News: LEDs
29 December 2025
PlayNitride to acquire Lumiode
Taiwan-based micro-LED developer PlayNitride Technologies says that its board has approved the acquisition, for US$2m, of Lumiode Inc of New York, NY, USA, which was founded in 2012 and specializes in high-brightness micro-displays for augmented reality (AR) and other display applications. Market research company TrendForce reports that Lumiode has complementary technologies and patents that can help PlayNitride to expand its intellectual property portfolio and improve access to North American customers and sales channels. The acquisition is expected to enhance PlayNitride’s global competitiveness in near-eye display applications and in medical and other non-display markets.
PlayNitride provides a wide array of services including micro-LED chips, COC processes, mass transfer technologies, turnkey solutions, and equipment sales. It has successfully been integrated into the supply chains of Samsung Micro LED TVs, Sony Honda’s Afeela 1, and Garmin’s Fenix 8 Pro, delivering micro-LED chips and COC products.
Recently, PlayNitride introduced a full-color 0.18-inch micro-LED chip designed for near-eye displays and, in partnership with Taiwan’s ITRI and ChaseWind, unveiled high-resolution AR smart glasses.
Lumiode has in recent years focused on near-eye display and medical applications. Leveraging its proprietary Active TFT thin-film patent technology, Lumiode aims to replace conventional CMOS wafer bonding approaches, addressing long-standing challenges such as high CMOS development costs and low utilization rates caused by bonding size mismatches.
The acquisition is projected to be finalized by the end of 2025. It is expected to open new technical avenues for micro-LED adoption in near-eye displays, enabling PlayNitride to accelerate the development of micro-LED AR glasses without relying on existing CMOS-based solutions. Additionally, the expanded patent portfolio will support the company's efforts to grow in the US market and expand its customer base.
TrendForce predicts that, by 2030, worldwide shipments of micro-LED AR glasses will hit 21 million units, with micro-LED technology comprising 65% of the overall AR glasses market.
Micro-LED chip market to surpass $461m by 2029, driven by adoption in smartwatches
PlayNitride qualifies Veeco’s Lumina MOCVD system for micro-LED production
