SiLC Technologies, Inc. (SiLC), a notable figure in silicon photonics, has announced securing an additional $25 million in funding, bringing their total funding from Seed and Series A rounds to $56 million. Notable participants in this round include industry leaders Hokuyo Automatic, Hankook & Company, and ROHM Semiconductor, focusing on industrial, robotics, and mobility vision. They join SiLC’s existing investors, including Epson, Yamato, UMC, Sony, Dell Technologies Capital, and Alter Venture Partners.
The funding follows SiLC’s recent introduction of four versions of its FMCW LiDAR-based EyeonicTM Vision System, designed to bridge the AI gap in machine vision, offering detection capabilities covering short distances up to over 1 km. SiLC emphasizes the role of AI in enabling machines to understand their surroundings similar to human perception.
Dr. Mehdi Asghari, SiLC’s CEO and founder, expressed appreciation for the support from their customer base, indicating confidence in their technology. Notably, the funding almost doubled in the current economic climate, reflecting investor and customer confidence.
The additional funds will be allocated to scale production to support design wins for their Eyeonic Vision solutions and continue product development for broader applications across mobility, robotics, smart cameras, security, and other leading markets.
Sumio Utsunomiya, COO of Epson X Investment Corp., acknowledged SiLC’s on-chip FMCW LiDAR technology, foreseeing potential applications across various industries like industrial robots, autonomous vehicles, ADAS, and AR/VR consumer devices.
Dr. Jose Pozo, CTO of Optica, highlighted the significance of silicon photonics for downsizing 3D sensors and FMCW LiDAR’s role in enabling eye-safe wavelengths and instantaneous velocity. He noted SiLC’s demonstration of these techniques for electronic devices, including drones and wearables, to enhance their environmental awareness.
SiLC remains committed to its mission of advancing machine vision capabilities beyond human capacity. Dr. Asghari emphasized achievements in chip integration, performance, range detection, and customer engagement. The new funding is expected to support their ongoing efforts to deliver advanced machine vision across diverse applications.
