OLED deposition equipment provider Sunic System recently achieved significant success by supplying its equipment to several Chinese panel manufacturers. Other South Korean companies, such as HB Technology, Hanwha Momentum, and Rorze Systems, have also secured equipment orders from BOE for its 8.6G IT OLED production line (B16), further validating their technical competitiveness.
Taiwan's Favite, a leading supplier of automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment for LCD, OLED, and mini/microLED displays, has begun shipping microOLED AOI equipment to the Chinese market. The company is also expanding its focus to advanced packaging applications like fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) and fan-out panel-level packaging (FOPLP).
PlayNitride chairman Charles Li stated that the development of Micro LED technology will rapidly drive down costs at a pace similar to Moore's Law, with costs expected to fall below OLED by as early as 2030.
Due to LTPS LCD having advantages such as high resolution, lightweight design, and low power consumption, it will possibly lead the automotive display market in the future.
Seoul Semiconductor and its subsidiary Seoul Viosys recently released their financial results for the second quarter of 2024. CEO Chung-Hoon Lee emphasized the competitiveness of the company's strong patent portfolio in the MicroLED industry. He also announced that the company will commence mass production of MicroLED chips for digital signage in the second half of 2024.
Samsung Display (SDC) has reportedly achieved a breakthrough in tandem OLED yield rates, positioning the company to increase its supply of OLED panels for tablets and to aggressively expand its presence in the IT OLED display market by the second half of 2024.
As the world enters the AI era for mobile devices, Samsung Display (SDC) and LG Display (LGD) both express optimism about the outlook of OLED technology. According to Lee Chang-hee, the head of SDC's research institute, the adoption rate of OLED panels in the overall display market has grown from 8% in the past to 37%.
As LED demand recovers, many companies have experienced operational improvements in the first half of 2024, particularly in the invisible light and automotive markets, which have become key drivers of sales growth.
Samsung Display (SDC) is reportedly collaborating with Microsoft to develop and supply OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) for the next generation of Mixed Reality (MR) devices.
Global automotive display shipments are estimated to reach 225 million units in 2024, up 7.8% from a year ago, according to Jason Yang, DIGITIMES Research analyst specializing in the display industry. Yang notes that while a-Si will remain the mainstream technology for automotive displays for the next five years, the market share of other non-a-Si displays will all grow.
Apple's first OLED iPad will feature panels supplied by LG Display (LGD) and Samsung Display (SDC). However, recent reports indicate a shift in the supply chain dynamics, with SDC reportedly reducing production while LGD increases its supply.
The augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) device market, after experiencing a period of stagnation, is seeing renewed growth momentum with the development of AI technology. South Korean microdisplay component makers are accelerating their entry into the AI glasses market.
Despite intense price competition in the Chinese automotive market, LED manufacturer Brightek has achieved counter-cyclical growth. In the first half of 2024, the company's consolidated revenue reached NT$400 million (USD$12.8 million), a 2% increase from the same period in 2023. Net profit after tax was NT$73.03 million, up 8.4% year-on-year.
Samsung Display (SDC) and LG Display (LGD) are planning to incorporate their tandem OLED technology into OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) solutions for next-generation micro OLED displays, aiming to widen their lead over Chinese competitors.
The resurgence of large-scale physical events in the post-pandemic era has led to more demanding specifications for LED display screens. In response, LED display driver IC (DDI) manufacturers like Macroblock have implemented a "zero defect" policy since 2023 to reduce product repair costs.
LG Display (LGD) is set to start mass production of its third-generation tandem OLED for automotive applications in 2026, aiming to enhance display brightness and durability.
LG Display (LGD) is in the process of selling its 8.5-generation LCD factory in Guangzhou, China, where TCL CSOT has reportedly offered a higher bid than BOE. If LGD successfully sold its Guangzhou factory it could improve LGD's performance in the second half of 2024 and accelerate investment in 8.6-generation OLED production lines for IT devices.
As the LED industry gets out from a slump, Tyntek is expected to recover from losses since the industry benefits from the traditional peak season in the second quarter.
Sharp's large-size LCD panel factory, Sakai Display Product (SDP), located in Osaka, Japan, is set to close by the end of September 2024. Sharp has offered an early retirement plan for the factory's employees, affecting approximately 500 people.
South Korea's two major display manufacturers are optimistic about evolving market demands and are targeting the on-device AI OLED market. The next-generation "tandem OLED" technology boasts superior performance compared to previous OLEDs, drawing attention to its future development.
