In expanding its semiconductor ecosystem, Huawei reportedly has newly invested in China's VCSEL startup Vertilite through its investment arm Hubble Technology Investment seeking to develop its own VCSEL supply capability, according to industry sources.
Over the past year, Hubble has been active investing in startups in the fields of third-generation semiconductors, power management chips, and RF filters, with most of the startups still in direct competition with Huawei's supply chain partners, the sources said.
The VCSEL chips used in Huawei's Mate 30 Pro handsets reportedly are supplied by Vertilite and Lumentum.
Vertilite founder Chen Xiaochi has said that his company has moved to build a 6-inch epitaxial wafer production line after completing its B round fundraising, which will make it China's first 6-inch line for producing core optoelectronics components.
Many other Chinese firms have stepped up their deployments in the VCSEL segment, now still dominated by international IDMs in the US, Japan and Europe. Xiamen Changelight, for instance, announced in late 2018 an investment of CNY1.6 billion (US$225.79 milion) in VCSEL R&D and production, while Sanan Optoelectronics announced in May 2020 it had reached an agreement with a key client for contract production of VCSEL devices.
Article translated by Willis Ke
