On 19 April, Frank Zhang, the CTO of ASU, was interviewed by Auto Observer at the Shanghai International Auto Show, introducing in depth the products exhibited by ASU as well as the technologies behind them, also sharing his views on the development direction of automotive optoelectronic products, the strong suits of ASU, and the challenges in the future.
As the first technological innovation company in China to focus on the LCoS optoelectronics route, ASU has formed a positively competitive scenario with the DLP technology controlled by TI in the US, in line with the development trend of domestic substitution. Let's revisit this wonderful interview and get to know ASU.
Q (Auto Observer): ASU exhibited a lot of new products at the Shanghai Auto Show, could you please introduce what areas in the smart automotive industry are ASU currently involved in, and what new technologies and solutions have been brought here?
A (Frank Zhang): Thank you. We exhibited a variety of products at the Shanghai Auto Show this time, some of which already introduced in production cars, and some about to be, all of which pre-installed on specific models. ASU is mainly engaged in the technical route of optical virtual display. In this area, we have brought the AR-HUD PGU. The PGU is in essence an image generator, is the core component of AR-HUD or in-vehicle virtual display, and we are exhibiting an automotive grade PGU. Another product is one that we have already installed in many different vehicles - the AR light switch, enabling user interactions outside of the vehicle, which is very useful and interesting. The third product is the light field welcome light, which can display static, dynamic, and animated images on the ground to welcome guests or as a part of ‘light wings’, so it is also a visual interactive product outside the car.
Q: What evolution have these exhibits undergone?
A: Now the entire auto parts industry, especially in the areas smart automotive and electric vehicle, is developing very quickly. When ASU entered the field of auto parts a few years ago, automotive optoelectronic products generally referred to simply interior lighting or headlights, so that was also where we started from. Then we gradually found that with the development of electric vehicles, cars have slowly become a "third space", and no longer just a tool-esque object. Under this trend, ASU is applying optics to lighting and develop virtual display, which is a very rapid development and transformation.
Q: Do you think for automotive optoelectronic products, which is more important, the technology itself or the application of it? How is the mass production situation for ASU products? Has it been specifically adopted by some OEMs?
A: I think not only for automobiles, but also in any industry, there are challenges in developing the tech, and then there are also challenges in ‘sticking the landing’. I think for automotive products, both are very important. If we must pick one, then I think first, these two are interdependent, without new technology, there will be no new product, without new products, there will be no development, but if the new product cannot be mass produced, it will become a mirage. For us at ASU, our logic is that every time we go about a new technology, we must do it solidly. For example, we have been recognized by many car manufacturers to pre-install our products to ensure the reliability and practical application of them in the car. Therefore, first from my personal point of view, the application is more important but at the same time, we must continue to accumulate strength, accumulate new technologies, and develop new products, to form a positive cycle of both co-existing.
Q: What is the current mass production situation of ASU? And with which companies have you formed specified adoption level of cooperation?
A: Our products have been mass-produced in our own factory, and that includes a series of interactive automotive optoelectronic products like the AR tailgate and the light field welcome light. The cooperation with domestic automobile manufacturers is very extensive. Many customers, including FAW Hongqi, FAW Bestune, Dongfeng, Great Wall, and BAIC, all have actual pre-installed projects with us.
Q: On a macro level, what is the competitive landscape of the automotive optoelectronic technology industry? What is the position of ASU therein? What accolades have you received?
A: In the beginning, the development of the automotive optoelectronic industry was biased towards lighting products, while the future is for sure about automotive optical display, which is the combination of optical technology and display technology. ASU meanwhile is focused on the automotive virtual display – meaning that with relatively small equipment, a huge projection can be produced in the limited space of the vehicle interior. Given that the actual space in the car cannot grow indefinitely, the more content displayed on the limited surface in the limited space in the car providing more information, the more interactive ports interfaces between the human and the machine there will be when the car develops to be smarter and more robotic in the future. Therefore, I think the automotive optoelectronic industry will for sure develop in the direction of optical + display. Because of that, the future of the optoelectronic industry is in the display sector, so we are also laying out our plans in this direction. As for the ‘accolades’ you mentioned, we will of course take the recognition of ASU by the OEMs as accolades. On top of that, ASU is qualified as a National Specialised and Sophisticated SME ‘Little Giant’ Firm, which is a recognition of us from a grand level.
Q: So, what challenges do you think this industry and ASU are facing in the development process?
A: Speaking of challenges, from a technical point of view, optical displays are still relatively new to the automotive industry. For any new technology, the development of its core technologies, as well as the development of new products at the application level, are very difficult challenges. Then combined with the current situation, we must start from the core when developing these new technologies and new products, rather than just starting from the application level, because we may face the problem of ‘stranglehold’, or the problem of inability to reduce costs, simply because we have no control over the core technologies. Therefore, in addition to the challenges of technology itself and product development, the development of core technologies is more so a big challenge. We must gain control of the core technology, pay attention to localization, and have the support of domestic supply chains, otherwise it is very possible to encounter bottlenecks in the development of technologies, face unreducible cost when attempting to open up the market, and face the problem of ‘stranglehold’ in the future.
Q: ASU has a lot of products in production in the field of automotive optoelectronics, can you give them an introduction, as well as their unique competitive advantages?
A: Speaking of HUD, we provide the core component of HUD - the PGU. The difference between our PGU and traditional ones is that we constructed its entire optical architecture using the ASU Cast optical system, a system which ASU control the core technologies within. Based on this we have developed a ‘fully domestic’ supply chain and solved the ‘stranglehold’ problem. Using various imaging technologies including LCD and LCoS, we can effectively control costs. The domestic supply chain can also drive the entire upstream and downstream developments altogether. The level of completion and stability of our own technology as automotive products also gradually improves the stability and reliability of the entire industry chain, so that we can move forward together. The PGU product developed based on ASU Cast optical system has independent core technology, and independent core intellectual property rights. This means that we have made a PGU that is shaped by the domestic supply chain. We welcome our friends to look at our product at the ASU booth if you get the opportunity. It also performs very well, achieving true 1080P resolution, very high definition, very good colour saturation, with a NTSC colour gamut of over 85%. Such a high-performance, high-specification, and domestically supplied PGU, is a product that we put great emphasis on developing.
