3D Sensor Chip and Solutions Provider Adaps Photonics Closes Hundreds-of-Millions RMB C+ Round

Adaps Photonics, a provider of 3D sensor chips and solutions, recently completed a nine-figure RMB Series C+ funding round led by Cornerstone Capital and Guyujiahe Capital, among others. Gaorong Ventures led the company's Series B1 round in 2021 and continued to increase its stake in the Series C round.

Since its founding in 2018, Adaps Photonics has completed multiple funding rounds. The latest round once again validates the company's technical strength and future growth potential in the dToF space, and will help it further solidify its technology leadership while expanding commercial applications across more scenarios.

Mature 3D-Stacked dToF Chip Design and Process Capabilities

Three Complete Product Lines Launched

Adaps Photonics is one of the few companies globally with mature 3D-stacked dToF chip design and process capabilities. It has maintained an internationally leading position in high-PDE, high-performance SPAD device design and processing, achieving a photon detection efficiency (PDE) of 25% at 905nm wavelength. The company has filed over 100 patents domestically and internationally.

In product development, drawing on its deep understanding of 3D vision market demands, the company has launched three complete product lines: silicon photomultipliers (SiPM), single-photon imaging arrays (SPADIS) and dToF modules, and limited-point dToF chips and modules. These broadly cover applications including automotive LiDAR and smart cockpit sensing systems, smartphones, XR headsets, robots, smart home appliances, and smart buildings. Products have begun mass production and are gradually being adopted by downstream customers in automotive, consumer electronics, smart home, and industrial sectors. Single-point products have already achieved large-scale mass production and shipment in consumer devices such as hair dryers and smartphones, while SiPM products have completed automotive-grade mass production preparation.

dToF (direct Time of Flight) is a depth-sensing technology primarily used for distance measurement and 3D imaging. It works by emitting light pulses directly toward a target object and capturing the reflected pulses, calculating distance based on the time of flight. dToF offers excellent ranging capability and high integrability. Its low cost, low power consumption, and high reliability make it suitable for the vast majority of common platforms, from smartphones to automobiles and from home to industrial applications. It is expected to remain one of the mainstream depth-sensing technologies for the foreseeable future.

Accelerating dToF Applications in Automotive, Consumer Electronics, and XR

Following consumer electronics, automotive is poised to become the next major market for 3D sensing, and Adaps Photonics has been actively exploring dToF applications in automotive scenarios. Working with numerous automotive partners, the company has taken an early lead in deploying dToF in LiDAR, DMS sensors, and other in-vehicle devices, with commercialization progress ranking among the forefront of the market. Its products have been evaluated by multiple LiDAR manufacturers and achieved small-batch adoption. The company has also established strategic partnerships with upstream and downstream automotive enterprises to jointly advance the deployment of LiDAR in vehicles and accelerate the evolution of smart cars toward 3D perception.

At the same time, Adaps Photonics has accelerated its strategic layout in XR. As market interest in consumer-grade XR devices and smartphone-based AR/VR applications grows, dToF technology — with its superior 3D imaging capabilities — is seen as a potential catalyst for improving XR content and accelerating the adoption of consumer-grade XR. In 2022, Adaps Photonics partnered with Qualcomm and ArcSoft to integrate its Spot dToF chip into the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, successfully creating a new "Director Mode" on Android smartphones that enables fast focusing, optimization in complex lighting scenarios, focus switching, and focus tracking — significantly enhancing the video shooting experience for Android users. Going forward, Adaps Photonics and its partners will further deepen R&D collaboration on dToF integration into smartphone chips while actively expanding applications of this technology in the XR domain.

Moving ahead, the company will continue its in-depth multi-product-line strategy while accelerating the commercial deployment of dToF technology in automotive, consumer electronics, and XR, with the goal of growing into a leading international 3D sensor semiconductor company.