Google acquired the firm Raxium, a five-year-old startup from California that specialized in the development of microLED displays.

Google’s take over of Raxium intends to improve displays for its own hardware portfolio and could be the key to building a new generation of headsets for augmented, virtual and mixed reality. Google previously acquired eyewear maker North and is said to be hiring engineers to build an augmented reality operating system. However, Google is not specific in the announcement about the takeover that has already taken place.

MicroLED technology can also be used for televisions and wearable technology. Some suggest that this market could exceed 1,000 million dollars in turnover by the year 2026.

The Information had previously reported on Google’s intention to buy. Accordingly, Raxium is said to be working on a process (monolithic integration) with which the microLEDs can be manufactured in a similar process to processors, which should make production cheaper than before.

“The team at Raxium has spent five years creating miniaturized, cost-effective and energy-efficient high-resolution displays that have laid the foundation for future display technologies. Raxium’s technical expertise in this area will play a key role as we continue to invest in our hardware efforts.” — Google Senior Vice President of Devices and Services, Rick Osterloh, commented in a post announcing the deal.

Compared to a Super AMOLED display with around 50 µm per pixel, a Raxium microLED should only measure 3.5 µm. The efficiency should exceed the previous best value in the industry by a factor of five.