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Pride of Wacom
After 5 Years:
The New IC Enables The Best Pen Experience
Wacom Intuos Pro: Wacom's Flagship Pen Tablet with a New IC
The Wacom Intuos Pro, Wacom's flagship pen tablet, has supported creators for years by capturing their moments of inspiration with natural, precise strokes. In February 2025, the Wacom Intuos Pro underwent its first renewal since 2017. The new Wacom Intuos Pro retains its exceptional expressive power and ease of use, while evolving into an even thinner, lighter, and more stylish pen tablet than before.
One of the most noteworthy features of the redesigned Wacom Intuos Pro is the introduction of a new IC that Wacom has spent years developing.
An IC (Integrated Circuit) is an electronic component that integrates transistors, capacitors, resistors, diodes, and other parts onto a single substrate. It is often considered the heart of electronic devices, as it plays a crucial role in their performance. High-performance custom ICs optimized for specific applications are known as ASICs (Application-Specific Integrated Circuits). These ASICs enhance specific functions that would be difficult to achieve with general-purpose ICs.
With a high-performance IC, the potential of a device expands significantly. Conversely, no matter how well a device is designed, it is difficult to exceed the inherent capabilities of its IC. It is not an exaggeration to say that a device's performance is largely determined by the performance of its IC.
When Years of Solitary Research Comes to Fruition
The origins of the new IC development can be traced back around five years.
At that time, the IC used in Wacom's core technology, EMR (Electromagnetic Resonance), had already been in development for several years. While it remained a foundational element of Wacom products, there was an increasing demand from creators for even higher performance. This called for further improvements in the IC's capabilities.
The engineer entrusted with this assignment was Yosuke Matsuda, who works on custom LSI (Large-Scale Integration) development. At the time, Matsuda had just joined Wacom and had limited knowledge of EMR.
Matsuda's challenge was to improve SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), which is a logarithmic measure of the amount of noise (N) relative to the desired signal (S). SNR is a metric commonly used to assess the performance of electrical circuits, communication systems, and audio devices. In simple terms, the higher the SNR, the better the quality of the signal. Reflecting on this challenge, Matsuda shares his thoughts.
Matsuda recalled that, "I was handed a product and given the research and development challenge to improve the SNR. I immediately sensed that this would not be easy.
"To tackle this challenge, I worked alone to create a PoC (Proof of Concept) - a process for testing the feasibility and effectiveness of new ideas and concepts - and repeatedly validated my hypotheses. There were many hurdles to overcome, such as the circuit design and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) work, before I could actually move the research forward.
"Day after day, I evaluated the SNR using an oscilloscope, which visually displays the changes in electrical signals as waveforms. This was both an exciting and demanding process. I systematically searched for the cause of the noise, but even when I could identify the source, a solution was not always clear.
"That is why I made sure to stay patient, and advance step-by-step without rushing the process."
Matsuda continued his research for three years, almost entirely on his own.
The requirements for an IC that would improve SNR became clearer, and preparations for the design of the next-generation IC were nearly complete. At this time, Joo-Hoon Lee, the Executive Principal Technologist and Head of the EMR Module team, reached out to him.
Thus, carrying high expectations from the head of the technology division, the development of the new IC officially began.
"The new IC development project was started in conjunction with the renewal of the Wacom Intuos Pro," Matsuda said. "I felt that all the research that I had been doing was finally paying off."
*1 EMR (Electromagnetic Resonance):
EMR is a display-related technology patented by Wacom. It consists of a sensor layer and reinforced glass located under the device's LCD screen.
The sensors are arranged in an alternating vertical and horizontal grid pattern, with each sensor precisely integrated and emitting weak electromagnetic signals. When these signals are combined, they create a magnetic field on the glass surface of the device.
The key advantage of EMR is that the pen is powered without requiring a battery, as the power is transmitted through the LCD and protective glass. As a result, there are no issues with drained batteries, or twisted or damaged power cables. EMR combines Wacom's exceptional quality and reliability to achieve industry-leading precision and durability. These characteristics make EMR one of the core technologies that supports Wacom's current digital devices.
Wacom's New IC With Improved SNR
The development of the Wacom Intuos Pro was led by Yoshihisa Sugiyama, the leader of the EMR Technology team, which is responsible for the development and productization of hardware using EMR.
What kind of ICs would future products require? And how can these new ICs be integrated into actual products?
Together with Matsuda, Sugiyama attempted to answer these questions from a product development perspective.
When developing the new IC, Sugiyama shared several key requests with Matsuda.
The first two requests were to be compatible with any type of pen, and to work perfectly with both pen tablets and pen displays.
Sugiyama explained that, "Wacom offers two types of digital pens - GD and UD. With our previous ICs, we had to use a sort of "brute-force" approach to support both pen types. If the new IC could support both pen types seamlessly, then creators could choose from a much wider range of pens.
"The company's goal was to develop a single IC that could power all of Wacom's future products, so we began with that vision in mind."
Next, Sugiyama sought to reduce power consumption, with an eye toward using the IC in portable products.
The new IC achieves even lower power consumption by optimizing power management.
Another major enhancement is the integration of "communication terminals" in the new IC. These communication terminals made it possible to drastically reduce the number of external components compared to the previous IC.
The previous IC had to be combined with a microcontroller (LSI), but the updated version can work on its own, thus significantly reducing the PCB (Printed Circuit Board) footprint.
The successful miniaturization of the IC not only reduced cost, but also increased design flexibility.
Matsuda continued by saying, "Wacom's goal was to develop the best IC that achieved both high performance and minimal size.
"However, the manufacturing cost was a major concern. If we included all of our desired features, the cost would be too high.
"Negotiations with the IC development vendor were particularly difficult. How much could we compromise while still ensuring excellent performance?
Finalizing the product specifications at the early stages of the project was an uphill battle, and it took a considerable amount of time."
The completed new IC delivered the high performance that met Matsuda's and Sugiyama's expectations.
However, in the case of LCDs, there is a unique noise that is generated by the liquid crystal.
Typically, this noise is reduced by masking the LCD, but this method also weakens the signal.
The new IC allows processing that eliminates noise while preserving the quality of the signal.
In addition, the number of receivers (channels) within the IC was increased. As a result, the original goal given to Matsuda to improve SNR was successfully achieved.
"Of course, the power of the new IC is fully felt in the Wacom Intuos Pro pen tablet, but we believe that its true potential will be realized when it is integrated into LCD pen display products," Matsuda added.
The Wacom Intuos Pro is the first product to feature the new IC, and it is expected to be integrated in future products as well. We are excited to see how this new IC will continue to enhance the pen experience moving forward.
*2 GD Pen: A digital pen using the "GD method", a technology where information such as pen pressure is converted into digital values inside the pen, and then transmitted to the sensor via changes in the electromagnetic field.
*3 UD Pen: A digital pen using the "UD method", a technology where information such as pen pressure is directly transmitted to the sensor via changes in the electromagnetic field.
To Unleash the Full Potential of the New IC
Ensuring the new IC performs to its full potential was a key focus. For the Wacom Intuos Pro project, Senior Engineer Yue Ma was responsible for the sensor-related challenges. As a member of Sugiyama's team, Ma has been in charge of sensor design, development, and production management for many products.
While the new IC is overwhelmingly superior in terms of performance, it introduced slight constraints in the electrical design flexibility. As a result, it took time to find the optimal design for integration into products. When fine-tuning the design to meet the requirements of the IC, it became clear that achieving the ideal condition solely through calculations was not sufficient. At that time, Ma sought the advice of other engineers for insights to find the best solution.
"From an electrical design perspective, there is growing demand across industries and even pressure from our competitors to make bezels narrower," Ma explained. "The bezel refers to the frame of the display, which is the area that does not respond when touched. The wider the bezel, the more design flexibility we have. But, as products evolve with slimmer bezels, the precision required for our designs becomes extremely high.
"To maximize the new IC's performance, we also had to reduce the circuit's resistance. The resistance is determined by factors such as the coil thickness and layout, but since we were aiming to make the product as thin as possible, there were many challenges. Within these constraints, we kept seeking the best possible solutions."
The Wacom Intuos Pro features not only a new IC, but also a new digitizer. At Wacom, we refer to the combination of sensor boards, such as FPC*4 or FR-4*5, and magnetic sheets, as a digitizer. This essential technology accurately captures the strokes of the pen and brings high-resolution expression to life.
Previously, the sensor board and magnetic sheet were physically bonded together during assembly. However, the new digitizer uses an innovative technique that incorporates the magnetic sheet during the sensor board's manufacturing process. This method was first introduced in May 2024 with the launch of the Wacom Movink 13.
Although skipping the additional bonding step reduces lead time in production, it created some unforeseen challenges. Since the sensor board and magnetic sheet are made of different materials, they shrink at different rates when heat is applied during the integration process. To solve this issue, Ma and his team prepared multiple samples for testing and collaborated closely with their manufacturing partner. After extensive discussions and testing, they were able to discover the optimal pattern for manufacture.
"Since we were developing the digitizer using an entirely new method, we faced many unforeseen challenges," continued Ma. "How could we achieve high performance while still keeping costs down? We had to work closely with our manufacturing partner to confirm even the smallest details.
"Every time we develop a new product, we are essentially starting from scratch. There is a lot of hard work involved, but the joy of seeing it come together makes all of the effort worthwhile."
Team leader Sugiyama remarked, "From an electrical design perspective, the requirements for the Wacom Intuos Pro were quite demanding. Despite this, we still managed to achieve specifications equal to or better than past products, thanks largely to the benefits of the new IC."
While he expresses his thoughts in a calm and gentle manner, his stance about the pursuit of technological advances only for higher specifications is clear.
Sugiyama passionately states, "If we only chased higher specifications, we could produce some impressive numbers. However, if that ends up hindering a creator's workflow, what is the point? A product that looks great on paper, but in reality is full of jitter is basically useless for our customers.
"Everything we do is to provide the best possible pen experience. We are always striving for the ideal balance that meets creator's needs. This is one of Wacom's core principles and will be reflected in all of our products.
*4 FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits): Thin, flexible circuit boards made of plastic film.
*5 FR-4 (Flame Retardant Type 4): A rigid circuit board made of woven glass fiber that is infused with epoxy resin. It is both flame retardant and has low electrical conductivity.
*6 Jitter: A fluctuation in the timing of digital signals. Jitter can cause system errors or reduced accuracy by disrupting the timing between circuits and devices.
The Latest Pen Experience, Crafted from Wacom's Technology Innovations
Wacom's latest IC is the culmination of our research and development, and the Wacom Intuos Pro is the first product to feature it. What thoughts do the engineers behind its development have now that the product is in the market?
"Lighter and thinner, that was my goal," said Sugiyama. "Both the new IC and new digitizer made major contributions in this regard.
"The redesigned Wacom Intuos Pro may not look drastically different from our previous products in terms of the specifications for pen pressure sensitivity and power consumption. That is partly because Wacom products have always maintained a high quality level. However, as soon as you see the Wacom Intuos Pro for yourself, you will immediately notice that it is thinner, lighter, and more stylish.
"With a narrower bezel, usability has been enhanced, too. I am confident this is a product that we can proudly share with the world."
Matsuda stated, "There is no doubt that the new IC has elevated the overall product performance. In addition to improving SNR, this IC can also increase frame rate (fps), the number of images displayed per second in videos or animations.
"I sincerely hope that many creators will try the Wacom Intuos Pro and experience the power of Wacom's new IC for themselves."
"The light, thin, and narrow-bezel design of the Wacom Intuos Pro is something you’ll definitely appreciate once you use it," says Ma. With its slim bezel, you'll be amazed and think, 'Wow, I can draw all the way out here.'"
A new IC, a new digitizer, and Wacom's flagship pen - the Pro Pen 3.
The new Wacom Intuos Pro is packed with Wacom's cutting-edge technology, making it a true culmination of our company's innovations.
We hope you will experience to your heart's content the latest pen experience that our engineers worked so hard to achieve.
Igniting the creativity of professional artists!
The pride of Wacom – Wacom Pro Pen 3
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The very best in every respect:
no compromise in achieving the "ultimate balance"
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Catching that sparkling moment:
the birth of Wacom's first ever device with full-fledged portability
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Delivering an immersive creative experience at all times:
Eliminating all unnecessary design elements to focus on what really matters
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After 5 Years:
The New IC Enables The Best Pen Experience
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Designed to Blend Seamlessly into Creative Workflows:
The Redesigned High-End Pen Tablet
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