Mlink, an AIoT chip and solution provider, harvests hundreds of millions of CNY in a Series C funding round, led by SDIC Venture Capital.
Beijing MLINK Technology Inc(Chinese:Mlink,智安科技) announced the closing of a Series C financing round worth hundreds of millions of CNY on July 28, led by SDIC Venture Capital and followed by Rexin Investment, Huatai Baoli Investment, Eastern Spring Capital, Shanjin Capital and existing shareholder Enlight Growth Partners. The financing funds are mainly used for chip mass production testing and subsequent R&D, mass production product stocking and expansion of the core team, news portal lieyun.com reported.
Founded in 2013, Mlink is an IC design company specializing in the R&D of cellular IoT communication ICs. Its main products at this stage are 5G NB-IoT, 4G LTE and 5G NR communication chips. The company has two product lines: 5G IoT chip and automotive LiDAR chip. It has a series of core technologies in communication and signal processing, and its products are widely used in industrial IoT, smart life and automotive assisted driving.
Mlink is one of the first startups in China to achieve mass production of NB-IOT chips, and one of the first startups in China to launch Cat.1bis chips. The company's self-developed NB-IoT communication chip MK8010 has passed the NB-IoT entry certification of three major operators, and the complete functionality of the product has been verified and successfully mass-produced on a large scale.
Since its introduction in the 1960s, LIDAR (laser detection and laser ranging system) has come into the public eye with the advantages of "high resolution, strong anti-interference ability and wide detection range". Elements of performance, vehicle regulations, mass production and cost have been solved, meaning more players will rush into the playing field. Sullivan data show that the global LiDAR market size reached USD 2 billion in 2021, a year-on-year growth of 100%, and is expected to reach USD13.54 billion In 2025.
Mlink's international competitors include Intel and TI and domestic ones include NAURA Technology(Chinese:北方华创), AMEC(Chinese:中微公司) and Han’s Laser Technology(Chinese:大族激光).