Active lidar solutions developer AEye and CF Finance Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald, have announced they have entered a definitive merger agreement. The combined company will be called AEye Holdings and is expected to be publicly listed on Nasdaq following the close of the transaction.
AEye’s proprietary active sensing, intelligent lidar is said to address many of the challenges facing autonomous driving. It leverages an agile MEMS-based scanner, 1,550nm laser, and bistatic advanced receiver with embedded deterministic artificial intelligence to deliver high-performance at a low cost.
While traditional sensing systems passively collect data, AEye’s active lidar employs principles from automated targeting systems and biomimicry to scan its surroundings while intelligently focusing on what matters, in order to enable safer, smarter and faster decisions in complex scenarios. It is hoped that the merger will allow AEye to accelerate the adoption of its active, high-performance lidar across key markets.
“Active lidar is a game changing technology with the potential to transform many industries,” said Blair LaCorte, CEO of AEye. “With our unique modular system design and go-to-market strategy, we can deliver solutions via technology licensing, custom component bundling, or an integrated hardware and software system.
“Our established partnerships with leading Tier 1 automotive suppliers (such as Continental) strongly position us to deliver Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) solutions that will increase vehicle safety and enable new performance features, such as highway autopilot.
“Additionally, our contract manufacturing and system integrator partners can customize our platform to meet the specific needs of various markets, including trucking, mining, intelligent traffic systems and railways.”