financing of hundreds of millions yuan. The completion of the new financing round will help the company further solidify its technological advantages in the dToF field and expand commercial applications in more scenarios.
Adaps Photonics is a company with mature 3D stacked dToF chip design and process capabilities. It excels in high PDE (Photon Detection Efficiency) and high-performance SPAD (Single-Photon Avalanche Diode) device design and process capabilities. The PDE based on a wavelength of 905nm reaches 25%, and the company has applied for more than a hundred domestic and international patents. In terms of product research and development, based on an understanding of the demand in the 3D vision market, the company has launched three complete product series: Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM), Single Photon Imaging Array (SPADIS) and dToF modules, and finite point dToF chips and modules. These products cover a wide range of 3D sensor application terminals and scenarios, including automotive LiDAR and intelligent cockpit sensing systems, mobile phones, XR headsets, robots, smart home appliances, and smart buildings. Currently, the company's products have begun mass production and are gradually being incorporated into downstream customer products such as automotive, consumer electronics, smart homes, and industrial applications. Single-point products have already achieved mass production and shipments in consumer end products such as hair dryers and mobile phones, and SiPM products are ready for mass production in vehicles.
dToF (direct Time of Flight) is a depth sensor technology solution mainly used for ranging and 3D imaging. It emits light pulses directly to the target object and captures the reflected light pulses, and calculates the distance to the target object by recording the flight time of the light pulses. dToF has excellent ranging capability and high adaptability, and its characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, and high reliability can meet the requirements of most common platforms from smartphones to cars, homes to industries.
Adaps Photonics is also exploring the application of dToF in the automotive scene. The company has teamed up with numerous partners in the automotive field to layout dToF in automotive LiDAR, DMS sensors, and other automotive terminal devices. Currently, the company's products have been evaluated by multiple LiDAR manufacturers and have been imported in small batches. Strategic cooperation agreements have been reached with various upstream and downstream companies in the automotive field, jointly promoting the integration of LiDAR into vehicles and accelerating the development of intelligent vehicles towards the direction of three-dimensional perception.
At the same time,Adaps Photonics is also accelerating its strategic layout in XR. In 2022, Adaps Photonics collaborated with Qualcomm and Horizon Robotics, and equipped the Adaps Photonics Spot dToF chip on the Snapdragon 8Gen2 processor. It successfully created a new "Director Mode" on Android smartphones, enabling functions such as fast focusing, optimization for complex lighting scenes, focus switching, and focus tracking, thereby enhancing the video shooting experience for Android smartphone users. In the future, Adaps Photonics will further deepen its research and development cooperation on dToF in consumer electronic chips with partners, while expanding the application of this technology in the XR field.
The year 2019 marks the fortieth anniversary of China’s Reform &Opening-Up, once again, we meet at the turning point of history. What’s the next step for the game, is there any clear guidance? The answer is affirmative.
Our country is enjoying a good momentum of development, which does not come from the Washington Consensus nor the Beijing Consensus. China’s experience has proved that both the visible hand and the invisible hand are crucial: the visible hand, stands for the government-led reform, and would yield benefits for reform and opening up; the invisible hand, stands for the Marginal Power represented by the private sector, and would improve economic efficiency and tax collection, create jobs and employment opportunities.
Provided that we want to protect and expand the benefits form reform, three simple but mandatory agreements are to be made and followed: No.1 Private ownership must be recognized, protected and treated equally with public ownership constitutionally, both ownerships are scared and inviolable;No.2 Make further clarification of the principal position of market economy, “deepen economic system reform by centering on the decisive role of the market in allocating resources”, as President Xi addressed in the third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee;No.3 Implement the guiding principles of “comprehensively promoting law-based governance” of the fourth plenum. The rule of law is essential for economic growth, irreplaceable to protect private ownership, and necessary to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.
Above are three rules for us to avoid falling into the Middle-income Trap. Assuming that we are breaking systematic barriers to private enterprises’ participation in market economy, and boosting innovation and entrepreneurship of our society, then we are heading towards a promoting direction. We are marching in the path of light, regardless of the ups and downs of Sino-US relationship, the drop in GDP growth rate, or the monetary policy.
These principals also apply on knowing how better to run a business: don’t be hedged by rules and regulations at the beginning, pay more attention to your survival, and you’ll learn more when you start your second business.
For many years, Huawei has been the only Chinese company on the list of the Top 50 R&D Spenders. Regardless of the economy and its income, what Huawei has been doing is investing in its future, dedicated to R&D, continuously and resolutely. This provisional work underscores Huawei’s accomplishments, making Huawei anindustry leader.
So, there are standard answers on how to run a company,which could be summarized as concentration and professional dedication, continuous investment on innovation and trying harder in R&D. Entrepreneurship is also important, every single company needs entrepreneurs to push aside all obstacles and difficulties, to implement strategies and ideas. We, as investors, are destined to look for such outstanding entrepreneurs and their companies, invest in them and partner with them.
At this key point of history, a country, a company, or asingle individual, will all need to find the right path. Four decades after the Reform and Opening-up, it’s time to learn from our experience and stop “wadding across
