SEMIFIVE and SAPIEN Semiconductors Sign MOU to Develop Next-Generation Micro-display 'CMOS Backplane' Technology

• Accelerating commercialization by combining SEMIFIVE's AI SoC platform with SAPIEN's micro-LED display driver design expertise
• Strengthening the micro-display value chain through comprehensive collaboration from design to verification
• Expanding into the AI wearable market, including smart glasses and XR•AR devices

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SEMIFIVE, a leading global provider of custom AI semiconductor (ASIC) design solutions, announced today that it has signed a strategic MOU with SAPIEN Semiconductors, a company specializing in advanced micro-LED display driver ASICs.

SEMIFIVE and SAPIEN Semiconductors will advance the design and technical evaluation of CMOS backplane technology, which is a core component of micro-displays. This partnership covers both technology and business aspects, including design verification and simulation to enhance technical maturity, technical guidance on Micro-LED Display Driver IC (DDI) implementation, and joint strategies for global market expansion.

This strategic agreement comes at a pivotal moment, as global Big Tech companies identify AI smart glasses as the "next smartphone" and accelerate investments in the AI wearable market. With rising demand for micro-displays that provide ultra-high resolution, low power consumption, and compact form factors, the two companies aim to deliver optimized solutions by integrating their expertise to lead this growing market.

SEMIFIVE will drive overall chip development through its advanced AI SoC design platform and turnkey development capabilities, covering the entire process from design to mass production. SAPIEN Semiconductors will provide its proprietary technology and specialized expertise in micro-LED display driver design to develop optimized CMOS backplanes. By leveraging their complementary strengths, they plan to quickly meet market demands and accelerate the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies.

"By combining SAPIEN Semiconductors' expertise in micro-display driver design with SEMIFIVE's custom ASIC capabilities, we will optimize the next-era display value chain and drastically reduce time-to-market," said Brandon Cho, CEO and co-founder of SEMIFIVE. "Through this synergy, we aim to redefine standards in the wearable market and jointly secure a dominant position in the global display industry."

"As the commercialization of AI wearables accelerates worldwide, this strategic partnership with SEMIFIVE is a key driver for staying ahead of market needs," said Myunghee Lee, CEO of SAPIEN Semiconductors. "We are committed to establishing a solid technical edge in the future display market by successfully delivering differentiated CMOS backplane solutions."

SEMIFIVE
Founded in 2019, SEMIFIVE is a global provider of custom AI semiconductor (ASIC) platforms. The company provides proprietary SoC design platforms and end-to-end solutions that enable customers to rapidly transform innovative ideas into custom silicon. Through these capabilities, SEMIFIVE is driving the expansion of the global custom semiconductor ecosystem. For more information, please visit www.semifive.com.

SAPIEN Semiconductors
Founded in 2017, SAPIEN Semiconductors is a fabless design company specializing in micro-LED display driver ASICs. The company focuses on designing and commercializing CMOS backplane products. SAPIEN Semiconductors serves the global market by providing high-performance display driver solutions tailored for both large format display panels and micro displays. For more information, please visit www.sapien-semicon.com.

Micro display
A micro display refers to an ultra-high-resolution display that achieves pixel densities of several thousand Pixels Per Inch (PPI) within a compact area of one inch or less. It is widely regarded as a key technology for enabling next-generation XR (VR, AR, and MR) environments.

CMOS Backplane
A CMOS backplane is a micro-LED-optimized driver chip that is essential for wearable devices such as AI smart glasses and AR glasses. With high integration density and extremely low power consumption, CMOS backplanes are widely used in wearable devices, portable calculators, digital watches, and compact computing devices. The backplane is a semiconductor layer beneath each light-emitting element of a display, such as liquid crystal, OLED, and LED, and electrically drives individual pixels to enable light emission and image formation.

CMOS
CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor, a semiconductor technology based on complementary pairs of Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFETs).

SOURCE SEMIFIVE