By Greg Gao

(JW Insights) Jun 16 -- Meritech Integrated Circuits(锐泰微), a Beijing-based automotive chip startup, recently announced the completion of a series A funding round of nearly RMB100 million($14 million).

The round was led by NIO Capital and Hua Capital, with participation from several automotive industry players. Existing shareholder Lightspeed China Partners increaseed as well. The new investments will facilitate Meritech’s product mass production and market launch.

Established in 2021, Meritech is a high-performance analog and mixed-signal chip supplier targeting intelligent connected vehicles, including automotive SerDes. It possesses the intellectual property rights related to its products.

Highspeed SerDes is a common connection for automotive high-resolution, in-vehicle displays such as infotainment or back up cameras. Automotive SerDes chips have become essential technology solutions for high-speed interconnectivity in automotive displays, high-definition cameras, and other applications. They serve as the foundation for in-car connectivity between intelligent cockpit systems and advanced driver-assistance systems.

The founding team consists of professionals who have extensive experience in high-end analog and mixed-signal design, from globally renowned analog semiconductor suppliers such as ADI, MAXIM, and Marvell, according to the company.

Zhu Yan, a managing partner of NIO Capital, said that over the past two years, Meritech made continuous investments in automotive signal chain chips. The company has achieved localization and initial commercialization of several high-end signal chips, with the goal of achieving mass production in chip products such as SerDes for the in-car market.