Teradar today emerged from stealth to unveil the first commercial sensing technology capable of seeing in the terahertz (THz) band of the electromagnetic spectrum. The company says that, as scrutiny of camera-only sensor solutions grows and the limits of radar and lidar become increasingly clear as automakers pursue higher levels of autonomous driving, its terahertz vision chip technology is a radical leap forward for the global sensing market.

The company was founded in Boston in 2020 by a team from MIT and Stanford University—by CEO Matthew Carey, CTO Gregory Charvat, and Chief Chip Architect Nicholas Saiz—with more than 20 years of expertise spanning automotive engineering, advanced chip design, electromagnetics, photonics, and systems engineering. Its emergence is supported by the completion of a Series B totaling $150 million led by VXI Capital with participation from IBEX Investors, Capricorn Investment Group, The Engine Ventures, and Lockheed Martin Ventures.

“Teradar has made terahertz vision a reality by bringing unprecedented resolution and awareness at long range in any weather,” said Carey. “This breakthrough provides vehicles the perception needed to anticipate danger, avoid accidents, and, ultimately, save lives. Ultimately, our goal is to eliminate automotive accidents altogether through dramatically better perception, and this vision can only be achieved with robust, high-performance sensors that can be easily integrated and scaled to support every type of vehicle.”

Providing up to 20 times the resolution of automotive radar, the tech is said to signal a new era of high definition, “all-weather” vision and awareness for next-generation vehicles—with additional high-growth applications in defense, healthcare, and manufacturing. The dramatically improved perception and accident avoidance derived from terahertz waves could ultimately prevent more than 150,000 fatal accidents annually worldwide.

“Terahertz sensors represent a transformative leap for automotive perception,” said Tom Lee, Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. “Their ability to deliver exceptional resolution in all weather conditions and at long range enables intelligent vehicles to detect hazards with unprecedented accuracy. This technology brings reliable, real-time environmental awareness to autonomous systems, promising dramatically safer roads and redefining what’s possible for advanced driver assistance and fully autonomous driving worldwide.”

Teradar’s proprietary MTE (Modular Terahertz Engine) is an all-solid-state, highly customizable chip architecture that can be tailored to meet the range and resolution requirements of any SAE Level 1-2 ADAS (advanced driving assistance system) or Level 3-5 autonomous driving systems. The MTE consists of a series of proprietary chips that safely transmit, receive, and Teracore process terahertz waves.

The company’s tech achieves a native angular resolution as fine as 0.13°, which it says is 20 times better than leading automotive imaging radars. Integrated with cameras, Teradar supplies detailed object and range data, yielding powerful scene understanding far exceeding any single modality.

In the toughest conditions, where other sensors fail, Teradar delivers reliable, high-resolution performance that never loses sight during day, night, rain, fog, and snow. The terahertz vision achieves over 300 m (984 ft) of range, capturing fine details and distant hazards with unmatched precision.

Teradar is in active collaborations with five of the leading automotive OEMs in the U.S. and Europe, as well as three Tier 1 suppliers, and expects to win a vehicle production program by 2028. Between 2028 and 2034, Teradar says its target market opportunity aligns with a total sensor segment (lidar and radar) scaling from $16 to 20 billion in 2028 to nearly $60 billion by 2034, offering significant growth potential.