[Pictured: Meta’s Ray-Ban Display glasses. Credit: Meta]
By Yohai Schwiger
Israeli company Lumus, based in Ness Ziona, is expanding its manufacturing capabilities ahead of the next generation of AR and AI glasses. The company has signed a new licensing agreement with Taiwanese manufacturing giant Quanta Computer, under which Quanta will manufacture Lumus’ next-generation waveguides, including the Z-30 2.0 and the new A-Lens family. The new products were designed to be thinner, lighter and less expensive to manufacture, making them better suited for high-volume production of consumer AR glasses.
The agreement comes as the smart glasses market begins to transition from a niche segment into a meaningful consumer category. One of the major milestones was the launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display in September 2025. Unlike previous generations of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, which featured cameras, speakers and an AI assistant but no display, the new model incorporates a color display into one of the lenses, allowing users to view messages, navigation directions, translations and information generated by Meta AI.
The waveguide used in these glasses is based on Lumus technology. The component enables a digital image to be projected into the user’s eye without obstructing their view of the surrounding environment. According to market research firm TrendForce, Meta initially ordered about 80,000 Lumus waveguides, but later increased the order by approximately 87.5% to 150,000 units in response to demand. In January, Meta also postponed expanding sales of the glasses beyond the U.S. due to limited inventory and stronger-than-expected demand, with waiting lists stretching well into 2026.
A Partnership Spanning Nearly a Decade
Quanta is not a new partner for Lumus. The relationship between the companies began in 2016, when Quanta invested in the Israeli company. In 2017, Lumus completed a $43 million funding round backed by investors including Quanta and Alibaba, and the two companies signed a licensing agreement that same year aimed at bringing Lumus technology into mass production.
Quanta, which generated approximately $68 billion in revenue in 2025, is one of the world’s largest ODM manufacturers, producing computers, servers, AI systems and other electronics for major technology companies. In recent years, it has also expanded its presence in smart glasses. In March 2026, for example, Quanta signed a multi-year manufacturing agreement with Innovega to scale production of its smart glasses.
Lumus also works with another major manufacturing partner, German glassmaker SCHOTT, which manufactures its waveguides at a facility in Malaysia. According to Lumus, the two partners together provide production capacity of more than six million units. More than 200,000 Lumus waveguides have been manufactured and shipped to date for consumer, defense and medical applications, with the company reporting manufacturing yields of more than 95%.
Tiny Mirrors Inside the Lens
Founded in 2000, Lumus develops geometric, or reflective, waveguide technology. The waveguide receives an image from a miniature projector, guides the light through the glass and redirects it toward the user’s eye through an array of tiny reflective surfaces embedded within the lens. At the same time, the user continues to see the real world through the transparent lens.
Lumus’ architecture differs from diffractive waveguides, which use microscopic optical structures to manipulate and direct light. According to the company, its approach provides higher optical efficiency, greater color uniformity and lower light leakage. This allows for a smaller projector and lower power consumption, both critical parameters for devices intended to look and feel like ordinary eyeglasses.
The new generation to be manufactured by Quanta is intended to further address the size and cost constraints of consumer glasses. The Z-30 2.0 provides a 30-degree field of view in a thinner and lighter optical engine, with improved brightness and the ability to directly attach a prescription lens to the waveguide. The A-Lens family will be available with 30-degree and 50-degree fields of view and, according to Lumus, is approximately 50% thinner and lighter than previous generations while being designed from the outset for lower-cost manufacturing.
Lumus initially focused primarily on markets where component cost was less of a constraint. Its technology has been incorporated into Thales’ Scorpion display for fighter pilot helmets, Augmedics’ xVision surgical navigation system and Lenovo’s ThinkReality A6 smart glasses. Its integration into the Meta Ray-Ban Display represents a significant step into the consumer market.
The broader market is now approaching a potential inflection point. TrendForce estimates that global AR glasses shipments will increase 53% this year to approximately 950,000 units. At the same time, the broader success of Meta’s AI glasses portfolio is attracting additional players to the category and increasing pressure to reduce weight, power consumption and component costs. For Lumus, the new Quanta agreement is intended to ensure that its next generation of optics is ready if and when the market moves from hundreds of thousands of glasses to millions of units.