Luminar Technologies, Inc. (Luminar) is a technology company specializing in advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) hardware and software solutions to enable the world’s safest and smartest vehicles.
The company is developing proprietary LiDAR hardware, core semiconductor components and software in-house to meet the demanding performance, safety, reliability and cost requirements to enable next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as...
Luminar Technologies, Inc. (Luminar) is a technology company specializing in advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) hardware and software solutions to enable the world’s safest and smartest vehicles.
The company is developing proprietary LiDAR hardware, core semiconductor components and software in-house to meet the demanding performance, safety, reliability and cost requirements to enable next-generation safety and autonomous capabilities for passenger and commercial vehicles, as well as other adjacent markets.
The global automotive and mobility sector is increasingly focused on safety and autonomy, specifically next-generation advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and highway autonomy for passenger and commercial vehicles. The company's LiDAR technology provides increased situational awareness in a broad range of driving environments through improved and higher confidence detection and planning at all vehicle speeds. Beyond sensor hardware, the company's product portfolio has expanded to include semiconductor components of its LiDAR that have utility in adjacent markets, in-development software capabilities, such as perception and high-definition 3D mapping, all of which the company anticipates will monetize the ecosystem of improved safety and autonomy created by its LiDAR.
Products
The company’s LiDAR and other products are described in further detail below:
Hardware
Iris: The company's Iris LiDAR and variants combine a 1550nm laser, transmitter, and receiver, providing long-range sensing that it expects will meet OEM specifications for advanced safety and autonomy. This technology offers automotive-grade, efficient, and affordable solutions that are scalable, reliable, and optimal for series production. The company's LiDAR sensors are dynamically configurable dual-axis scan sensors that detect objects up to 600 meters away over a horizontal field of view of 120° and a software-configurable vertical field of view of up to 30°.
Iris and its variants feature the company’s vertically integrated receiver, detector, and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) solutions that have been developed by its Advanced Technologies & Services (ATS) segment companies—Optogration, Freedom Photonics, and Black Forest Engineering, collectively referred to as Luminar Semiconductor, Inc. (Luminar Semiconductor or LSI).
In April 2024, the company achieved its start of production (SOP) for Volvo Cars and began delivering its Iris LiDAR sensors for the Volvo EX90. The company's LiDAR sensors on initial vehicles are first being used for road data collection and system training and will later be activated as part of the vehicle’s active safety system.
Luminar Halo: In 2024, the company unveiled its next-generation LiDAR product, Luminar Halo, which is being designed for mass adoption by mainstream consumer vehicles. Building off the same 1550nm laser architecture of Iris, Luminar Halo will incorporate four next-generation chip technologies from Luminar Semiconductor. These advancements are expected to enable a 4x improvement in performance, a 3x reduction in size, a 2x improvement in thermal efficiency, and more than a 2x improvement in cost. Luminar Halo is being designed to provide backward system compatibility to existing customers of its Iris LiDAR. The company expects it will also boast a sleeker integration profile, being under 1 inch in height, under 1 kilogram in weight, and using approximately 10 watts of power consumption. The company is targeting SOP of Luminar Halo by 2027.
The company recently began transitioning from investing in and developing multiple LiDAR hardware products simultaneously to meet different customers’ needs, to a singular technology platform—Luminar Halo—that can meet all customer requirements. As part of this effort, the company discontinued development of its Iris+ product, and essentially all its engineering and development efforts with customers are shifting to Luminar Halo.
Luminar Semiconductor, Inc.
In 2023, the company announced the combination of its chip design subsidiary companies, Black Forest Engineering, Optogration, and Freedom Photonics, into a unified entity, Luminar Semiconductor, Inc. The company's strategy in bringing these advanced receiver, laser, and processing chip technologies in-house was to accelerate its LiDAR product roadmap, strengthen its competitive moat, and secure and industrialize its LiDAR supply chain. With these acquisitions, Luminar Semiconductor aims to leverage its investment in high-performance, specialized semiconductors beyond LiDAR to power applications for customers across a broad range of sectors, from communications to medical to aerospace.
In 2024, the company augmented Luminar Semiconductor with the acquisition of EM4, LLC (EM4), a designer, manufacturer, and seller of packaged photonic components and sub-systems for aerospace and industrial markets, which is expected to accelerate its strategy to package lasers, detectors, and ASICs.
Operations of Luminar Semiconductor, and the acquired companies Black Forest Engineering, Optogration, Freedom Photonics and EM4 have been included in the company’s ATS segment of reporting since their respective acquisition dates.
Software
Software presently under development includes the following:
Core Sensor Software: The company's LiDAR sensors are configurable and capture valuable information extracted from the raw point cloud that can be used to promote the development and performance of perception software. The company's core sensor software features are being designed to help its commercial partners operate, integrate, and control its LiDAR sensors, and enrich the sensor data stream before perception processing.
Perception and Mapping Software: The company's perception software is being designed to transform its LiDAR point-cloud data into actionable information about the environment surrounding the vehicle. This information includes classifying static objects, such as lane markings, road surfaces, curbs, signs, and buildings, as well as dynamic objects, such as other vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists, and animals. Through internal development, as well as the acquisition of certain assets of Solfice (a.k.a. Civil Maps), the company expects to utilize its point-cloud data to achieve precise vehicle localization and create and provide continuous updates to a high-definition 3D map of a vehicle’s environment.
Driving Functions Software: Driving functions software builds on Core Sensor Software and Perception capabilities to deliver control functions for a vehicle to avoid or mitigate collision. Driving functions are expected to also incorporate data from radars and cameras to enable additional features, such as cross traffic collision avoidance, traffic sign assist, emergency braking, and emergency steering.
Tools/Other: These products include delivery of certain data sets and other information, as well as tools that help visualize and configure the sensor, replay recorded data, and simulate the sensor.
The company refers to its full-stack software platform for safety and autonomy, which is expected to enable Proactive Safety and highway autonomy for passenger vehicles and commercial trucks, as Sentinel.
Substantially all of the company's software products remain in the designing and coding phase of development and have not yet achieved technological feasibility.
Intellectual Property
As of February 2025, the company had 222 issued patents (191 U.S. and 31 international), 197 pending applications (127 U.S. and 70 international), of which five U.S. application has been allowed. In addition, as of February 2025, the company had six registered U.S. trademarks, 103 registered foreign trademarks and 61 pending trademark applications.
Manufacturing Process
The company designs certain critical semiconductor components in-house, including its receiver ASIC and Indium Gallium Arsenide (“InGaAs”) photodiode.
In 2021, the company executed contract manufacturing services agreements to enable series production of its Iris LiDAR sensors with Celestica and Fabrinet, whereby Fabrinet is responsible for assembly and testing of its transceiver sub-component based on its design and components, and Celestica is responsible for final assembly and testing of the company’s LiDAR sensor, including the transceiver from Fabrinet. In 2024, the company announced its SOP for the company’s lead customer at the dedicated manufacturing facility in Mexico, owned and operated by Celestica, and the company began shipping production LiDAR sensors.
In 2023, the company executed a contract manufacturing services agreement with TPK to build and operate a high volume facility in Asia, and the company commenced the process of series production tooling in partnership with TPK at the facility. In 2024, the company executed an agreement to establish an engineering center in China, staffed by TPK, to assist with its industrialization efforts, including manufacturing process design, development and validation, component process verification and validation, supplier development support, system validation, cost analysis, and benchmarking. This expanded partnership with TPK is accretive to the company’s contract manufacturing relationship, as well as the company’s contract manufacturing relationships with Celestica and Fabrinet.
Sales and Marketing
The company uses customer feedback to specifically tailor its product and approach to build and expand its relationships with potential commercial partners. In parallel, marketing and communications drive the company's brand equity and narrative through ongoing announcements, campaigns, events, speaking opportunities, and public relations efforts.
Research and Development (R&D)
The company’s R&D expenses were $231.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
History
Luminar Technologies, Inc. was founded in 2012.
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