Google buys into chipmaker behind Google Glass display technology

Google purchases stake in Taiwanese display technology company Himix

Google is buying a stake in Himax Technologies, the Taiwanese chip manufacturer that develops display technology for Google Glass.

Initially, Google is purchasing a 6.3 per cent stake in Himax Display, the unit that produces the technology used in Google Glass, with the option of raising that share to 14.8 per cent within a year.

"Himax Display has been a great partner for several years now," said a Google spokesperson. "This investment is an extension of this partnership, which we hope will allow the team to continue to develop their operations."

Himax also welcomed the deal, the financial details of which haven't been made public.

"We look forward to leveraging this investment and our collective expertise with Google to create unique and transformational LCOS [liquid crystal on silicon] technologies for many years ahead," said Himax CEO Jordan Wu.

Google Glass, announced last year, is a wearable device in the shape of a pair of glasses designed to "enrich" user's experience of the world around them. It enables users to read emails, look at the web, watch and record videos using the glasses built-in display.

The device is currently being trialled by a select few thousand early adopters under the "glass explorer" scheme, in order to test and examine how people use Google Glass.

Despite there being no information about a specific release date for Google Glass, research suggests that one-fifth of people already think the device should be banned, with privacy concerns regarded as the main barrier to its wider adoption.