As the autonomous driving industry, including Tesla, focuses on camera efficiency, competition in the camera module market is also intensifying.

The Ministry of Science and ICT reported in its 'Science and Technology & ICT Policy and Technology Trends No. 217' that as the era of autonomous driving approaches, camera modules are attracting attention as a future growth engine.

Global automakers such as Toyota and Tesla are actively developing technologies utilizing camera modules.

Woven Planet, Toyota's autonomous driving subsidiary, has begun developing autonomous driving technology using cameras.

This is because the amount of data collected from autonomous vehicles equipped with radar and lidar is very limited, and it is expected that information collection and learning while driving will be possible only with images from cameras.

In terms of price, the shaving camera is advantageous. It is said that it is about 90% cheaper than radar and lidar, so its usability is much higher.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk also insisted that he would develop autonomous vehicles using only camera sensors, citing the high price and large power consumption of lidar.

The number of cameras in Tesla vehicles has roughly tripled from just two or three in 2020.

The Tesla Vision system, which relies on eight cameras and neural network processing, will provide autopilot and fully autonomous driving functions, eliminating radar as it recognizes lanes, traffic lights, and surrounding vehicles, the company said.

The number of cameras, which was only two or three in 2020, has increased by about three times.

Tesla explained that if multiple cameras simultaneously capture three-dimensional images of an object, there is no problem measuring the shape, distance, and depth of the object.

Currently, radar has been removed only from autonomous vehicles sold in North America, but it is expected that radar will be removed from vehicles sold in other regions in the future.

Market research firm Yole forecasts that the number of cameras installed in vehicles will increase, not only for autonomous driving but also for virtual mirror systems installed in place of side mirrors, and that the market size will grow from $34 billion in 2020 to $59 billion in 2026.

▲Ioniq 6 Virtual Mirror

Accordingly, domestic electronic components companies such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics and LG Innotek are actively seeking orders for autonomous vehicle camera modules.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics wins order for camera modules to be installed in Tesla's autonomous vehicles.We plan to mass-produce modules in Shanghai and Berlin and supply parts.

Originally, LG Innotek accounted for 70% of Tesla's supply, while Samsung Electro-Mechanics accounted for 30%, but this contract is expected to reverse the proportions.

LG Innotek announced plans to acquire LG Electronics' A3 factory in Gumi and use it to produce camera modules.

LG Innotek supplies camera modules for automotive electronics to automakers such as Hyundai Motor Company.

In addition, it is expected that the company will participate in the bidding competition for camera modules to be supplied to Tesla's Austin plant, and it is expected that it will be able to supply camera modules to Jaguar Land Rover, GM, and Continental in addition to the existing supply of electrical components.