Google buys 6.3% stake of Himax Display to boost Google Glass manufacturing

Google has agreed to purchase a 6.3 percent stake of Himax Display, a sign Google is getting more serious about boosting production of its Google Glass wearable tech.

Himax Display is a subsidiary of Taiwan’s Himax Technologies. It produces liquid crystal on silicon (“LCOS”) chips and modules that are used in devices like Google Glass and pico-projectors. Himax Display also has some other prominent investors, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Khosla Ventures, and Intel.

“We are delighted to receive this investment and to form a strategic partnership with Google,” Himax CEO Jordan Wu said in a statement. “Beginning the second quarter of this year, we had already begun expanding capacity to meet demand for our LCOS product line. This investment from Google further validates our commitment to developing breakthrough technologies and state-of-the-art production facilities.”

Google’s investment will “fund production upgrades, expand capacity, and further enhance production capabilities at HDI’s facilities,” Himax said in the news announcement. Google also has an option to buy more shares of Himax Display at the same price within one year from closing the first share purchase. If Google buys the maximum amount of shares, it would own a total of up to 14.8 percent of the chip maker.

The move to get production increased on Glass makes sense, considering it is not available for purchase online or in stores. Glass will reportedly be available by the end of 2013 for general purchases.