TAINAN, Taiwan and TAICHUNG, Taiwan, Aug. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Himax Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: HIMX) (“Himax” or the “Company”), a leading supplier and fabless manufacturer of display drivers and other semiconductor products, and WAFERLOCK Corporation (TPEx: 6474) (“WAFERLOCK”), a Taiwan-based provider of smart lock and access control solutions, today jointly announced that Himax’s WiseEye palm vein biometric authentication technology has been integrated into the WAFERLOCK L322 palm vein smart lock. The L322 is now commercially available. Together, the two companies are bringing contactless, highly secure palm vein authentication to smart lock applications, delivering a new generation of access control solutions that combine security, convenience, and privacy protection for homes, residential communities, and smart buildings.

The WAFERLOCK L322 smart lock integrates palm vein authentication with multiple access methods, supporting palm vein recognition, RFID cards, PIN codes, mechanical keys, and an optional mobile app. It is also compatible with EasyCard, iPASS, and MIFARE contactless cards, supporting a wide range of residential scenarios. Users simply hold their palm in front of the lock for fast, contactless authentication, providing an intuitive and convenient way to unlock the door. The L322 is particularly convenient in everyday situations, such as when users are carrying groceries, have wet hands, are unable to use fingerprint authentication, or need to help elderly family members or children enter the home.

Compared to conventional fingerprint authentication, palm vein authentication verifies identity by reading the unique vein patterns beneath the skin of the palm. By relying on internal biometric features, it is far less affected by perspiration, skin conditions, worn fingerprints, or age-related changes, and significantly reduces the risk of identity spoofing or credential theft. Palm vein patterns are highly unique and stable, even identical twins have distinct vein patterns. Combined with liveness detection, palm vein authentication further enhances the security, accuracy, and reliability of identity verification.

Himax's WiseEye palm vein biometric authentication solution is built on endpoint AI and integrates an ultralow power AI processor, an image sensor, and advanced palm vein recognition algorithms. The solution performs palm vein image capture, feature matching, and identity verification directly on the device, eliminating the need for cloud connectivity. This enhances user privacy and system security while delivering real-time responsiveness with ultralow power consumption making it ideal for smart locks, access control systems, and a wide range of battery-powered smart devices.

WAFERLOCK is a Taiwan-based smart lock brand that designs, develops, and manufactures smart electronic locks, with a focus on smart locks, smart home, and smart building solutions. Its products are marketed in Taiwan as well as overseas markets, including Europe, the United States, and Japan. This collaboration combines Himax's expertise in endpoint AI and palm vein biometric technology with WAFERLOCK's product design and manufacturing capabilities, demonstrating the strength of Taiwan's smart lock ecosystem, from core sensing and AI computing to end-product design and manufacturing.

"As smart homes, smart buildings, and digital access control continue to grow, we expect demand for palm vein biometric technology to increase as customers seek authentication solutions that combine contactless operation, high accuracy, spoof resistance, and strong privacy protection," said Mark Chen, Vice President of Smart Sensing Business at Himax. "We will continue working closely with ecosystem partners to bring WiseEye's ultralow power AI and palm vein biometric authentication technology to a broader range of smart locks, access control systems, and other intelligent edge devices."

About WAFERLOCK Corp.
WAFERLOCK Corp. (Group Stock Code TPEx: 6474), under its proprietary brand WAFERLOCK, has established a strong global presence in smart access control for more than 25 years. Based in Taiwan, WAFERLOCK is a fully vertically integrated manufacturer with capabilities spanning product design, hardware and software R&D, manufacturing, and technical support. Built around two core principles—Security and Simplicity—WAFERLOCK delivers comprehensive smart access solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of residential, hospitality, commercial, and smart building environments worldwide.

WAFERLOCK’s international product portfolio includes smart locks designed for diverse regional door and lock specifications, access control systems supporting both offline and cloud-based management, the WAFERKEY App, and WAFERBOX smart parcel lockers. By integrating hardware, software, and connectivity, WAFERLOCK provides flexible access solutions that help customers enhance security while simplifying access management and everyday operations.

Quality and engineering excellence are at the core of WAFERLOCK’s product development. The company’s lock cases have achieved U.S. ANSI Grade 1 certification and have undergone durability testing of up to one million cycles. Selected products also meet European standards including EN 15684 and EN 16867, with product designs offering up to IP68-rated water and dust resistance. With key technologies and capabilities developed in-house, WAFERLOCK maintains close control over product quality, performance, and reliability throughout the development and manufacturing process.

Today, WAFERLOCK has established a distribution network across more than 25 countries, supported by over 100 distribution partners worldwide. WAFERLOCK holds patents in key markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, and Taiwan. Its international operations are further strengthened by a regional subsidiary in Japan, enabling the company to provide closer support to customers and partners in the Japanese market. Leveraging its vertically integrated capabilities, WAFERLOCK provides global partners with reliable product quality, supply chain stability, and flexible customization capabilities to address diverse market requirements. From product development and manufacturing to technical support, the company works closely with partners to deliver solutions tailored to different applications and regional needs.

Looking ahead, WAFERLOCK continues to expand its smart access ecosystem by integrating biometric authentication, AI, IoT, and cloud technologies to advance the next generation of smart building and security management.

www.waferlock.com

About Himax Technologies, Inc.

Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) is a leading global fabless semiconductor solution provider dedicated to display imaging processing technologies. The Company’s display driver ICs and timing controllers have been adopted at scale across multiple industries worldwide including TVs, PC monitors, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, automotive, ePaper devices, industrial displays, among others. As the global market share leader in automotive display technology, the Company offers innovative and comprehensive automotive IC solutions, including traditional driver ICs, advanced in-cell Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI), local dimming timing controllers (Local Dimming Tcon), Large Touch and Display Driver Integration (LTDI) and OLED display technologies. Himax is also a pioneer in tinyML visual-AI and optical technology related fields. The Company’s industry-leading WiseEye TM Ultralow Power AI Sensing technology which incorporates Himax proprietary ultralow power AI processor, always-on CMOS image sensor, and CNN-based AI algorithm has been widely deployed in consumer electronics and AIoT related applications. Himax optics technologies, such as diffractive wafer level optics, LCoS microdisplays and 3D sensing solutions, are critical for facilitating emerging AR/VR/metaverse technologies. Additionally, Himax designs and provides touch controllers, OLED ICs, LED ICs, EPD ICs, power management ICs, and CMOS image sensors for diverse display application coverage. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan, Himax currently employs around 2,200 people from three Taiwan-based offices in Tainan, Hsinchu and Taipei and country offices in China, Korea, and the US. Himax has 2,555 patents granted and 318 patents pending approval worldwide as of June 30, 2026.

http://www.himax.com.tw

Forward Looking Statements

Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described include, but are not limited to, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s business; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; market acceptance and competitiveness of the driver and non-driver products developed by the Company; demand for end-use applications products; reliance on a small group of principal customers; the uncertainty of continued success in technological innovations; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; pricing pressures including declines in average selling prices; changes in customer order patterns; changes in estimated full-year effective tax rate; shortage in supply of key components; changes in environmental laws and regulations; changes in export license regulated by Export Administration Regulations (EAR); exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; our ability to collect accounts receivable and manage inventory and other risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including those risks identified in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the SEC, as may be amended.

WAFERLOCK Contact:
Email: [email protected]
www.waferlock.com

Himax Contacts:

Karen Tiao, Head of IR/PR
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-2-2370-3999
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: [email protected]
http://www.himax.com.tw

Mark Schwalenberg, Director
Investor Relations - US Representative
MZ North America
Tel: +1-312-261-6430
Email: [email protected]