Bloomberg reported on the 11th that Google is pursuing the acquisition of Canadian startup AdHawk Microsystems, which is developing eye-tracking technology for smart glasses.
According to sources, Google is in final negotiations for the acquisition of AdHawk, with the acquisition amount being adjusted to $115 million (approximately 167.2 billion won). Of this, $15 million is known to be a conditional amount that will be paid upon achieving specific performance.
Founded in 2017, AdHawk is a corporation that develops advanced eye-tracking technology, which consumes less power and analyzes the cornea and pupil faster than existing sensors. It has received investments from organizations such as Samsung Electronics, Intel, HP, and Sony, with RAY, the parent company of Ray-Ban, being one of the major investors and the partner for smart glasses of Facebook's parent company Meta. The scale of investment from Samsung Electronics has not been disclosed.
Google's push for this acquisition is analyzed as a strategic move for re-entering the smart glasses market. Google launched 'Google Glass' in 2013 but discontinued it two years later after failing to gain a significant response in the market. However, with recent advancements in AI technology, the company is once again pursuing smart glasses development and showcased related prototypes at its annual developer conferences in 2022 and 2024.
Additionally, Google is developing an extended reality (XR) headset called 'Project Infinite' in collaboration with Samsung Electronics, and it is also reported that research on augmented reality (AR) smart glasses is underway.