Mobileye to shutter lidar development unit; will impact 100 jobs
Sept 9 (Reuters) -Self-driving tech firm Mobileye MBLY.O said on Monday it will stop the development of a type of sensor technology that helps detect objects and their distance as the Israeli company streamlines operations amid an uncertain demand environment.
The decision to end the internal development of next-generation frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) lidars will not impact any customer product programs or product development in general, according to Mobileye.
The company will wind down the R&D unit that works on light detection and ranging, or lidar, by the end of 2024, affecting about 100 employees. Mobileye employed a total of 3,700 people globally as of Dec. 30, 2023.
Operating expenses for the lidar R&D unit are expected to be about $60 million in 2024, the company said.
"This decision was based on a variety of factors, including substantial progress on our EyeQ6-based computer vision perception, increased clarity on the performance of our internally developed imaging radar," according to Mobileye.
Continued better-than-expected cost reductions in third-party time-of-flight lidar units also contributed to the decision to shutter internal FMCW lidar development, the company added.
Closing of the unit is not expected to have a material impact on the company's results in 2024, Mobileye said. The company cut its annual revenue and profit forecasts last month, slammed by volatile demand for its driver-assistance chips in China.
In March, the company said it would shut its aftermarket solutions unit that provides retrofitted advanced driver assistance technology, affecting about 130 employees.
Mobileye will continue to develop its in-house imaging radar, which is on schedule to enter production next year, the company added.
Last week, Bloomberg News reported that chipmaker Intel INTC.O was looking to sell a part of its stake in Mobileye.
Reporting by Arsheeya Bajwa in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.