IPO News | Howell Group (603501.SH) is the world's third-largest digital image sensor supplier through HKEx hearing

Zhitong Finance App learned that according to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's disclosure on December 14, Howell Integrated Circuit (Group) Co., Ltd. (603501.SH) passed the Hong Kong Stock Exchange main board listing hearing, and UBS, CICC, PASCHK, and GFSHK were its co-sponsors.

According to the prospectus, Howell Group is a global Fabless semiconductor design company, and CMOS image sensors (CIS) are the group's main products. The Group is known for its proprietary technology, diverse product and solution portfolio, flexible Fabless business model, and extensive customer network and supply chain ecosystem.

Currently, Howell Group is mainly engaged in three major business lines: image sensor solutions, display solutions, and simulation solutions. The Group is also continuing to expand the categories and coverage of products and solutions to serve high-growth industries such as smartphones, automobiles, medical care, security and emerging markets (machine vision, smart glasses, and end-side AI).

With a solid foundation of core technology and deep expertise, an extensive intellectual property portfolio, and manufacturing process platforms developed in collaboration with leading global suppliers, the Group has built a complete, leading and award-winning core technology matrix. In the smartphone CIS field, Howell Group launched the OV50X image sensor for flagship smartphones in April 2025. By using LOFIC technology, single-exposure HDR can be achieved under any lighting conditions.

In the automotive CIS field, Howell Group has successively launched OX08D108 megapixel CIS, OX05D10 5 megapixel CIS, OX12A10 12 megapixel CIS, and OX03H10 3 megapixel CIS, which can meet the machine vision requirements of next-generation ADAS and autonomous driving.

In the medical CIS field, Howell Group released a new OCH2B30 camera module in June 2024, which is suitable for 3D dental scanners and provides an ultra-compact camera module to promote its application in the field of dentistry. The Group also established a new machine vision division in 2024, and released the new OP03050 and OG0TC BSI global shutter image sensors in July 2024 as part of the end-side AI program.

According to Frost & Sullivan, according to 2024 revenue, Howell Group is one of the three companies with a comprehensive business line and strong design capabilities among the top ten Fabless IC design companies in the world. This enables the Group to design, develop and sell a variety of highly integrated semiconductor solutions designed for mission-critical applications, which are widely used in important fields in various industries.

In particular, it is worth mentioning that according to Frost & Sullivan data, in terms of 2024 image sensor solution revenue, Howell Group is the world's third-largest supplier of digital image sensors, with a market share of 13.7%. The Group's technical expertise and ability to provide reliable services helped Howell Group establish brand awareness and secure global market recognition.

On the financial side, in 2022, 2023, 2024, and January-June 2025, Howell Group achieved revenue of approximately 20.04 billion yuan, 20.984 billion yuan, 25.707 billion yuan, and 13.944 billion yuan respectively; profits for the same period were 951 million yuan, 544 million yuan, 3.279 billion yuan and 2.20 billion yuan, respectively.