Mobileye to Shutter Lidar Development

Mobileye, a developer of autonomous driving and driver assistance technology, will end the internal development of next-generation frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidars for use in autonomous and highly automated driving systems. The company said the decision to end lidar development was based on multiple factors, including progress on its EyeQ6-based computer vision perception, increased clarity on the performance of its internally developed imaging radar, and continued better-than-expected cost reductions in third-party time-of-flight lidar units.

“As part of our regular review of the long-term technology roadmap, we now believe that the availability of next-generation FMCW lidar is less essential to our roadmap for eyes-off systems,” the company said in a statement.

Mobileye’s lidar R&D unit will wind down by the end of 2024, affecting about 100 employees. Operating expenses for the unit are expected to total around $60 million in 2024, including approximately $5 million related to share-based compensation expenses. While the move is not expected to have a material impact on the company’s results in 2024, it will result in the avoidance of lidar development spending in the future, the company said.

In terms of the company’s internal sensor development, Mobileye named imaging radar as a strategic priority, calling it a core building-block technology that is expected to drive competitive advantage for Mobileye-based eyes-off systems in terms of scalability, cost, and performance optimization.