Aeva, a leading force in next-generation sensing and perception systems, today announced a broad strategic collaboration with LG Innotek, a manufacturer of cutting-edge technology and an affiliate of the LG Group. The partnership includes a strategic investment by LG Innotek of up to approximately $50 million comprising the anticipated equity stake in Aeva, non-dilutive investment for new product development, and capital investments to bring production capacity online for Aeva’s next generation products. (This investment agreement is currently undergoing customary regulatory approval process.)
Aeva states that this multi-faceted collaboration will enable the company to accelerate the commercialization of its Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) perception platform to a wide range of industries and new applications across a wide range: automotive, industrial automation, robotics, and consumer devices.
Aeva aims to transform autonomy with its sensing and perception technology that integrates all key LiDAR components onto a silicon photonics chip in a compact module. Aeva 4D LiDAR sensors detect instant velocity in addition to 3D position – which they state is unique in the lidar space – allowing autonomous devices like vehicles and robots to make more intelligent and safe decisions.
“The ultimate goal of this partnership is for LG Innotek and Aeva to grow together as key players leading the next-generation LiDAR market through a long-term technology partnership that goes beyond the supply of products,” said Hyuksoo Moon, CEO of LG Innotek. He went on to add, “Starting with this collaboration with Aeva, LG Innotek will continue to expand its LiDAR product line-up, which delivers differentiated customer value, and further solidify its position in the global market as a total mobility solution provider for the future.”
Accelerating Aeva’s FMCW Perception Platform into Physical AI
This collaboration establishes the foundation to accelerate the adoption of Aeva’s FMCW-based perception platform into Physical AI—where intelligent systems equipped with sensors, processing, and AI software can perceive, understand and interact with the physical world in real time. By combining Aeva’s perception platform, consisting of its FMCW lidar-on-chip sensor, a custom processing System-on-Chip (SoC) and perception software, with LG Innotek’s global scale and cross-industry leadership, the two companies say they will develop new sensing and perception solutions. The partnership will advance the technology’s adoption in automotive and expand to additional sectors across the following markets.
Automotive: The collaboration will start in the automotive sector where LG Innotek will manufacture and supply to Aeva its Aeva Atlas™ Ultra 4D LiDAR sensor. This includes for Aeva’s previously announced development program with a top 10 global passenger OEM for multiple vehicle models across the OEM’s global production platform. LG Innotek is already a key supplier of optical sensing solutions for some of the world’s leading car makers.
Industrial Automation: Beyond automotive, Aeva and LG Innotek will co-develop new sensing and perception products for the industrial automation market for use across industrial equipment operating indoors and outdoors, combining Aeva’s FMCW platform with LG Innotek’s scale, resources, and deep experience in developing and manufacturing advanced electronics.
Robotics: LG Innotek is already a key supplier in optical and LiDAR sensing modules for the robotics sector, including next-generation humanoid robots from leading technology companies. Together, Aeva and LG Innotek will pursue opportunities to deliver next-generation perception systems for this fast-growing market.
Consumer Devices: LG Innotek is a supplier of advanced sensing and electronics components to some of the largest consumer electronics brands in the world. Aeva and LG Innotek plan to explore new product opportunities in emerging consumer applications such as smartphones, tablets, AR/VR headsets, smart appliances, and home robotics—areas where FMCW sensing can unlock significant new capabilities.
“LG Innotek is a global leader in cutting-edge technology components and their decision to collaborate with Aeva underscores the growing recognition of FMCW as the future of sensing and perception technology,” said Soroush Salehian, Co-founder and CEO at Aeva. “Together, we see a tremendous opportunity to bring Aeva’s perception platform to a wide range of applications—wherever machines need to perceive and understand their surroundings. By leveraging the unique capabilities of FMCW sensing and proprietary software, we can help machines see with greater precision and enable faster, safer, and more intelligent decision-making across industries.”
Aeva Day
Top leadership from LG Innotek including CEO Hyuksoo Moon, and CTO David Roh will join Aeva’s co-founders at Aeva Day on July 31 to discuss more details about the partnership. This website provides more information about the event.
Aeva Makes A Mark In On-Road Autonomy
Aeva has been working with a wide range of on-road autonomy providers over several years.
In 2023, May Mobility selected Aeva to be the exclusive supplier of long-range LiDAR sensors for May Mobility’s autonomous vehicles globally. The multi-year supply agreement provides 5-year volume commitments through 2028, with delivery starting this year and production ramping in 2025.
Earlier this year, Aeva announced that Swiss urban autonomy software provider Loxo has selected its long-range 4D LiDAR technology for integration into Loxo’s autonomous driving platform, Digital Driver. The partnership begins with the deployment of Aeva Atlas across Loxo’s delivery vehicle fleet, which is focused on middle and last-mile logistics.
Inyo Mobility is a deployer of urban transportation services in Europe. The Inyo CAB is a fully electric modular vehicle designed for sustainable, last-mile urban mobility, featuring a customizable interior, barrier-free access, and multiple autonomous and manually operated configurations for both passenger and cargo transport. Earlier this year, Inyo announced their selection of Aeva as the exclusive LiDAR supplier for its upcoming autonomous shuttle program. The partnership will integrate Aeva’s cutting-edge Aeva Atlas™ 4D LiDAR technology into Inyo’s autonomous vehicle platform, aiming to enhance safety, perception, and operational efficiency in complex urban environments.
Aeva sensors are very much in the truck autonomy game as well.
Earlier this month, Aeva announced an expanded partnership with Daimler Truck North America (DTNA) to advance the commercialization of autonomous vehicles through enhanced production of Aeva’s state-of-the-art 4D Atlas LiDAR technology. As part of the strengthened collaboration, DTNA is providing additional non-recurring funding to further support Aeva’s development as the company advances to series production. In response to the growing demand for Aeva’s 4D LiDAR, Aeva plans to increase its production capacity to up to 200,000 LiDAR units annually, with the goal of supporting multiple customers including Daimler Truck for production of advanced sensing in autonomous vehicle applications. This expanded partnership builds on the selection of Aeva as the production LiDAR supplier for Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, and its SAE Level 4 autonomous Freightliner Cascadia trucks. Marking a major milestone, the first autonomous-ready Cascadia trucks equipped with Aeva’s 4D LiDAR sensors are now operating on public roads in Texas.
Also, in 2021 Plus.ai announced that Aeva lidars would be the company’s choice for volume production of autonomous trucks. Plus is working with OEM partner TRATON for near-term launch of autonomous trucks, starting with TRATON subsidiary International Trucks in the U.S.
Aeva already has a significant footprint in on-road autonomy. With the LG Innotek partnership, their footprint is likely to grow substantially in the near term.
Disclosure: Richard Bishop is an Advisor to and/or an equity holder in the following companies mentioned in this article: Plus.
