Google buys 6.3% stake in Google Glass display maker

Google has invested in a Taiwanese semiconductor firm that produces liquid crystal on silicon chips used in devices such as Google Glass. Reuters reports that the company purchased a 6.3% stake in Himax Technologies subsidiary Himax Display. The investment will help Google further develop its wearable computing device, which CEO Larry Page recently called “vital to the company’s future.” Google Glass is currently being tested in a public beta with a limited number of users, and it is expected to launch in early 2014. Himax noted in a statement that the terms of the deal allow Google to increase its stake in the company to 14.8% within a year. The transaction is expected to close later this quarter and specific terms were not disclosed.