A boy tries smart glasses that combine AI and VR technologies at the 34th Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair in Harbin, capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, May 18, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Song)
BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Thunderobot, a technology company listed on the Beijing Stock Exchange (BSE), announced on July 4 that to meet user demand for smart eyewear services and expand smart eyewear sales channels, it plans to jointly invest with two other companies to establish a smart eyewear company. The registered capital reaches 10 million yuan, with Thunderobot holding a 35 percent stake and investing 3.5 million yuan.
Thunderobot's move comes amid the heated momentum in the smart eyewear sector. With numerous consumer electronics companies like Xiaomi and Samsung entering the fray, the smart eyewear sector is increasingly resembling a fierce battle among hundreds of glasses brands. The year 2025 is also considered the breakout year for smart eyewear.
-- Smart eyewear sales boom
Thunderobot, the first listed e-sports equipment company on the BSE, has long been involved in smart eyewear.
From January 7 to 10 this year, at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Thunderobot officially expanded into the new category of smart eyewear with its CES debut, launching three products involving different technical principles.
On March 31 this year, Thunderobot held an AI new product launch in Wuzhen, which included a smart eyewear product. According to the company, this product integrates the AI large model and incorporates the DeepSeek architecture, endowing the glasses with "super brain" capabilities.
It has multiple functions such as music playback, photo and video capture, AI object recognition and problem-solving, and multilingual simultaneous interpretation. It also features an ultralight body, offering users a comfortable wearing experience. This product began pre-sales on May 30, with the basic version starting at 1,999 yuan.
With the entry of domestic consumer electronics giants like Xiaomi, the domestic smart eyewear sector has experienced a surge.
On June 26, Xiaomi released its first smart glasses, priced starting at 1,999 yuan. Lei Jun, chairman and CEO of Xiaomi, stated that this is a next-generation personal smart device. On the fourth day of its sales, the product's sales exceeded 4,000 units on Xiaomi's official Taobao flagship store and surpassed 10,000 units on Xiaomi's self-operated flagship store on JD.com.
CINNO Research data shows that in the first quarter of 2025, the overall sales of screenless AI glasses such as audio AI glasses and camera AI glasses reached 19,000 units.
Staff from INMO Technology, a company specializing in AI and AR smart glasses, said that the company's smart glasses sales are substantial, reaching 100,000 units since launch, and the company plans to enter the North American market this year.
In fact, smart glasses have already sparked a global wave. In September 2023, Meta and Ray-Ban collaborated to launch the new Ray-Ban Meta AI smart glasses, igniting the market.
Counterpoint Research data shows that global smart glasses shipments surged 210 percent year on year in 2024, exceeding 2 million units for the first time, with Meta commanding over 60 percent share.
The agency stated that more companies are likely to enter the market successively in 2025 and 2026. The global smart glasses market is expected to maintain a compound annual growth rate exceeding 60 percent from 2025 to 2029.
-- Expanding sales channels
A reporter from China Securities Journal recently visited several Mi Home stores in Beijing and found a steady stream of consumers coming to experience smart glasses, with many stores already sold out of available stock.
Compared to traditional consumer electronics, smart glasses require more offline consumer experience. Industry insiders said that for smart glasses manufacturers, offline channels hold more advantages over online channels for sales.
Thunderobot has invested in establishing a company focused on the sales of smart glasses. The company stated that this initiative integrates resources such as services, technology, and market channels, strengthens market development capabilities, and helps enhance its comprehensive competitiveness.
At the 2024 annual report performance briefing, Thunderobot stated that in the future, the company will continue to focus on user needs, deeply concentrate on the integration of AI technology and high-performance hardware to further enhance product value-added and user experience.
-- Deepening industrial chain development
Beyond whole-machine manufacturers, it is noteworthy that many listed companies in fields like acoustics, optics, and packaging are also accelerating their efforts in the smart eyewear sector.
Public information shows that Xiaomi's smart glasses supply chain includes whole-machine manufacturing giant Goertek, Bluetooth chip maker Bestechnic, as well as Ofilm Group, Wicue Group, and Mingyue Optical Lens.
Thunderobot previously stated that the participation of numerous manufacturers will encourage upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain to strengthen collaboration, achieve resource sharing and complementary advantages, and jointly promote the development of the smart glasses industry.
For example, hardware manufacturers and optical component suppliers can deeply connect with eyewear brands and software developers to improve the overall efficiency and competitiveness of the industrial chain.
BSE-listed Zecheng Electronics stated at its 2024 annual report performance briefing that in 2024, through its wholly-owned subsidiary Guangdong Zecheng Technology Co., Ltd., the company increased R&D efforts on multi-layer flexible printed circuits (FPC) and high density interconnector (HDI) products. FPC products related to AI glasses began mass shipments in the fourth quarter of 2024, and sales growth in the first quarter of 2025 also had contributions from this business segment.
Additionally, the company's wholly-owned subsidiary Huizhou Zecheng Technology Co., Ltd. will continue to invest in equipment and technology for advanced packaging capabilities like SiP (System-in-Package), aiming to provide AI glasses customers with integrated one-stop solutions.
These layouts enhance the company's technical and service capabilities in high-end smart wearable device fields like AI glasses, enabling it to meet diverse customer needs regarding performance, functionality, and cost.
Zecheng Electronics also stated that besides strengthening close cooperation with existing customers, the company is conducting preliminary contacts with other mainstream AI glasses brands. Its related technical capabilities have been highly recognized by customers, and it is currently entering the stage of substantive business negotiations.
(Edited by Tian Shenyoujia with Xinhua Silk Road, tianshenyoga0524@163.com)
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