Himax Reports Quarterly Results

GlobeNewsWire: Himax reports its Q3 results and updates on its image sensor business:

"In smart phone application, Himax targets next generation Android smartphones and the Company is collaborating with leading laser and ToF sensor vendors to develop a new world-facing 3D sensing camera whereby it provides optical components and/or projectors which are critical for the performance of the whole ToF solution.

For non-smartphone 3D-sensing engagements where the Company provides a structured light-based 3D sensing total solution, its target markets range from smart door lock, facial recognition-based e-payment, business access control to biomedical inspection device. A number of recent design-wins will enter into mass production soon.

Alternatively, Himax also offers a market leading 3D decoder ASIC to those customers who wish to design their own structured light 3D sensing solution. Here the Company has had quite a few design-wins from customers targeting China’s vast e-payment market with some shipments already starting in the fourth quarter. The Company is also working with customers for industrial robotics, smart door lock and home security, all of which carry great potential for Himax’s 3D business in the future.

Ultralow power smart sensing

To further lower the technical barrier for using Himax’s WiseEye solution, the Company teamed up with a leading online store specialized in easy development tools for machine learning on edge devices. Himax is extremely excited about the rapid business progress and believes the Company’s WiseEye offerings will become a major contributor to its P&L in the near future.

CMOS Image Sensor

The Company continues to see extremely strong demands for its CMOS image sensors for IP camera and notebook, but its actual shipment has been badly capped by the foundry capacity available to it. Separately, Himax’s industry-first 2-in-1 CMOS image sensor that supports RGB mode for video conferencing and ultralow power AI mode for facial recognition has penetrated the laptop ecosystem for their most stylish super slim bezel designs. The Company expects to have small volume shipment toward late 2020 with more to come in next year.

Regarding ultralow power always-on CMOS image sensor, which targets in battery powered or always-on applications, Himax is getting promising feedback and design adoptions from customers in various markets, such as car recorders, surveillance, smart electric meters, drones, home appliances, and consumer electronics. In Q4, CIS revenue is expected to be flat sequentially although demand is much stronger than that. Again, its shipment is capped by foundry capacity constraint."