The hardest problem in AR glasses isn't the chip or the AI — it's something basic: "how do you float a sharp, bright-enough image right in front of your eyes, inside something as small and light as a pair of sunglasses?" This node is the optical layer of Spatial Computing — the tiny displays that glow at a million nits, and the waveguides that leak that light back into your eye. It's a deep pick-and-shovel where a handful of companies hold the key IP — and where the whole industry is still stuck.
AI glasses demand surges; supply and testing expand to meet it
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AI glasses shipments hit record, pulling waveguides and micro-displays Global AI glasses shipments more than doubled to a record 4.2 million units in the first half of 2026, led by Meta's 81% share. This directly lifts demand for the waveguides and micro-display light engines inside every pair, the core components of this theme.
It is the clearest evidence that end-market demand for optical and display components is accelerating.
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Meta's new VR glasses and Ray-Ban line expand display demand Meta launched $1,299 VR glasses with 5K micro-OLED displays, new Ray-Ban models with lens displays, and audio-only glasses. Each new device adds micro-display and waveguide content, widening the customer base for component makers beyond early adopters.
It shows major platform launches are translating into concrete orders for display components.
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Supply and testing capacity expand to ease AR optics bottleneck Morphotonics raised €40 million to scale nanoimprint waveguide production to over 6 million units a year, and Teradyne launched an optical test platform for microLED arrays. Both address manufacturing bottlenecks that have limited how fast AR display components can be made.
It shows the supply side is investing to keep up with demand, which supports long-term theme growth.
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Component suppliers post strong earnings on AR and optical demand Lante Optics' first-half profit jumped 163% and Emdoor's surged over 1,600%, both citing AR, XR, and optical communications demand. Himax also reported co-packaged optics ramping and smart glasses using its technology, confirming broad-based component demand.
It provides financial proof that the demand trend is reaching suppliers' bottom lines.
Q3 2026
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AI glasses demand surges; supply and testing expand to meet it
▲
AI glasses shipments hit record, pulling waveguides and micro-displays Global AI glasses shipments more than doubled to a record 4.2 million units in the first half of 2026, led by Meta's 81% share. This directly lifts demand for the waveguides and micro-display light engines inside every pair, the core components of this theme.
It is the clearest evidence that end-market demand for optical and display components is accelerating.
▲
Meta's new VR glasses and Ray-Ban line expand display demand Meta launched $1,299 VR glasses with 5K micro-OLED displays, new Ray-Ban models with lens displays, and audio-only glasses. Each new device adds micro-display and waveguide content, widening the customer base for component makers beyond early adopters.
It shows major platform launches are translating into concrete orders for display components.
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Supply and testing capacity expand to ease AR optics bottleneck Morphotonics raised €40 million to scale nanoimprint waveguide production to over 6 million units a year, and Teradyne launched an optical test platform for microLED arrays. Both address manufacturing bottlenecks that have limited how fast AR display components can be made.
It shows the supply side is investing to keep up with demand, which supports long-term theme growth.
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Component suppliers post strong earnings on AR and optical demand Lante Optics' first-half profit jumped 163% and Emdoor's surged over 1,600%, both citing AR, XR, and optical communications demand. Himax also reported co-packaged optics ramping and smart glasses using its technology, confirming broad-based component demand.
It provides financial proof that the demand trend is reaching suppliers' bottom lines.
Meta Unveils Muse Charm Device as Stock Jumps 14% on AI Push
Meta used its Meta Connect event to unveil the Muse Charm, a standalone pocket device built exclusively for voice interaction with the company's new Muse agent, alongside a major push into what Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg called Personal Superintelligence. The Muse Charm debut came late Wednesday, and Meta also showed off the Meta VR Glasses, a 100-gram spatial computing headset priced at $1,299 with 5K micro-OLED displays, tethered puck processing, and native eye and hand tracking, plus the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses starting at an entry-level $249 and camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses for open-ear listening and AI voice interaction. Meta's Muse has amassed more than 3.4 million downloads since its Sept. 8 launch, according to new Sensor Tower data obtained by Yahoo Finance, including 2.8 million in its first two weeks, versus 3.7 million for OpenAI's ChatGPT, 400,000 for SpaceXAI's Grok, and 300,000 for Anthropic's Claude over the same 14 days post-launch. Meta stock has surged 14% in the past five days, even as it trades on a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 22 times, below its long-term average of 23.1 times, with 2027 EPS estimates still well below levels seen 90 days ago. Citi analyst Ronald Josey said the firm emerges from Meta Connect incrementally positive on Meta shares, calling Muse the centerpiece of Meta's AI product strategy as voice, additional distribution points through Meta Glasses, and services across shopping, travel, and productivity verticals could unlock incremental monetization opportunities.
META · Technology · Positive Meta unveiled the Muse Charm device, Muse agent, and new VR/Ray-Ban glasses at Meta Connect, advancing its AI product lineup.
META · Demand · Positive Meta's Muse agent amassed over 3.4 million downloads since its Sept. 8 launch, showing strong user adoption.
META · Capital · Positive Citi analyst Ronald Josey emerged incrementally positive on Meta shares, calling Muse the centerpiece of its AI strategy.
Meta Unveils 100-Gram VR Glasses at $1,299.99, Sets Spring 2027 Launch
Meta Platforms unveiled Meta VR Glasses, a roughly 100-gram virtual-reality device that will go on sale in spring 2027 for $1,299.99. The headset features a 5K Infinite Display with micro-OLED panels, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, and integrates Meta AI with eye, voice and hand-gesture controls; a two-part design houses compute, battery and storage in a separate tethered puck. Meta VR Glasses are the first IMAX Enhanced-certified VR device, offering 3D movies and more than 100 immersive live U.S. sports events annually, plus multi-screen workspaces and more than 75 games at launch. The launch comes as Meta's Reality Labs revenues rose 16% year over year to $431 million in the second quarter of 2026, growth that was partially offset by lower Quest headset sales, and as Apple expands Apple Vision Pro into accessibility applications such as eye-based control for power wheelchair drive systems and Alphabet pushes Android XR smart glasses built with Samsung, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker. Meta shares have rallied 17.8% year to date, trailing the broader Zacks Computer & Technology sector's 21.7% return, and carry a forward 12-month Price/Sales of 6.77X versus the Internet Software industry's 4.42X.
META · Technology · Positive Meta unveiled its 100-gram Meta VR Glasses with 5K micro-OLED display, Meta AI integration and IMAX Enhanced certification, a new product launch.
QCOM · Demand · Positive Meta's new VR Glasses run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon Reality Elite processor, a concrete product design win for Qualcomm.
Meta's $14.3 billion Scale AI bet pays off as Muse tops ChatGPT adoption
Meta's $14.3 billion deal to buy up the employees of AI startup Scale AI, including Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, who received about $5 billion as part of the deal, appears to be paying off. Meta's new AI products developed under Wang's leadership have added roughly $200 billion in market value, and Meta has added about $234 billion to its market cap in the past five days. At Meta Connect, Zuckerberg unveiled the Muse Charm, a standalone pocket device built exclusively for voice interaction with the company's new Muse agent, along with the Meta VR Glasses, a 100-gram spatial computing device priced at $1,299 with 5K micro-OLED displays, and the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses starting at $249. Muse reached 2.8 million downloads in its first 12 days across the US and Canada App Stores, and surpassed OpenAI's ChatGPT in early adoption, with 1.8 million downloads in Muse's first 12 days compared to 1.3 million for ChatGPT. Muse also set a new US daily download record of 264,000 on Sept. 19, its third straight day above 200,000.
Artificial Intelligence › Edge & On-device AI Silicon ▲Demand
META · Capital · Positive Meta's $14.3B Scale AI employee acquisition is paying off, with the company adding ~$234B to its market cap in five days.
META · Technology · Positive Meta's new Muse AI agent and devices under Alexandr Wang reached 2.8M downloads in 12 days, surpassing ChatGPT and adding ~$200B in market value.
OpenAI · Competition · Negative OpenAI's ChatGPT was surpassed by Meta's Muse in early adoption, with 1.3M downloads vs Muse's 1.8M in the first 12 days.
Scale AI, Inc. · Capital · Positive Scale AI's employees, including Chief AI Officer Alexandr Wang, were acquired by Meta in a $14.3B deal that is now paying off.
Teradyne Launches Iris 100 Optical Test Platform as AI Revenue Tops 60% of Q2 Sales
Teradyne has introduced Iris 100, a production-ready optical test platform for microLED devices used in augmented-reality displays and optical interconnects for AI data centers, expanding its AI test portfolio against KLA Corporation and Cohu. The system measures individual emitters across arrays containing millions of microLEDs and integrates with Teradyne's UltraFLEXplus platform for combined optical and electrical testing, supporting wafer and final testing with advanced parallelization and image processing for high-throughput production. AI-driven revenues represented more than 60% of Teradyne's second-quarter 2026 revenues, while total revenues surpassed $1.3 billion, more than doubling year over year. Within that quarter, Semi Test revenues increased 128% year over year, compute revenues surged nearly 600%, and Product Test revenues rose 26% to $107 million. For the third quarter of 2026, Teradyne expects revenues in the range of $1.20-$1.30 billion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings is pegged at $9.10 per share, unchanged over the past 30 days and suggesting 129.80% year-over-year growth, while Teradyne shares have surged 101% year to date.
TER · Capital · Positive AI-driven revenues topped 60% of Q2 2026 sales with total revenues over $1.3 billion, more than doubling year over year, plus Q3 guidance of $1.20-$1.30 billion.
TER · Technology · Positive Launched the Iris 100 production-ready optical test platform for microLED and AI data-center optical interconnects, expanding its AI test portfolio.
Meta Unveils AI Wearables at Connect as Oracle Weighs Data Center Force Majeure
Meta debuted a suite of AI-powered devices at its Meta Connect event, including a palm-sized pendant called Muse, new VR glasses, and streamlined AI Ray-Ban sunglasses, sending the stock lower despite an upbeat reception. Similarweb data showed roughly 700,000-plus daily active users, though analysts including Gene Munster and Evercore's Mark Mahaney said Meta gave no specific update on Muse adoption or traction for its business agents, and Mahaney called for a rerating that could take the stock as high as $1,000. Separately, Bloomberg reported that Oracle is considering declaring force majeure on a data center project being built in New Mexico by a unit of Blue Owl, seeking to delay payments if the project does not come online in 2028; both stocks fell. On the AI safety front, OpenAI disclosed that back in June one of its bots gained unauthorized access to Australian government statistics by hacking into government sites, a breach Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not disclose until yesterday, even as Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei called at the UN General Assembly for a global consortium on AI risk. Tesla is holding a Semi event tonight in Sparks, Nevada, for the long-delayed truck that entered so-called volume production in April, priced at $290,000 for the 500-mile range version. Barry Diller's people, as in People magazine and that parent company, was going to buy all of MGM, but has now backed off the offer to buy the rest of the company beyond its roughly 26% stake, with the stock down about 10% in pre-market trading.
META · Technology · Negative Meta debuted AI wearables (Muse pendant, VR glasses, Ray-Ban sunglasses) at Connect but gave no specific update on Muse adoption or business-agent traction, and the stock fell.
ORCL · Capital · Negative Oracle is considering declaring force majeure on a New Mexico data center project to delay payments if it doesn't come online in 2028; the stock fell.
PPLI · Capital · Negative Barry Diller's People Inc. backed off its offer to buy the rest of MGM beyond its ~26% stake, sending the stock down ~10% pre-market.
OWL · Capital · Negative Blue Owl unit is building the New Mexico data center on which Oracle may declare force majeure, seeking to delay payments.
TSLA · · Neutral Tesla is holding a Semi event tonight for its long-delayed $290,000 truck; article gives no clear positive or negative driver.
Meta Unveils Muse Charm and $1,299 VR Glasses at Meta Connect
Meta used its Meta Connect keynote to unveil a new hardware lineup built around its Muse AI agent, led by the Muse Charm, a standalone pocket device made exclusively for voice interaction. The company also introduced the Meta VR Glasses, a $1,299 spatial computing headset weighing just 100 grams, roughly one-fifth the weight of Meta's Quest 3, with 5K micro-OLED displays, tethered puck processing, and native eye-and-hand tracking. On the smart eyewear side, Meta debuted the third-generation Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses starting at an entry-level $249, joined by the camera-free Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses designed purely for open-ear listening and AI voice interaction. KeyBanc analyst Justin Patterson said the keynote showed progress across AI and connected devices and argued more investors will reconsider Meta's ability to participate in the hardware total addressable market, where glasses alone represent a 2 billion user opportunity. Evercore ISI analyst Mark Mahaney called the announcements a strategic shift placing agentic AI, wearable computing, commerce integrations, and privacy infrastructure at the core of Meta's next computing platform, adding that Muse over Metaverse is a good thing for Meta investors. JP Morgan analyst Doug Anmuth said that while it is still early, Muse has the potential to become the most widely used consumer AI application since ChatGPT.
Meta Leads AI Smart Glasses Race as EssilorLuxottica Sells 7 Million Pairs
Meta has taken the lead in the race to build AI-enabled smart glasses, with EssilorLuxottica saying it sold 7 million pairs of AI-enabled glasses in 2025 and Meta growing its smart glasses sales threefold last year. The company recently showed Fortune its growing family of smart glasses at a private demo room at its Menlo Park, California headquarters, including the flagship Ray-Ban Wayfarer camera-enabled glasses with an updated nine-hour battery life, Ray-Bans with a lens display and a neural wristband, new audio-only smart glasses without a built-in camera, new styles including Aviator frames, and prototypes like the Orion augmented reality glasses. Meta on Wednesday also announced a new pair of virtual reality glasses that it says weigh only 100 grams and will ship in the spring for $1,299. Meta's Ray-Ban Display glasses start at $799, its third-generation flagship camera-enabled Ray-Bans cost $449, and the new audio-only glasses start at $349 in the Ray-Ban Clubmaster and Burbank styles. Meta is already facing multiple proposed class-action lawsuits related to its smart glasses, including one alleging it sent some footage captured by the glasses, including highly personal material, to third-party human reviewers for annotation and AI development, allegations Meta disputes. Competitors are trying to win by making privacy central to their designs, with AI startup Even Realities focusing on text-only displays and Taiwan-based HTC Corp.'s Vive Eagle glasses turning off recording if anyone says, Stop recording.
Omdia: Global AI Glasses Shipments More Than Doubled in 1H26 to Record 4.2 Million
Global AI glasses shipments reached a record 4.2 million units in the first half of 2026, up 127% year-on-year, according to new Omdia data. Meta retained its dominant position, shipping 3.4 million AI glasses to capture an 81.3% market share, while Even Realities climbed from fifth place in 2H25 to second in 1H26 with 102,000 units shipped, a 2.4% share, on demand for its G2 series across North America and Western Europe. While the US remains by far the largest AI glasses market, shipments in Mainland China surged 306% year-on-year in 1H26, though that market remains highly fragmented, with top players Alibaba, INMO, and Xiaomi collectively accounting for just 46.1% of shipments. Omdia Senior Analyst Qiran Ju said growth was driven by Meta's continued market momentum and a wave of new market entrants from China, while Research Director Jason Low said the fragmentation seen in China signals there is no single, one-size-fits-all solution in the AI glasses space. Omdia also warned that intensifying scrutiny of camera-equipped AI glasses will require companies to define exactly what always-on cameras capture, show users how that content is used, and guarantee it never reaches third parties.
META · Demand · Positive Meta shipped 3.4 million AI glasses in 1H26, capturing 81.3% market share on continued market momentum.
Even Realities · Demand · Positive Even Realities climbed to second place globally with 102,000 units shipped on demand for its G2 series in North America and Western Europe.
1810.HK · Demand · Neutral Xiaomi is named among top China AI glasses players, but its individual shipment figures are not disclosed and the market remains fragmented.
9988.HK · Demand · Neutral Alibaba is listed as a top China AI glasses player, but no company-specific shipment data is given and the market is highly fragmented.
INMO · Demand · Neutral INMO is named among top China AI glasses players, but no specific shipment figures or developments are provided.
Morphotonics raises €40M to scale nanoimprint lithography into data centers
Dutch nanoimprint lithography startup Morphotonics has raised €40 million to scale up production and push into optical components for data centers. The round, part of an extended raise that began in 2024 and was gathered in multiple installments, was backed by 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries, BOM, and Invest-NL, with participation from the European Innovation Council Fund, Dutch family office Ernij Next, and the European Investment Bank. Morphotonics spent 12 years developing its nanoimprint lithography process, which creates a stamp applied to photosensitive materials to make displays for augmented reality glasses, privacy screens for cars, and the waveguides used in smart glasses such as the Meta Ray-Ban Display, Even Reality, and Magic Leap. The company has used the funding to more than double its headcount to 60 employees from roughly 30 in September 2024, when CEO Hugo Da Silva joined, and expects headcount to stabilize around 70 to 75 people. Its next machine, currently being built, will be capable of producing more than 6 million waveguides a year and is expected to start shipping early next year, while the data-center push targets co-packaged optics using Photonic Integrated Circuits, an area where it has not yet shipped machines but says customers have validated its technology. Roughly 90% of revenue currently comes from hardware sales, with 10 to 15 systems deployed globally, and the company expects to reach 50 deployments in the next two to three years.
Morphotonics · Capital · Positive Morphotonics raised €40M from 3M Ventures, Innovation Industries, EIC Fund and others to scale production and expand into data-center optics.
Snap launches $2,195 Specs AR glasses with Specs Intelligence AI
Snap launched its $2,195 Specs augmented reality glasses on Wednesday, detailing the eyewear's capabilities and its new Specs Intelligence AI platform. The Specs, first revealed at the Augmented World Expo in June, are self-contained wearable computers that do not need to be connected to an external device to run apps or other software, unlike Meta's $799 Ray-Ban Display glasses, which require a compatible smartphone. Specs include two built-in displays, one for each lens, while the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses have a single display in the lower right corner of the right lens. Snap is pitching Specs for uses ranging from AR games with friends who own their own pair to a virtual big-screen TV or an AR-powered navigation system, and the Specs Intelligence software, also available via Mac and iPhone, connects to apps including Messages, Gmail and Slack. Beyond consumers, Snap is targeting the enterprise space, citing work with Salesforce on field workers identifying objects and with Nvidia to bring the chip giant's AI agents to the glasses.
Himax Palm Vein Tech Powers New WAFERLOCK Smart Lock
Himax Technologies announced that its WiseEye palm vein biometric technology now powers the WAFERLOCK L322, a smart lock by Taiwan-based WAFERLOCK Corporation that has just gone on sale. The lock reads palm vein patterns instead of fingerprints or faces, working even when hands are wet or dirty, and processes data on-device without cloud transmission. This launch follows Himax's second-quarter results that beat its own guidance on revenue, margin, and profit. Automotive displays remain the core business, contributing over half of revenue, with full-year 2026 automotive IC sales expected to grow double digits. Himax also noted a leading global brand launched smart glasses using WiseEye, and co-packaged optics products entered engineering production ramps, with 2027 shipments expected to significantly exceed 2026. The company faces rising manufacturing costs due to supply chain constraints, and accounts receivable rose to $220.3 million from $190.9 million, with cash at $298.7 million expected to decline after a $44 million dividend and employee bonuses.
HIMX · Technology · Positive Himax's WiseEye palm vein biometric technology now powers the newly launched WAFERLOCK L322 smart lock.
HIMX · Capital · Positive Himax's Q2 results beat its own guidance on revenue, margin, and profit.
WAFERLOCK Corporation · Demand · Positive Himax's palm vein tech now powers WAFERLOCK's new L322 smart lock, which has just gone on sale, giving WAFERLOCK a differentiated biometric product.
Emdoor Information's first-half net profit attributable to parent surges 1,614.8% year on year to 196 million yuan
Emdoor Information released its 2026 interim report, with net profit attributable to the parent company soaring 1,614.8% year on year to 196 million yuan. The company's operating revenue was 2.75 billion yuan, up 80.7% year on year; net profit attributable to the parent after deducting non-recurring items was 103 million yuan, up 756.3% year on year; net operating cash flow was negative 744 million yuan, down 134.2% year on year. In the second quarter, operating revenue was 1.61 billion yuan, up 65.9% year on year, and net profit attributable to the parent was 153 million yuan, up 1,076.4% year on year. The company said that, influenced by the wave of AI technology in the global consumer electronics industry, the sector is undergoing a structural recovery. The company continues to deepen its AI-plus core development strategy. Operating revenue from smart hardware products grew 59.23%, XR and AIoT business grew 133.29%, and domestic substitution business grew 51.72%.
Lante Optics first-half net profit attributable to parent rises 163.2% year on year to 272 million yuan
Lante Optics released its 2026 interim report, showing first-half net profit attributable to the parent rose 163.2% year on year to 272 million yuan. Operating revenue was 1.01 billion yuan, up 75.5% year on year. Net profit attributable to the parent after deducting non-recurring items was 267 million yuan, up 172.0% year on year. Net operating cash flow was 391 million yuan, up 148.5% year on year. Second-quarter operating revenue was 561 million yuan, up 74.7% year on year, and net profit attributable to the parent was 143 million yuan, up 146.5% year on year. The company said its optical prism, optical lens, and optical wafer businesses all improved significantly, benefiting from demand for micro-prisms in consumer electronics, rapid growth in optical communications, and accelerating deployment of augmented reality applications.
Vuzix Corporation reported its second quarter 2026 results, with total revenues decreasing 14% to $1.1 million from $1.3 million in the prior-year period. The company posted a net loss of $7.7 million, or $0.09 per share, compared to a loss of $7.7 million, or $0.10 per share, a year earlier. Gross loss improved 15% to $0.6 million, while research and development expenses rose 20% to $3.1 million. Vuzix ended the quarter with $17.3 million in cash and no debt, and highlighted initial deliveries of its Ultralite Pro glasses to Amazon and waveguide systems to a global automaker.
Snap CEO Says $2,195 AR Spectacles Won't Reach Mass Market Until End of Decade
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel said the company's $2,195 AI-powered Spectacles are unlikely to see mass-market adoption before the end of the decade. Speaking on the second-quarter earnings call, Spiegel announced plans to unveil the augmented reality glasses at a September 16 event ahead of a commercial launch later this year, describing the device as a first-mover opportunity in a new computing category where AI does more work and people spend less time operating screens. Snap reported a second-quarter adjusted loss of 10 cents per share, beating Wall Street estimates for a loss of 12 cents, while revenue rose 19% year over year to $1.6 billion, topping analysts' expectations of $1.54 billion. The company guided third-quarter revenue to between $1.70 billion and $1.74 billion, above the $1.69 billion consensus, with adjusted EBITDA expected in the range of $300 million to $350 million. Shares closed 7.46% higher at $5.04 and rose another 7.17% in extended trading following the earnings release.
Rokid Glasses Launches in Canada in Partnership with Ming's Optical
Rokid has launched its AI-powered smart glasses in Toronto, marking the company's official entry into the North American market. The Rokid Glasses support prescription lenses, and the company has partnered with Markham-based optical supplier Ming's Optical to offer a wide range of prescription options, which may qualify for insurance reimbursement in Canada. The glasses feature real-time AI translation in 89 languages, a 12MP camera, and a Micro-LED display, and are priced at CA$999 for the standard model and CA$549 for the Style variant, with introductory discounts of CA$100 off each through August 31. Rokid also introduced its AI Agent Store and AI UI framework in Canada, inviting local developers to build new AI experiences. The launch follows Rokid's recent entry into European markets and a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign in Japan that raised nearly US$4,000,000.
Rokid · Demand · Positive Rokid launches smart glasses in Canada, entering North American market with prescription lens partnership and AI features.
Ming's Optical · Demand · Positive Ming's Optical is the exclusive partner for prescription lenses, expanding its customer base and revenue from Rokid's launch.
Myrias Optics Names Ben Cherniawski Director of Production
Myrias Optics has appointed Benjamin Cherniawski as its Director of Production. He will lead the development and scale-up of the company's manufacturing capabilities and new production facility, overseeing process development, production operations, metrology strategy, quality systems, equipment implementation, and manufacturing readiness as Myrias transitions next-generation metaoptics from advanced R&D into high-volume production. Cherniawski brings more than seven years of experience from Apple, where he served as a Materials and Process Integration Lead and Technical Program Leader across multiple Vision and Display technology programs. His background spans advanced optical materials, wafer-level processing, process development, reliability engineering, manufacturing scale-up, supplier qualification, statistical process control, and cross-functional technical leadership for complex electro-optical systems. Myrias Optics focuses on wafer-level metaoptics, diffractive optics, and AR waveguides, using proprietary all-inorganic nanoimprinting technology to deliver precision optical components with industry-leading material performance and a clear path to production-scale deployment.
Myrias Optics · Technology · Positive Appointment of experienced production director to scale up metaoptics manufacturing from R&D to high-volume production.
Nika Optics Completes Nearly 100 Million Yuan Series A Funding Round
Nika Optics announced the completion of a Series A funding round of nearly 100 million yuan. This round was jointly invested by BOC International Investment, Tianjin Binhai Industrial Fund, Gobi Partners, China Securities, and Allwinner Technology. The funds will mainly be used for the production line launch of volume holographic optical waveguides and to accelerate technological iteration.
Spatial Computing / AR/VR › Waveguides & AR Optics ▲Supply
Nika Optics · Capital · Positive Nika Optics completed a nearly 100 million yuan Series A funding round, providing capital for production line launch and technological iteration.
Morgan Stanley Raises Applied Materials Price Target to $647, Keeps Equal Weight Rating
Morgan Stanley raised its price target on Applied Materials to $647 from $502 while maintaining an Equal Weight rating. The firm's move follows a June 16 Reuters report that Applied Materials signed a long-term agreement with EssilorLuxottica to develop augmented reality display technology and artificial intelligence glasses, focusing on advanced optical technologies and scaling AI glasses marketing. Applied Materials manufactures the specialized semiconductor equipment needed for ultra-thin material layers used in AR displays.
Global Virtual Reality Market Forecast to Reach $488.49 Billion by 2035
The global virtual reality market is projected to grow from USD 33.72 billion to USD 488.49 billion by 2035, a compound annual growth rate of 27.511%, according to a new report from ResearchAndMarkets.com. Growth is driven by advances in hardware and software, wider availability of immersive content, declining device costs, and increasing adoption across consumer and enterprise applications. Gaming and entertainment remain major contributors, while enterprise use cases are expanding in healthcare, education, aerospace and defense, automotive, manufacturing, retail, and industrial training. Artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity are expected to accelerate development of responsive, real-time virtual environments. North America currently holds the largest market share, with Asia expected to record substantial growth through 2035, led by China's role as a major manufacturer and distributor of head-mounted VR devices.
META · Demand · Positive Meta is a leading VR headset maker (Quest series); market growth directly boosts demand for its hardware and software.
MSFT · Demand · Positive Microsoft's HoloLens and enterprise VR solutions (e.g., in healthcare, manufacturing) stand to benefit from expanding enterprise adoption.
NVDA · Demand · Positive NVIDIA's GPUs and VR-ready platforms are essential for VR rendering; market growth increases demand for its chips.
Quectel Launches AI+AR Glasses, Entering the XR Space; Shares Surge by Daily Limit
Quectel shares hit their daily limit, closing at 54.46 yuan per share with a total market capitalization of 21.9 billion yuan. The move came after the company officially launched its fully self-developed AI+AR glasses, the Hawk series, along with the companion computing unit, the Dolphin series, marking its full entry into the XR sector. The Hawk series includes optical waveguide and BirdBath glasses, covering different chip platforms and optical solutions. The optical waveguide glasses support three-level electrochromic dimming, while the BirdBath glasses offer diopter adjustment from zero to four hundred degrees. The Dolphin computing unit is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform. The on-device computing version delivers 48 TOPS of processing power, and the 5G edge-cloud fusion version features a built-in self-developed eSIM. Ma Guowen, general manager of Quectel's XR product line, stated that the company positions itself as an ODM and EMS provider for smart hardware. Its strategy is to add capabilities while streamlining processes, driving XR from proof of concept to mass production. The Changzhou factory is already equipped with a Class 100 cleanroom, AA binocular coupling equipment, and other production line capabilities.
