Yamato Holdings Corporation (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Yutaka Nagao) has made an additional investment through the “KURONEKO Innovation Fund” in SiLC Technologies, Inc: (headquartered in the United States; hereinafter “SiLC Technologies”), a developer of IC chip-type LiDAR (lidar) using opto-semiconductor technology.

SiLC Technologies has developed an IC chip type LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) that utilizes opto-semiconductor technology to precisely measure the distance to an object and its instantaneous speed by irradiating a laser beam onto the object and observing the reflected light. chip type LiDAR boasts a high competitive advantage in terms of sensor performance, IC chip integration technology, and manufacturing know-how.

The company has also begun offering a sample product incorporating this technology, the EyeonicTM Vision Sensor*1, to customers in a wide range of industries. It is expected to be used in a wide range of fields, including surveillance cameras, industrial robots, automatic driving and ADAS*2, and consumer devices for AR/VR.

The KURONEKO Innovation Fund has again recognized the versatility of SiLC Technologies’ technology, the breadth of its target market, and its high competitive advantage, and has made an additional investment in the company. Going forward, the Yamato Group will continue to introduce SiLC Technologies’ technology into its initiatives.

*1 A module equipped with an IC chip type LiDAR that realizes low-cost, compact size and low power consumption, and can precisely measure the distance to an object and its speed.

*2 Abbreviation for Advanced Driver Assistance System. An advanced driver assistance system.