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Samsung Electronics Commits Capital for Mini-LED Capacity
​May 21, 2018 
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Samsung Electronics reportedly paid China based San’an Optoan upfront payment of $16.83m to secure much of Sana’s capacity for mini-LEDs.  The payment is expected to secure enough production to launch Samsung’s next line of high-end TVs as demonstrated with the “Wall” at CES.  China’s LED chip makers HC SemiTek and Xiamen Changelight have also stepped into R&D of micro and mini LED technologies, while China-based LED packaging service provider Foshan Nationstar Optoelectronics in early March 2018 set up a micro and mini LED research center in a bid to package mini LEDs of 0.5-1.0mm in 2020. Taiwan-based LED epitaxial wafer and chipmaker Epistar is likely to start producing mini LEDs for smartphone backlighting in third-quarter 2018. Epistar plans to begin production of mini LEDs for LCD TV and gaming monitor backlighting and to make mini LED fine pixel pitch displays by the end of 2018.

Samsung continues to promote its QLED (quantum dot) technology, but has also stated that they will be developing alternative technologies, one of which is enhancing the use of LEDs in LCD backlights.  Samsung Display is not participating in the venture and has its own development of electroluminescent QD’s OLEDs and a combo OLED/QD technology.