EssilorLuxottica has announced a strategic collaboration with Italian foundation Chips-IT to strengthen the development of customized chipsets for its connected eyewear. The goal is to accelerate open-hardware innovation and push the boundaries of performance, customization, and user experience.
What does this partnership between EssilorLuxottica and Chips-IT mean?
This move marks a new phase in EssilorLuxottica’s innovation strategy, as the group joins forces with Chips-IT, an Italian research center specialized in integrated circuit design. As part of the foundation’s 2026–2028 strategic plan, the collaboration aims to reinforce the group’s leadership in connected eyewear.
What is Chips-IT’s role in the project?
Fondazione Chips-IT plays a key role in the Italian and European semiconductor ecosystem. It brings deep expertise in integrated circuit design, electronic design automation, and next-generation chip architectures. Its open-hardware environment encourages modular research and collaborative innovation for startups and industrial leaders alike.
How does this fit into EssilorLuxottica’s long-term vision?
EssilorLuxottica is embracing an open and collaborative approach, planning to release select components of its wearable platforms as open-source hardware. This strategy aims to pool resources, fuel R&D in ultra-low-power electronics and smart sensors, and speed up innovation in wearable computing.
What technological progress is expected for connected eyewear?
The partnership targets concrete gains in performance, miniaturization, and energy efficiency. By designing application-specific chips, EssilorLuxottica plans to enhance customization, immersive interactions, intelligent assistance, and health-related functions — shaping a new era of augmented wearability.
Which brands in the group could benefit?
The announcement highlights the group’s smart eyewear products from Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Nuance Audio. These brands are likely to benefit from this collaboration, which aims to integrate more powerful components in future connected eyewear collections, in line with EssilorLuxottica’s long-term tech investments.
EssilorLuxottica x Chips-IT: Why does this collaboration matter right now?
Because it anticipates future breakthroughs in wearable electronics by combining open hardware with deep tech collaboration. EssilorLuxottica isn’t just adopting new technology — it’s helping invent it, with Chips-IT as a key European partner.
