Founded in 2010 as China's first high-tech enterprise dedicated to developing civil millimeter wave radar MMIC (monolithic microwave integrated circuit), IMsemi Technology, headquartered in the country's southeast port city of Xiamen, has seen its products widely adopted by famous firms engaged in the fields of in-vehicle radars, drone radars, intelligent transportation radars, and security radars, according to company CEO and CTO Yang Shoujun.
In November 2018, Yang said, IMsemi released a 24GHz mmWave radar single-chip, dubbed SG24TR14 MMIC that can transmit one signal and receive four simultaneously. The company has delivered volume shipments of SG24T1/SG24R1 chipsets and SG24TR12 single-chip that can transmit one signal and receive two simultaneously to China clients in related fields.
The mmWave radar technology is expected to be increasingly applied to smart vehicles now under rapid development in many countries, Yang said, adding that, however, it will take at least 3-5 years for the technology to see explosive growth in demand from the autonomous driving sector.
Yang continued that mmWave radar technology also enjoys great potentials in many vertical application areas including IoT, smart city, smart home and other consumer electronics fields, which will provide new business opportunities for China's mmWave radar solutions providers.
To better explore the opportunities, IMsemi will leverage its software and hardware integration prowess to provide mmWave radar solutions carrying higher performance-price ratios. Besides offering high-performance chips, the company will also move to provide better algorithms catering to diverse applications, Yang indicated.
Yang also noted that since its inception some nine years ago, the company has won solid policy support from the local government in Xiamen, where complete semiconductor industry chains have been established, covering materials, design, fabrication, packaging and testing segments.
Yang continued that through the support of the government-funded Xiamen IC Design Public Service Platform, IMsemi has created a platform dedicated to testing and developing mmWave radar chips and systems.
In its Round A strategic fundraising program in 2017, IMsemi won significant financial backings from China Baoan Group and BAIC Capital, allowing the company to quickly develop diverse mmWave radar chip solutions and radar systems, according to Yang.
Article translated by Willis Ke
