HELLA and AEye seek to extend collaboration for sensing and perception solutions for ADAS and Automated Driving

Lippstadt / Las Vegas, January 8, 2019. HELLA, one of the world's leading automotive suppliers for lighting and electronics, and AEye, a world leader in artificial perception systems and the developer of iDAR™, seek to extend their strategic partnership to deliver customized sensing and perception solutions for ADAS and Automated Driving (AD) based on AEye’s iDAR technology. Both parties will combine their complementary know-how and capabilities in their respective domains.

AEye’s iDAR artificial perception system leads the industry in range and scan rate performance for automotive-grade LiDAR. iDAR is a new form of intelligent data collection that fuses 1550 nanometer (nm), solid-state agile LiDAR with a low-light HD camera and embedded AI to intelligently capture data at the sensor level. HELLA will bring in its high competence in the field of embedded software and image processing as well as its automotive experience and industrialization capabilities along the entire supply chain to leverage and extend this platform. This joint development effort will bring best-in-class Level 3 ADAS solutions to global automotive OEMs. AEye and HELLA will be demonstrating first results of their already existing cooperation at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, January 8th to 11th, 2019 (Booth #2100, Westgate Convention Center).

"HELLA is an ideal strategic partner for AEye as we look to ramp production capabilities to meet the demand of our OEM partners," said Blair LaCorte, President of AEye. "HELLA has an excellent track record working with automotive OEMs, and I anticipate great synergies as we look to roll out next generation perception capabilities that meet their needs both today, and in the future."

Frank Petznick, responsible for Automated Driving at HELLA, says: "HELLA is actively promoting the trend towards AD. The collaboration with AEye will provide us with additional opportunities to catalyze new functionality for ADAS and AD solutions that will redefine performance."

In December, Hella Ventures became a major shareholder of AEye as part of its $40M Series B round of financing. The first joint development project will start immediately, with the objective of a SOP in 2022.