The AR glasses market is poised for explosive growth. Industry analysts forecast that global AR glasses shipments will surge to around 950,000 units in 2025 and are projected to exceed 20 million units by 2030, representing a remarkable twentyfold increase over just a few years. This dramatic rise in shipments underscores the urgent need for a mature, cost-effective waveguide supply chain.

On June 22, Goertek’s 12-inch transparent substrate wafer AR glasses micro-nano optical product project officially started production in Lingang, Shanghai. This marks the establishment of China’s first 12-inch AR micro-nano optical wafer manufacturing base capable of large-scale mass production. With a total investment of approximately 3.28 billion yuan and a sprawling construction area of 261,000 square meters, the project is well-equipped to meet the impending market demand with its high-specification production capacity.

Historically, China’s high-end AR waveguides have been heavily reliant on overseas production lines, resulting in elevated supply chain costs that directly inflated the overall price of AR glasses. This has been one of the primary barriers to widespread adoption. However, with the operational launch of Goertek’s 12-inch factory, leveraging the production efficiency of large-size wafers, the company is set to achieve both increased output and reduced unit costs. This development establishes a comprehensive local manufacturing chain, spanning from wafer processing to optical lens production. Core components such as diffractive waveguide sheets, electrochromic lenses, and microlens arrays can now be produced domestically on a large scale with semiconductor-grade precision.

Situated in the Lingang Lanwan Industrial Zone in Shanghai, this base is a pivotal part of the Shanghai municipal key project and the Lingang Oriental Core Port industrial cluster. The project is undertaken by Goertek Aolai Optics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., formerly known as Sunny Optics Micro-Nano Optics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. In 2025, Goertek Optics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Goertek Inc., completed the acquisition of 100% of Sunny Optics’ equity through an additional capital injection of approximately 530 million yuan in registered capital. This move integrated Sunny Optics into Goertek’s precision optics business portfolio and was followed by further capital injections from shareholders.

Since the beginning of this year, the company has continued to channel investments into the AI smart glasses and AR optics sectors, enhancing its vertical integration capabilities through strategic capital operations. In January 2026, Goertek commenced construction on its second-phase production base for virtual reality devices, with a planned total investment of 1.6 billion yuan aimed at expanding VR device and AI smart glasses production capacity. In the same month, Goertek Optics entered into a joint venture agreement with Conant Optics to collaboratively develop, produce, and market customized lenses for smart glasses, waveguide eyepieces (including both myopia-correcting and non-correcting waveguide components), as well as electrochromic and eye-tracking functional eyepieces. Earlier this June, Goertek Inc. announced a joint capital injection with Ningbo Sunny Optics Technology Co., Ltd. into Goertek Optics, further investing in micro-nano optical components, XR optical lenses and modules, projection engines, automotive optics, and other areas. From upstream wafers and optical components to downstream OEM manufacturing of complete devices, Goertek is constructing a comprehensive industrial chain for precision optics and smart hardware.