AEye makes lidar sensors for vehicles, robots, and infrastructure applications. Lidar fires laser pulses and measures return time to create a precise 3D map of the surrounding environment, offering high resolution and accurate depth perception across a wide range of conditions. AEye's flagship product is Apollo, a solid-state sensor capable of detecting objects at up to 1 kilometer. A key differentiator AEye cites is Apollo's ability to mount behind the windshield rather than on the roof, avoiding the aesthetic and packaging compromises that roof-mounted sensors require. In early 2026, AEye introduced Stratos, a next-generation sensor with a detection range of approximately 1.5 kilometers and roughly twice the angular resolution of Apollo. AEye also offers OPTIS, a turnkey solution combining Apollo's sensing with compute and third-party perception software, targeting non-automotive customers who need an end-to-end system. AEye targets two markets: automotive (passenger vehicles, commercial trucking, and autonomous vehicle programs) and non-automotive (rail, defense, ITS, security, and aviation). Non-automotive has shorter sales cycles and drives near-term revenue, while automotive represents the long-term scale opportunity. AEye's business model is capital-light: manufacturing is outsourced to Lite-On, perception software is sourced from third-party partners, and components are drawn from the telecom supply chain. Revenue today comes primarily from hardware sensor sales, with a smaller contribution from software and integrated solutions. The long-term automotive model envisions royalty or per-unit license revenue paid by Tier 1 manufacturing partners as OEM programs scale to production.