On November 26, Shanghai — According to a report from the “Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily,” a leading domestic high-performance analog chip company disclosed through its official interaction platform that its self-developed high-performance power management chip (PMIC) has officially entered the global supply chain of Meta (formerly Facebook) through ODM manufacturers, and has been mass-produced for Meta’s latest generation of AI smart glasses. Currently, related orders are being shipped steadily, marking another significant breakthrough for Chinese companies in the core chip field of high-end consumer electronics.
The company stated that this collaboration is not only an important milestone in its internationalization strategy but also validates that domestic power management chips have reached international first-tier levels in key indicators such as high integration, low power consumption, and high reliability. In addition to Meta, similar products have also been widely used in mainstream AR/VR and AI glasses brands such as Thunderbird Innovation, Emdoor VR, and XREAL, covering diverse scenarios from lightweight entertainment devices to enterprise-level spatial computing terminals.
Why is a power chip so critical?
In wearable devices like AI smart glasses, which are extremely sensitive to size, battery life, and thermal management, the power management chip is considered the “invisible heart.” It not only needs to efficiently distribute limited battery energy but also support the collaborative operation of multiple sensors, cameras, display modules, and AI co-processors, while ensuring that the system does not lose power or restart under instantaneous high loads. Meta’s stringent certification process for its supply chain has long been regarded as a “technical touchstone” in the consumer electronics field.
Industry insiders point out that in the past, such high-end PMICs were long monopolized by manufacturers from Europe, America, and Japan (such as TI, ADI, Richtek, etc.), while domestic chips were mostly concentrated in the mid-to-low-end market. The successful entry of domestic solutions into the Meta system signifies that Chinese companies are moving from “usable” to “good to use” and even “preferred” in the analog chip segment that has been a bottleneck.
Behind it is the certainty of the AI+AR hardware explosion
This breakthrough coincides with a critical window period for the accelerated deployment of global AI terminals. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has repeatedly emphasized that “smart glasses are the ultimate gateway to the metaverse,” with sales of the Ray-Ban Meta series surpassing 3 million units in 2024, and plans to launch new products with stronger AI capabilities in 2025. Meanwhile, the rapid iteration of Apple’s Vision Pro ecosystem, Google’s Project Starline, and domestic brands like Thunderbird, XREAL, and Rokid are collectively driving the AI glasses market into a high-growth phase.
According to IDC predictions, global AR/VR headset shipments will exceed 80 million units by 2025, with the proportion of AI-enabled lightweight smart glasses significantly increasing. Behind each device, several high-performance power management chips are essential — this represents a tens of billions market, and is also a new battleground for domestic chip manufacturers to compete for global influence.
Domestic substitution enters the “deep water zone”
It is worth noting that this supply is not directly aimed at brand owners but enters through ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) channels. This reflects a typical path for domestic chips going overseas: first winning ODM trust with high cost-performance and rapid response capabilities, and then leveraging their complete machine design capabilities to indirectly enter the supply chains of international giants. Although it is not a “direct supply,” it is already a substantial breakthrough.
Analysts believe that as Chinese companies continue to tackle challenges in RF, display drivers, sensors, and power management in the analog chip segment, they are expected to replicate this model in more high-end hardware such as AI smartphones, smart cars, and robots, gradually breaking the decades-long technological barriers set by overseas giants.
The success of Xidi Micro is not only a victory for one company but also a reflection of the Chinese semiconductor industry’s deep breakthrough from “digital logic” to “analog mixed signal.” In the wave of global AI hardware restructuring the supply chain, more and more “Chinese chips” are quietly embedding themselves into world-class products, silently driving the future of human-computer interaction.
Electronic Materials Group
Manufacturing and Testing Group