EssilorLuxottica Joins Forces with Fondazione Chips-IT to Accelerate the Future of Smart Eyewear

Friday, December 12 2025 | 13 h 35 min | News

EssilorLuxottica announces it is joining forces with Fondazione Chips-IT, Italy’s research center specializing in advanced integrated-circuit design, during today’s presentation of the foundation’s 2026-2028 strategic plan. This collaboration aims to further strengthen the Group’s leadership in smart eyewear by advancing application-specific chip development within Chips-IT’s open-hardware environment, unlocking new levels of customization, optimization and performance. By working closely with Chips-IT engineers and select industry partners, EssilorLuxottica will seek to deliver enhanced capabilities and elevate the next generation of wearables.

Aligned with its open and collaborative approach, EssilorLuxottica plans to release select components of its wearable platforms as open-source hardware. By tapping into shared knowledge, collaborative resources and tools, the partnership is designed to accelerate research and development, inspire new thinking in ultra-low-power electronics, sensors and wearable computing, and push the boundaries of smart eyewear in design, functionality and user experience.

“Realizing the full potential of smart eyewear means reimagining the electronics at its core in a way that truly meets the unique needs of our industry. To deliver on that vision, we’ve invested over the years in platforms, technologies and advanced sensing capabilities, building from the ground up the foundational components that enable eyewear to deliver seamless and transformative experiences, opening a new era in healthcare, intelligent assistance and immersive digital interaction”, commented Francesco Milleri, Chairman and CEO at EssilorLuxottica.

Fondazione Chips-IT is a research and technology organization dedicated to advancing integrated circuit design research across Italy and Europe. Its core mission is to push the boundaries of integrated circuit design, investigating next-generation chip architecture, optimizing electronic design automation workflows and nurturing new design paradigms. Being pivotal point of the Italian semiconductor ecosystem and through collaborative research programs and tailored collaborations, Fondazione Chips-IT empowers researchers, startups, SMEs and corporates with the expertise and infrastructure needed to compete globally and shape a resilient, future-ready semiconductor ecosystem.

Click HERE for the press release.

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