German tech company buys Nijmegen lidar parts maker Innoluce

The German Infineon Technologies AG has bought Innoluce bv from Nijmegen. Innoluce develops parts for the lidar systems used in self-driving cars. The company would have expertise in that.

Infineon, a manufacturer of semiconductor electronics, announced the news on its website. The company is one of several companies worldwide that are trying to reduce the cost of the guidance systems of self-driving cars. For example, according to Reuters, the first lidar systems of self-driving Google cars cost $75,000 each, which would make such a car too expensive for the average consumer. The company is also trying to reduce the sensor package on the roof of self-driving cars, which is still quite large.

The amount involved in the takeover will be kept secret. Innoluce is a spin-off of Philips and has existed since 2010. The company produces micro-electro-mechanical systems, or mems, which are part of lidar systems. The Nijmegen company would have been taken over because it knows how to make these systems very small.