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Musing on Competitive Technology
Mini/Micro LED Roundup
January 10, 2020
BOE and Rohinni officially launched BOE Pixey. In development for more than two years, BOE Pixey will design and build LCD display backlights, direct-emission displays and display-related sensors for high-performance televisions, video walls and other large-format end products. BOE Pixey integrates Rohini’s high-speed and high-accuracy mini and micro LED manufacturing process with BOE’s display panel expertise to create ultra-thin high-performance displays. Consumer devices utilizing BOE Pixey mini and micro LED-based displays are expected to become available for purchase in the second half of 2020. LCDs using mini LED backlights outperform standard LCD backlights in thickness, contrast ratio, brightness, and consistency. As BOE Pixey ramps its production capabilities, the BOE Pixey team will implement plans for new advancements that will further enable customers to develop next-generation products. These will include even faster LED placement, integration of new substrate materials, and addressing a wider range of form factors.
LED chipmaker Epistar Corp (晶電) said that a fully owned unit is in talks with Chinese LED display maker Leyard Opto-Electronic Co (利亞德光電) to build the world’s first micro-LED display manufacturing site in China. The unit, Yenrich Technology Corp (元豐新科技), and Leyard have agreed on an investment framework to create a joint venture to develop and manufacture mini-LED and micro-LED displays, Epistar said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Epistar did not disclose the size of the investment. Leyard said that the companies plan to spend 1 billion yuan (US$142.8 million) to build the manufacturing site in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The companies aim to form a joint venture within six months of gaining approval from their respective boards. The companies aim to start mass production of displays in 2023, it said. The Wuxi facility would be the world’s first micro-LED display manufacturing site when it starts operations, Taipei-based market researcher Trendforce Corp (集邦科技) said.
The global mini-LED display market is expected to surge 31 percent Y/Y to US$2.6 billion, with Leyard taking top spot with a 22.5 percent market share, the researcher said. The top six mini-LED display companies are from China, while Samsung Electronics Co is to be No. 7 with a marginal share of 2.3 percent this year, it said. Trendforce said that it expects the competition to heat up, as consumer electronics firms such as Sony Corp and LG Electronics Co are developing mini-LED and micro-LED displays. Macroblock Inc (聚積), which makes driver ICs for flat panels, is collaborating with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院) to develop micro-LED display modules, Trendforce said. The hope is that mini-LEDs (aka LEDs smaller than 1mm although there is no standard) will become an essential part of upcoming television sets, causing a new replacement cycle and dragging LED company profits above the line.
Table 1: Backlight Technology Cost Comparison
Mini/Micro LED Roundup
January 10, 2020
BOE and Rohinni officially launched BOE Pixey. In development for more than two years, BOE Pixey will design and build LCD display backlights, direct-emission displays and display-related sensors for high-performance televisions, video walls and other large-format end products. BOE Pixey integrates Rohini’s high-speed and high-accuracy mini and micro LED manufacturing process with BOE’s display panel expertise to create ultra-thin high-performance displays. Consumer devices utilizing BOE Pixey mini and micro LED-based displays are expected to become available for purchase in the second half of 2020. LCDs using mini LED backlights outperform standard LCD backlights in thickness, contrast ratio, brightness, and consistency. As BOE Pixey ramps its production capabilities, the BOE Pixey team will implement plans for new advancements that will further enable customers to develop next-generation products. These will include even faster LED placement, integration of new substrate materials, and addressing a wider range of form factors.
LED chipmaker Epistar Corp (晶電) said that a fully owned unit is in talks with Chinese LED display maker Leyard Opto-Electronic Co (利亞德光電) to build the world’s first micro-LED display manufacturing site in China. The unit, Yenrich Technology Corp (元豐新科技), and Leyard have agreed on an investment framework to create a joint venture to develop and manufacture mini-LED and micro-LED displays, Epistar said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. Epistar did not disclose the size of the investment. Leyard said that the companies plan to spend 1 billion yuan (US$142.8 million) to build the manufacturing site in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The companies aim to form a joint venture within six months of gaining approval from their respective boards. The companies aim to start mass production of displays in 2023, it said. The Wuxi facility would be the world’s first micro-LED display manufacturing site when it starts operations, Taipei-based market researcher Trendforce Corp (集邦科技) said.
The global mini-LED display market is expected to surge 31 percent Y/Y to US$2.6 billion, with Leyard taking top spot with a 22.5 percent market share, the researcher said. The top six mini-LED display companies are from China, while Samsung Electronics Co is to be No. 7 with a marginal share of 2.3 percent this year, it said. Trendforce said that it expects the competition to heat up, as consumer electronics firms such as Sony Corp and LG Electronics Co are developing mini-LED and micro-LED displays. Macroblock Inc (聚積), which makes driver ICs for flat panels, is collaborating with the Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院) to develop micro-LED display modules, Trendforce said. The hope is that mini-LEDs (aka LEDs smaller than 1mm although there is no standard) will become an essential part of upcoming television sets, causing a new replacement cycle and dragging LED company profits above the line.
Table 1: Backlight Technology Cost Comparison
Source: Trendforce