New acquisition: TDK invests in smart glasses business

TDK acquires the Californian start-up SoftEye, which develops key components for next-generation AI glasses.

The US start-up Softeye is now owned by TDK.

Jun 23, 2025 at 1:27 pm CEST

2 min. read

By

Martin Holland

Technology group TDK has announced the takeover of US start-up SoftEye. According to Reuters, the purchase price is “less than 100 million US dollars”. The agency cites a source familiar with the matter.

According to TDK, the acquisition is intended to integrate artificial intelligence into smart glasses and expand its own business in the AI sector. The acquisition is also intended to accelerate the development of a “complete system for smart glasses”.

SoftEye was founded in San Diego in 2022. The start-up develops end-to-end solutions and key technologies for AI glasses and smart glasses, including special chips, sensors, and AI algorithms for energy-efficient eye tracking, machine vision and visual AI assistance in everyday life. With an interface called “eyeGenI” developed by SoftEye, users will be able to interact with an AI simply by moving their eyes. Founder and CEO Te-Won Lee was previously Head of Custom SoC at Samsung Electronics and Vice President of Qualcomm Korea.

TDK wants to establish itself as a smart glasses supplier

The acquisition strengthens TDK's position in the growing market for smart glasses and AI glasses. The Japanese company, which employs more than 100,000 people worldwide, has already developed technologies for this device category, including compact laser modules for high-resolution, low-power retina projections, bone conduction speakers and high-precision motion sensors. The acquisition could also make TDK a key supplier of electronic components and sensors for smart glasses. Licenses for AI software would also be conceivable.

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Following the surprise success of the Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which combine smart functions with AI support, expectations are growing that smart glasses will establish themselves on the market in the coming years. While Meta is currently regarded as the leading provider and presented AI sports glasses together with Oakley just last week, Google and Snap are working on their glasses projects, as are Samsung and Apple, according to reports.