XenomatiX and the EIC Accelerator: Lidar Turned to Road Scanning

Lidar measures distance with laser light and gives self-driving and driver-assistance systems a 3D picture of the road. XenomatiX, founded in Leuven in 2013, builds lidar with no moving parts, and also sells road-scanning systems that measure cracks, ruts and potholes from a moving vehicle.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,482,564 towards a €3.55 million project that ran from November 2022 to October 2024 and promised "the 1st true solid-state LiDAR with 100% proven silicon components to supply the B€ automotive Lidar market". According to the CORDIS report, "the performance targets of range, accuracy and precision are met". The report names no carmaker customer. XenomatiX's accounts show its gross margin falling from €4.41 million to €2.93 million in the year to June 2025.

Where XenomatiX Stands Today

The EIC's impact page lists the "commercial launch of solid state Lidar Xavia" in July 2025 and delivery of the first combined lidar and camera sensors in December 2025. Its automotive news since then is a giveaway: in March 2026 Siemens won an Xavia in a free lidar contest, to use in "autonomous driving and ADAS projects". Its other 2026 announcements are about roads. In April Australia's National Transport Research Organisation adopted its 6D road scanning, and in June the Belgian Road Research Centre chose XenoBike to build "full digital twins of pavement surfaces across roads, bike lanes, and sidewalks".

The Technology: Lidar Without Moving Parts

XenomatiX's lidar has "zero moving parts", according to the project description: it projects laser light and reads the reflections on semiconductor chips. CORDIS credits the project with the "invention of a solid state line scanning projector allowing to use SPAD technology", an algorithm that handles bright reflectors, and an assembly process "reducing assembly and calibration steps to minimum". The company says Xavia measures objects up to 140 metres away.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project described its lidar as "a complete system-on-chip as demanded by automotive OEMs" and aimed at the automotive lidar market. CORDIS confirms the technical targets were met and the manufacturing process was optimised. It does not report a carmaker order, and none has been announced since.

1. Solid-state lidar performanceDeliveredTargets met, per CORDIS.
2. Efficient manufacturingDeliveredAssembly steps cut.
3. Commercial productDeliveredXavia on sale 2025.
4. Supply to carmakersNot shownNo OEM deal public.

What Has Happened Since the Award

The Money

XenomatiX's financial year ends on 30 June. In the year to June 2025 its operating loss was €3.04 million and its net loss €2.15 million, up from €0.35 million a year earlier. Its equity nevertheless rose from €15.1 million to €22.5 million, and the Belgian Official Gazette records capital and share changes in July, September and November 2024 and February 2025. Who invested in those capital increases, and how much, has not been announced. The last round the company announced was the March 2021 investment by BNP Paribas Fortis Private Equity and eight other investors, to "accelerate the industrialisation of price competitive lidar modules".

Why Europe Should Care

The EIC paid most of a project meant to give European carmakers a lidar made in Europe from silicon parts. The technology works, according to CORDIS, but the customers XenomatiX has named since are road authorities and researchers, not carmakers.

The Verdict

XenomatiX has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on company statements, Belgian company filings and EU project data, linked throughout.