Himax Partners with Ganzin to Launch Best-in-Class Eye-Tracking Solution at CES 2025

Rhea-AI Summary

Himax Technologies (HIMX) and Ganzin Technology announced their collaboration to showcase the Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution at CES 2025. The solution integrates Himax's WiseEye2 ultralow power AI processor with Ganzin's eye-tracking AI algorithm. The technology features a 30Hz gaze sampling rate, sub-1-degree accuracy, and enables detailed tracking of gaze direction, pupil size, and eye blinking.

The Aurora IIS is designed for AR/AI glasses and VR headsets, featuring minimal components including two miniature eye sensors and ultra-small IR-LEDs. The reference design includes a 400mAh lithium battery and advanced voice control capabilities. The solution aims to reduce system power consumption and extend battery life by offloading eye-tracking tasks from the main processor.

Positive

• Development of advanced eye-tracking technology for AR/VR market expansion
• Strategic partnership with Ganzin Technology enhancing product capabilities
• Technical achievements: 30Hz sampling rate and sub-1-degree accuracy
• Energy-efficient design with ultralow power consumption

Negative

• None.

Insights

Tech Expert

<p>The partnership between Himax and Ganzin represents a significant advancement in eye-tracking technology for XR devices. The Aurora IIS solution, powered by Himax's WiseEye2 AI processor, achieves <b>sub-1-degree accuracy</b> with a <b>30Hz sampling rate</b> while maintaining ultralow power consumption - specifications that put it at the forefront of the industry. The technical architecture, which offloads eye-tracking processing from the main system, is particularly innovative as it addresses one of the key challenges in XR devices: battery life.</p><p>The miniaturization achievement with just two eye sensors and small IR-LEDs is noteworthy, as component size and integration complexity have been major hurdles in XR adoption. The <b>400mAh battery</b> capacity, while seemingly modest, is actually quite efficient given the system's optimization. This solution could accelerate the development of more compact and efficient AR/VR devices, particularly beneficial for enterprise applications where extended usage time is crucial.</p>

Market Research Analyst

<p>The timing of this product launch aligns perfectly with the expanding XR market, which is projected to see substantial growth in 2025. While Himax isn't the only player in the eye-tracking space, their partnership with Ganzin and the technical specifications of Aurora IIS position them favorably in the high-margin enterprise segment of the XR market. The focus on power efficiency and miniaturization addresses key pain points that have historically XR adoption.</p><p>For investors, this represents a strategic move by Himax to diversify beyond their core display driver IC business into higher-value AI-enabled solutions. The partnership model demonstrates smart capital allocation, leveraging Ganzin's AI expertise while maintaining Himax's semiconductor strengths. The product's emphasis on enterprise applications suggests potential for higher margins compared to consumer markets.</p>

Revolutionizing Wearable Technology with Ultralow Power, AI-Powered, Miniature, Streamlined Eye-Tracking for XR Devices and Smart Glasses

TAINAN, Taiwan and NEW TAIPEI CITY, Taiwan, Dec. 31, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Himax Technologies, Inc. (“Himax” or “Company”) (Nasdaq: HIMX), an industry leader in fabless display driver ICs and other semiconductors, today announced that the Company, in collaboration with Ganzin Technology Inc. (“Ganzin”), a global leader in eye tracking technology, will showcase the industry-leading eye-tracking solution, Aurora IIS, at CES 2025. The Aurora IIS seamlessly integrates Himax’s WiseEye™ ultralow power AI processor, WiseEye2, and Ganzin’s renowned proprietary eye-tracking AI algorithm. This combination revolutionizes eye-tracking technology with enhanced real-time gaze tracking precision, reduced power consumption, and an industry-leading miniature configuration with minimal component integration, ideally suited for AR/AI glasses and VR headsets.

The newly introduced Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution combines Himax and Ganzin’s expertise to deliver unparalleled gaze-based control for eyewear applications. Featuring Himax’s ultralow power WiseEye2 AI processor, the solution delivers significant advancements in performance and energy efficiency by elevating its capabilities to provide detailed insights into users' gaze direction, pupil size, and eye blinking, with a 30Hz gaze sampling rate and sub-1-degree accuracy in the center field of view (FOV). This enables the identification of behavioral intentions, opening up practical applications in decision-making and revolutionizing how users interact with wearable technology, making it as integral to devices as a mouse is to a computer or touch is to a mobile phone. Additionally, integrating WiseEye2 into the Aurora IIS offloads eye-tracking tasks from the main processor, helping to reduce system power consumption and extend battery life. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and energy efficiency, the Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution enables intuitive, user-friendly interactions, allowing the device to detect and respond to the user's eye movement.

At CES, Himax and Ganzin will present AR reference design glasses featuring the Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution, which is configured with minimal components, including two miniature eye sensors and ultra-small IR-LEDs. This configuration enables a compact design for easy integration and broad compatibility with smart wearables. The glasses feature a 400mAh lithium battery and provide a user-friendly human-machine interface with advanced voice control capabilities. The combination of a compact design, long battery life, and advanced voice control makes the Aurora IIS a promising eye-tracking solution for the future of augmented reality, catering to a wide range of smart wearables and applications.

Himax and Ganzin invite all interested parties to stop by our exhibition booth at The Venetian Las Vegas Hotel (3355 Las Vegas Boulevard S, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.) Venetian Tower Suite 34-208 to experience our groundbreaking eye-tracking and mixed reality experience. To schedule a meeting or booth tour, please contact Himax at Himax_CES2025@himax.com.tw or Ganzin at info@ganzin.com.tw.

About Ganzin Technology Inc.
Ganzin is a global leader in eye-tracking technology, delivering advanced, compact, and energy-efficient solutions for next-generation wearable and immersive devices. The company’s vision is to make human-machine interaction more intuitive and accessible to everyone, enabling smarter and more responsive user experiences for consumers.

https://ganzin.com/

About Himax Technologies, Inc.
Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) is a leading global fabless semiconductor solution provider dedicated to display imaging processing technologies. The Company’s display driver ICs and timing controllers have been adopted at scale across multiple industries worldwide including TVs, PC monitors, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, automotive, ePaper devices, industrial displays, among others. As the global market share leader in automotive display technology, the Company offers innovative and comprehensive automotive IC solutions, including traditional driver ICs, advanced in-cell Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI), local dimming timing controllers (Local Dimming Tcon), Large Touch and Display Driver Integration (LTDI) and OLED display technologies. Himax is also a pioneer in tinyML visual-AI and optical technology related fields. The Company’s industry-leading WiseEye™ Ultralow Power AI Sensing technology which incorporates Himax proprietary ultralow power AI processor, always-on CMOS image sensor, and CNN-based AI algorithm has been widely deployed in consumer electronics and AIoT related applications. Himax optics technologies, such as diffractive wafer level optics, LCoS microdisplays and 3D sensing solutions, are critical for facilitating emerging AR/VR/metaverse technologies. Additionally, Himax designs and provides touch controllers, OLED ICs, LED ICs, EPD ICs, power management ICs, and CMOS image sensors for diverse display application coverage. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan, Himax currently employs around 2,200 people from three Taiwan-based offices in Tainan, Hsinchu and Taipei and country offices in China, Korea, Japan, Germany, and the US. Himax has 2,683 patents granted and 390 patents pending approval worldwide as of September 30, 2024.

http://www.himax.com.tw

Forward Looking Statements
Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in this conference call include, but are not limited to, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s business; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; market acceptance and competitiveness of the driver and non-driver products developed by the Company; demand for end-use applications products; reliance on a small group of principal customers; the uncertainty of continued success in technological innovations; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; pricing pressures including declines in average selling prices; changes in customer order patterns; changes in estimated full-year effective tax rate; shortage in supply of key components; changes in environmental laws and regulations; changes in export license regulated by Export Administration Regulations (EAR); exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; our ability to collect accounts receivable and manage inventory and other risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including those risks identified in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, as may be amended.

Ganzin Contacts:

Martin Lin, BD Manager
Gazin Technology Inc.
Tel: +886-2-8667-6689
Email: info@ganzin.com.tw
ganzin.com

Himax Contacts:

Eric Li, Chief IR/PR Officer
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-6-505-0880
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw

Karen Tiao, Investor Relations
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-2-2370-3999
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw

Mark Schwalenberg, Director
Investor Relations - US Representative
MZ North America
Tel: +1-312-261-6430
Email: HIMX@mzgroup.us 
www.mzgroup.us

FAQ

What are the key features of Himax's (HIMX) new Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution?

The Aurora IIS features 30Hz gaze sampling rate, sub-1-degree accuracy, ultralow power consumption, and tracks gaze direction, pupil size, and eye blinking. It uses minimal components including two miniature eye sensors and ultra-small IR-LEDs.

How does the Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution impact battery life in XR devices?

The solution reduces system power consumption by offloading eye-tracking tasks from the main processor to the WiseEye2 AI processor, helping to extend battery life in XR devices.

What is the battery capacity of HIMX's AR reference design glasses with Aurora IIS?

The AR reference design glasses featuring the Aurora IIS eye-tracking solution come with a 400mAh lithium battery.

Where can investors see HIMX's Aurora IIS eye-tracking demo at CES 2025?

The Aurora IIS demo will be showcased at The Venetian Las Vegas Hotel, Venetian Tower Suite 34-208.

What is the accuracy level of HIMX's Aurora IIS eye-tracking system?

The Aurora IIS achieves sub-1-degree accuracy in the center field of view (FOV).