PARIS, France, and SANTA CLARA, Calif. — EssilorLuxottica and Applied Materials, Inc. announced a partnership to develop AI-powered smart glasses.
The collaboration combines EssilorLuxottica’s global leadership in lenses, frames and smart eyewear with Applied Materials’ expertise in materials engineering and waveguide technologies. The companies plan to advance scalable optical platforms capable of delivering lightweight, high-performance visual experiences for the next era of computing.
Together, the companies will collaborate on research and development of advanced optical technologies. This includes waveguides, adaptive lens systems and materials innovations, which can enable future intelligent lenses and augmented reality (AR) experiences. Waveguides are fundamental to AR devices, providing the optical layer. They power projected images to be coupled into, guided through and emitted from a transparent lens. All of this occurs while maintaining visibility of the real world. Light-adaptive and electro-active lenses dynamically adjust lens tint offering vision and well-being benefits in all light conditions. Advanced lens encapsulation technologies help preserve the optical performance of AR display systems.
By combining complementary expertise and intellectual property, the companies aim to accelerate the path from breakthrough innovation to manufacturable and scalable optical solutions. They will conduct joint research initiatives at a dedicated collaboration lab located on Applied Materials’ Silicon Valley campus.
The Power of Collaboration
“We believe the convergence of advanced optics, AI and wearable technologies will unlock a new generation of experiences for consumers,” said Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO, EssilorLuxottica. “For decades, EssilorLuxottica has advanced breakthrough innovations in lenses and visual performance, helping redefine how people experience the world around them. Together with Applied Materials, we look forward to exploring intelligent optical technologies that can help shape the future of smart glasses and next-generation visual computing, creating a new global force for the expansion of the display wearables category.”
“Designing, building and scaling next-generation smart glasses will require deep collaboration across the technology ecosystem,” said Gary Dickerson, President and CEO, Applied Materials. “By bringing together Applied Materials’ leadership in photonics and materials engineering with EssilorLuxottica’s expertise in lenses and smart eyewear, we are accelerating the development and commercialization of advanced display smart glasses that can create entirely new user experiences.”
Applied Materials and EssilorLuxottica also plan to jointly explore additional strategic opportunities to further develop and commercialize technologies created through the collaboration.
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