DIGITIMES analyst Brandon Fang recently observed a significant surge in AI glasses manufacturers at CES 2025. With product displays expanding dramatically, more than 100 models are expected to be released in 2025, marking the entry of AI glasses into a competitive market phase.
Enovix, a next-generation 3D silicon-lithium battery design and manufacturing company in the smart wearable device sector, has recently increased its focus on battery applications for smartphones. To explore this further, DIGITIMES interviewed Raj Talluri, CEO of Enovix, who has an extensive executive background with leading companies like Texas Instruments (TI), Qualcomm, and Micron.
Evolution of smart wearables
Although smart wearables have been available for years, with products like smartwatches and smart rings, the smart glasses segment has seen accelerated development alongside technological advancement. Smart glasses have shed their past image of being bulky and inconvenient, emerging as a promising market segment. Talluri mentioned that both Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) glasses technologies have made significant progress, with improvements in size, display technology, and ease of use over the past seven years. He believes the adoption of these technologies into mainstream products is only a matter of time.
Looking ahead, Talluri believes that continued growth is inevitable, with the industry and supply chain remaining optimistic. However, even though VR devices currently dominate the market, the most important aspect of smart glasses development is the standardization of operating systems (OS) and software. For instance, Google's Android XR OS, designed for XR applications, is expected to lead a new wave of growth in the smart wearable market by 2024.
Chinese manufacturers emerge as strong competitors
According to DIGITIMES Research, aside from Samsung Electronics, Google, and Apple, potential AI glasses manufacturers include Chinese companies like Xiaomi and ByteDance.
Regarding Chinese manufacturers, Talluri emphasized that they bring many challenges to the smart glasses market, extending beyond price disruption. Looking at the development trajectory of smartphones, he noted that Chinese companies are not limited to producing mid-range and low-end products—they are also capable of launching high-end products. Their competitive advantage stems from both pricing and technical capabilities.
Enovix's strategic focus
As for plans, Talluri stated that while maintaining its presence in wearable devices, Enovix will continue to focus on the smartphone sector. The company has established collaborations with several smartphone manufacturers. Talluri also mentioned that smartphones still represent a huge market, with ongoing challenges in battery manufacturing and supply, especially in meeting stringent market quality requirements.
Enovix manufactures 100% active silicon batteries that enhance energy density. The company's unique battery structure also improves volume and active packaging efficiency. Moreover, Enovix adopts a vertical stacking model for the anode, cathode, and separator membranes, and has introduced its exclusive BrakeFlow technology, which helps prevent the risk of thermal runaway, making the technology highly suitable for current smartphone battery demands.
Regarding manufacturing expansion, Enovix announced the opening of its first mass-production factory (Fab 2) in Malaysia in August. Nearly six months later, Talluri revealed to DIGITIMES that Fab 2 is nearing completion and will soon enter mass production mode. Although Enovix does not have plans to look for new factory sites, there is still enough space at Fab 2 to continue expanding production capacity.