LiDAR, Explained: How It Works and Why It Matters
Autonomy, 905nm vs 1550nm, ToF vs FMCW, market dynamics, and more.
A quick housekeeping topic. Vik Sekar and I launched a podcast called Semi Doped.
You can find it on X, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and everywhere else. Give it a listen, subscribe, and send feedback!
Moving along.
What do you know about LiDAR? It’s time to pay attention!
Autonomous vehicles are reaching an inflection point as vision-language models mature and Waymo normalizes the driverless experience. Robotaxi passengers love that the car has zero distractions, doesn’t want to chat, and is constantly monitoring a 360-degree field of view. Tesla and Rivian are working hard to bring this experience to passenger vehicles, too.
Given that autonomy is set to take off in the coming years, now is the right time to study the supply chain. LiDAR is an important (and controversial) sensor, so the next two posts focus on:
The technology behind LiDAR
The dynamics of the LiDAR market
The former is necessary context, and the latter is way more interesting than most people realize. Is LiDAR investible?
To kick things off, Vik and I recorded a podcast explaining how LiDAR actually works. That will be followed by an interview with the CEO of a global LiDAR company. Stay tuned!
This LiDAR explainer episode is free to watch or listen. Paid subscribers also get a formatted transcript. Reading is faster than listening. Thanks for the support!
Topics covered:
Why Track LiDAR Now and Rivian’s Case for LiDAR
How LiDAR Works
Wavelength Selection (905nm vs 1550nm)
Measurement Methods (ToF vs FMCW)
Scanning Technologies Evolution (Four Approaches)
Supply Chain & Manufacturers
Market Dynamics: Competitive Landscape, Geopolitics
Onto the episode.
LiDAR, Explained: How It Works and Why It Matters
AL: Hello listeners, welcome to another Semi-Doped podcast with Austin Lyons from Chipstrat and Vik Sekar from Vik’s Newsletter. Today we’re going to talk to you about LiDAR. So Vik, I know you wrote a post—or maybe even more than one—on LiDAR. It was quite a long time ago actually, but tell me, why are you tracking LiDAR?