PrimeSense Attracts $50 Million Private Investment For Kinect-Like Tech

The company behind the 3D motion-sensing camera hardware in Microsoft's Xbox 360 Kinect has secured a new round of investment capital from Silver Lake Sumeru. While the company didn't officially confirm the size of the investment, Isreali business site Globes reports the new round of $50 million in funding comes on top of $29 million in investments the company had previously attracted. In an interview with that site during the Consumer Electronics Show, PrimeSense CEO Inon Beracha said the company will be using the money to expand from 50 to 80 employees and pursue "non-organic growth options," implying acquisitions may be in offing for the Tel Aviv-based company. “We are thrilled to welcome Silver Lake Sumeru as our investor and partner and appreciate this strong vote of confidence in both our team and the adoption of Natural Interaction technology,” Beracha said in a statement. “PrimeSense looks forward to leveraging Silver Lake’s deep technology expertise and strategic insight as we continue to innovate and grow.” PrimeSense's PS1080 "System on Chip" and PrimeSensor design technology are used in Microsoft's Kinect 3D motion-sensing camera controller, which has seen shipments of 8 million units since its release in November. The company's technology is also being used by computer maker Asus for the Xtion Pro control interface, which is being designed for use with a PC and a living room television. Last month, PrimeSense released a set of open source drivers for natural motion interfaces including the Kinect. Silver Lake manages $14 billion in assets for tech companies including Skype.