AI 스마트 안경, 중국서 1년 새 2배 껑충…알리바바·샤오미 속속 신제품

With the race for AI-powered smart glasses heating up, led by U.S. big-tech companies, China's smart glasses market is also experiencing rapid growth. According to Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology data released on August 21st, sales of smart glasses in major platforms in China increased by 120% year-over-year from January to August this year, more than doubling compared to the same period last year.

However, when it comes to production volumes, there are differences between products. IDC data shows that China's smart glasses shipments in the second quarter of this year fell by 8% year-over-year, marking the first time the market experienced a quarter of decline. The decline was mainly due to a drop in shipments for audio and video glasses.

In contrast, shipments of augmented reality and extended reality glasses increased by a remarkable 123% compared to last year. Lightweight glasses with AI capabilities are leading the growth trend. IDC forecasts that by the end of this year, smart glasses produced in China will account for 45% of the global shipments. Chinese companies are leveraging their massive domestic market by launching AI-equipped products to capture the market.

Alibaba launched its own AI model 'Qian' in November last year, which comes with real-time translation, shopping, and payment integration features in its 'Quake AI Glass'. Huawei unveiled an AI glass with a weight of just 40g, capable of real-time translation, photo and video recording, while Lockheed Martin introduced its lightweight 'Lockheed Glass' without a display, followed by the even lighter 'Lockheed Style'.

China's government also included smart glasses in its national subsidy program for the first time in June, supporting market expansion. As Chinese companies intensify their market entry, tech giants like Google, Samsung, and Apple are also preparing their next-generation smart glasses, and competition is set to become even more intense.

Samsung and Google are planning to launch an Android-based augmented reality smart glasses within the year, which will feature speakers and cameras to monitor users' real-time situations without a display. Apple is also preparing its smart glasses for a 2023 release.