Huanwei Microelectronics Completes Series A Round to Accelerate Low-Power UWB Chip Market Expansion and Mass Production
Accelerate adoption in smartphones, automotive, and industrial IoT applications.
On July 28, MKSemi, a low-power UWB (ultra-wideband) chip design company, announced the completion of its Series A funding round. The round totaled approximately RMB 80 million, led by China Merchants Capital, with participation from Shengang Investment, Ivy Capital, Luminous Ventures, Gaorong Ventures, and Kuaichuangying Venture Capital. Gaorong Ventures had previously participated in MKSemi's Pre-A round in 2020 and co-led its Pre-A+ round.
The proceeds will be used for market expansion and mass production of its first-generation UWB product, the MK8000, as well as talent acquisition and R&D for its second-generation UWB product.
Developing Highly Integrated, Ultra-Low-Power UWB Solutions
Founded in June 2019, MKSemi is led by several senior experts in mixed-signal design and focuses on UWB chip and solution development.
Based on MKSemi's UWB technology, the MK8000 chip integrates ranging and angle measurement, active radar, high-speed data transmission, and networking capabilities — making it the most highly integrated UWB solution in the industry. Its ultra-low-power design significantly extends battery life in electronic products, enabling multi-function UWB in wireless sensor products with extremely strict size constraints.
Advancing Applications in Smartphones, Automotive, and Industrial IoT
UWB technology originated in the 1960s and gained new momentum in the second half of 2019 when it was integrated into Apple's ecosystem across iPhones, Apple Watches, smart speakers, and computers. According to market research firm ABI Research, the UWB industry is growing rapidly. Shipments of products with built-in UWB technology are expected to increase from 143 million units in 2020 to 1.3 billion by 2026.
"Right now, a new ecosystem centered on smartphone and automotive applications is taking shape, and the UWB market is in a period of incubation and growth. Additionally, UWB is expanding into new applications in traditional industrial sectors," said Yifeng Zhang, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of MKSemi. "MKSemi is actively working closely with customers in smartphones, automotive, and industrial IoT to accelerate adoption of our first-generation product, the MK8000, across these fields."
