LightIC Technologies has announced a new frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) LiDAR platform designed to significantly reduce cost, size, and power consumption for automotive and robotic applications. The development follows a strategic partnership with automotive semiconductor company indie, integrating indie’s iND83301 system-on-chip (SoC) into LightIC’s silicon photonics–based FMCW LiDAR architecture.
The completed reference design replaces traditional FPGA-based processing with indie’s dedicated LiDAR SoC. According to the companies, this shift delivers major improvements in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C), addressing long-standing barriers to FMCW LiDAR commercialization. The integrated platform achieves up to an 80 percent reduction in power consumption compared with existing FPGA-based solutions, while also lowering overall system costs. The smaller footprint of the iND83301 reduces total system size by about 40 percent, expanding deployment options across automotive, robotics, and emerging humanoid platforms.
“FMCW LiDAR has long been recognized for its advantages in long range, point-by-point velocity measurement, and sunlight immunity, but system-level complexity has limited adoption,” said Jie Sun, CEO of LightIC Technologies. “By integrating indie’s iND83301 with our silicon photonics platform, we have redefined FMCW LiDAR’s SWaP-C and demonstrated a scalable architecture that meets OEM requirements for global deployment.”
For automotive applications, LightIC has introduced Lark, a long-range FMCW LiDAR product built on the new platform. Lark delivers perception capabilities beyond 500 meters, targeting advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous driving, and intelligent transportation infrastructure. The system is designed to provide accurate range and velocity data while maintaining performance in challenging lighting conditions, including direct sunlight.
LightIC is also extending the platform into robotics and physical artificial intelligence. The company unveiled FR60, which it describes as the smallest FMCW LiDAR currently available. Roughly the size of a tennis ball, FR60 offers compact, low-power 4D perception and is aimed at robotics, industrial automation, and emerging physical AI systems where size and energy efficiency are critical.
By using a common hardware architecture across both automotive and robotic products, LightIC aims to accelerate FMCW LiDAR adoption through scalable, production-ready designs. The partnership with indie also strengthens the platform’s commercial readiness by replacing programmable logic with an automotive-grade SoC optimized for LiDAR processing.
Founded in 2019, LightIC Technologies focuses on silicon photonics–based FMCW LiDAR solutions. The company says its integrated approach is intended to support long-term opportunities across automotive autonomy, robotics, and intelligent machines, where reliable, efficient, and cost-effective sensing remains a key requirement.
