Chinese vein biometrics firm opens factory capable of producing 2M devices a year

China has its first factory dedicated to manufacturing vein biometrics hardware, which will produce up to 2 million vein modules and devices a year. The factory is built by biometric technology firm Saint Deem, which develops vein recognition algorithms, software and hardware.

The production line is located in the eastern province of Anhui in the Huainan Modern Industrial Park, covering more than 100,000 square feet. The factory is a step towards large-scale commercialization of the technology, according to the firm.

The company has been developing vein recognition since 2014, implementing the tech in the automotive sector, public transportation, financial industry and access control. It has cooperated with car makers such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Volkswagen to develop keyless unlocking and intelligent gesture recognition.

The firm also develops FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) chips for vein recognition algorithms. Saint Deem’s goal, however, is not just to sell hardware but to make vein recognition trusted and universal, according to co-CEO Qian Haomin.

“Vein recognition offers what other biometric technologies struggle to guarantee: it is internal, live and extremely difficult to replicate,” says Qian. “With this production line, the company is shifting from an R&D-driven model to a new stage driven by the dual engines of R&D and manufacturing.”

Saint Deem is one of the enterprises responsible for formulating national public safety standards for vein recognition in China.

In 2022, it completed a 193 million yuan (US$27.6 million according to today’s rate) strategic financing round backed by state-owned funds, placing its valuation at nearly 3 billion yuan ($430.1 million).

The company has collaborated with the Chengde Public Transport Group in Hebei province to roll out palm vein payments for bus passengers, according to China Daily.

It has also developed palm vein recognition and authentication software for mobile banking, which has been tested in multiple banks, according to the firm. Saint Deen is also exploring applying the technology in non-invasive blood sugar monitoring and human-computer interactions.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  China  |  research and development  |  Saint Deem  |  vein biometrics  |  vein recognition