Elmos Semiconductor SE has achieved its first design wins with a German premium OEM for its new E522.96 LED controller, which enables pixel-based OLED rear lights with more than 500 individually controllable light points across both rear lights of a vehicle. The announcement, reported via NEWMEDIAWIRE, signals a notable shift in automotive exterior lighting, where high-resolution, dynamic light surfaces are becoming a distinctive design element and a communication and safety feature.
The E522.96 controller manages up to 48 channels—three times as many as previous Elmos LED controllers for exterior lighting—allowing complex lighting functions to be implemented with fewer components. This capability supports the growing demand for precise and reliable control of each individual light point in pixel-based OLED rear lights, which open up new possibilities for dynamic lighting animations. The controller is available in CAN-FD and UART versions to suit different vehicle architectures, giving automakers flexibility in communication interface selection.
The design wins with a German premium OEM underscore the increasing importance of high-resolution lighting solutions around the vehicle. According to Dr. Jan Dienstuhl, Chief Sales Officer of Elmos Semiconductor SE, modern exterior lighting combines complex electronics with an immediate impact on design, brand recognition, and safety. “The first design wins with the new E522.96 confirm our innovative technology and give Elmos access to sophisticated OLED lighting applications,” Dienstuhl said in the release. “We intend to develop this attractive growth area even more systematically in the future.”
Elmos is also expanding its portfolio for future vehicle architectures. Smart Edge Gateway ICs can enable communication between LED controllers via Ethernet based on 10BASE-T1S for lighting applications on and inside the vehicle, while the 16-channel E522.95 controller complements the lineup for brake and turn signal functions. These developments position Elmos to address the broader trend of software-defined vehicles and increasingly sophisticated lighting systems.
The company plans to showcase an OLED demonstrator using the E522.96 at electronica 2026 in Munich, illustrating how hundreds of individually controlled pixels create a precise and dynamic lighting experience. The full release is available on www.newmediawire.com.
The implications of this announcement extend beyond a single product win. As vehicle exterior lighting evolves into a high-resolution, software-driven feature, Elmos’ ability to secure design wins with a premium automaker validates its strategy of focusing more heavily on the exterior lighting sector. The E522.96’s higher channel count and flexible interfaces could reduce component count and simplify complex lighting designs, potentially lowering costs and accelerating adoption of pixel-based OLED systems across more vehicle segments. For the automotive supply chain, the move highlights intensifying competition in LED control electronics, where integration and communication capabilities are becoming key differentiators.
