OmniVision rises in Hong Kong debut after HK$4.8 billion offering

CHIP designer OmniVision Integrated Circuits Group gained in its Hong Kong trading debut after raising HK$4.8 billion (S$793 million) in an offering.

The shares rose as much as 7.5 per cent on Monday (Jan 12), compared with an offer price of HK$104.8 apiece. The company’s Shanghai-listed stock fell as much as 1.5 per cent, reversing earlier gains.

The company, formerly known as Will Semiconductor, is a provider of CMOS image sensors – chips that turn incoming light into electrical signals – used in smartphones, automobiles and emerging technologies such as smart glasses and Edge AI. The company was listed as one of the world’s top ten fabless chip designers in 2024, along with global giants including Nvidia Corp., according to a report from research firm TrendForce in 2025.

“OmniVision is already listed in Shanghai, making its Hong Kong debut less novel,” said Xiang Xiaotian, director at Shanghai Chengzhou Investment Management. The company also “lacks strong ties to AI – currently the most sought-after sector for global investors,” he said.

The shares’ modest performance compared to recent chip IPOs underscores how global investors are differentiating among likely winners in the artificial-intelligence sector. Chinese hardware makers, including Shanghai Biren Technology and mainland-listed Moore Threads Technology, which jumped multifold on its debut, have been particularly popular with investors amid Beijing’s support for the local semiconductor industry.

OmniVision’s offering has drawn support from sovereign wealth funds, including Qatar Investment Authority and GIC, according to IFR. Proceeds raised from the Hong Kong listing will be mainly used in research and development of key technologies, including sensing and display technology, as well as analogue solutions.

The offer price represents a 29 per cent discount to the Shanghai-listed stock’s on Friday close, compared with an average 19 per cent discount for Hong Kong-listed shares relative to their mainland peers.

The chip designer in 2019 acquired Silicon Valley-based OmniVision Technologies, which rivals Sony Group and Samsung Electronics on image sensors. OmniVision Technologies, a former Apple supplier, was delisted from Nasdaq in 2016 with a buyout deal from a group of Chinese investors.

OmniVision reported revenues of 25.7 billion yuan (S$4.7 billion) in 2024 and 13.9 billion yuan in the first half of 2025, representing an increase of 23 and 15 per cent from the previous corresponding periods, respectively, according to its prospectus. The growth is driven by a recovery in consumer electronics demand.

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The pipeline of listings in Hong Kong is robust, with 11 companies having laid plans to debut in the city this month. About half of those firms are Chinese AI companies. The next one due to trade in Hong Kong is GigaDevice Semiconductor Inc., which is scheduled to list on Tuesday. BLOOMBERG