Austria: Schoenherr advises indie Semiconductor on acquisition of CMOS Image Sensor Product Line from ams OSRAM AG

Schoenherr successfully advised indie Semiconductor on the acquisition of the fabless CMOS image sensor group from ams OSRAM AG for a total consideration of EUR 40m.

With primary operations in Belgium and Portugal, the acquired product line includes intelligent, high‑performance CMOS image sensors for a broad range of industrial, automation and physical artificial intelligence (AI) applications. This portfolio of products, IP and designs aligns with indie Semiconductor's automotive ADAS sensing solutions and further strengthens the company's multimodal sensing platform across radar, vision, LiDAR and ultrasonic.

The acquisition is expected to support the company's continued expansion into emerging physical AI use cases, including humanoid robotics, collaborative robots (cobots) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). In addition, the acquired CMOS image sensor portfolio is expected to enhance indie Semiconductor's sensor fusion hardware and perception software capabilities, enabling the development of increasingly sophisticated sensing systems for next-generation autonomous machines. The transaction also broadens the company's portfolio of GaN SLED light source solutions and creates additional opportunities for growth in rapidly developing AI-enabled markets.

"This transaction highlights the continued strategic importance of advanced sensing technologies and AI-driven applications across the automotive and industrial sectors," said Schoenherr Partner Thomas Kulnigg. "The acquisition further demonstrates the growing convergence of automotive innovation, robotics and intelligent automation. We are pleased to support indie Semiconductor on this strategically significant carve-out acquisition."

The consideration consists of EUR 35m in cash payable at closing and a EUR 5m vendor debt note provided by ams OSRAM. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in Q3 2026 and be immediately accretive.

Headquartered in Aliso Viejo, CA, indie Semiconductor develops next generation semiconductors, photonics and perception software for the automotive sector. The company produces high performance, energy efficient mixed signal SoCs and system solutions for ADAS and industrial applications, including humanoid robotics and quantum technology. Its multimodal sensor portfolio – Radar, Computer Vision, LiDAR and Ultrasound – advances automated vehicle safety and sensing, and as an approved Tier 1 vendor, indie's technologies are deployed across leading automotive OEMs worldwide.

Schoenherr advised indie Semiconductor on all Austrian law aspects of the transaction. This transaction follows Schoenherr's previous advice to indie on its successful acquisition of the automotive perception software pioneer emotion3D.

The team was led by Thomas Kulnigg (Partner) and further included Christoph Haid (Partner), Katharina Schindler (Counsel), Maha Zöhrer (Attorney at Law), Dina Mutevelic (Associate), Michael Woller (Partner), Marco Thorbauer (Partner) and Dominik Tyrybon (Attorney at Law).

ams OSRAM was advised by Freshfields on all legal aspects relating to the transaction.