This week, LED technology research has continuously made new breakthroughs in various fields, and new results have been reported from time to time. Some LED companies have also made more eye-catching moves: BOE plans to acquire CLP Panda for 12.1 billion yuan, and it is rumored that Sanan will supply Apple MiniLED next year. Samsung enters the Japanese commercial display supply chain, and Osram will transfer control to ams...
Without further ado, LEDinside has compiled the main news of this week. Let’s take you to review what happened in the LED circle this week.
【Selected News】
★ China will invest 9.5 trillion yuan in research and development of chips to fully develop the third-generation semiconductor industry
China is speeding up the development of "Chinese chips". Bloomberg reported that China is preparing to formulate a comprehensive set of new policies. It will invest 9.5 trillion yuan (US$1.4 trillion) to develop its own semiconductor industry by 2025 in response to the restrictions imposed by the Trump administration.
According to the news: Chinese senior leaders will meet in October to formulate economic strategies for the next five years, fully develop the third-generation semiconductor industry, and provide support in scientific research, education, and financing. The relevant measures have been included in the National People’s Republic of China. Outline of the Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development.
★ San'an will use mass production and shipment for Apple to supply MiniLED next year, patent is still the key
On the 21st, it was reported that Sanan Optoelectronics was better than expected in the development of MiniLED, and will start mass production and shipment of MiniLED chips for iPad and MacBook in 2021.
According to TrendForce Consulting, Sanan’s MiniLED products are still in the sample delivery stage. For Apple, price is not the only consideration, and it is difficult for San'an to get the ticket to Apple's supply chain simply by reducing prices. The real key still lies in how Sanan can break through the patent barriers, so that Apple will have the opportunity to consider adopting it in the future.
★ The two leading LED chip leaders of San'an and Huacan have patent disputes
Recently, the two leading LED chip companies, San'an Optoelectronics and HC Semitek, have a patent dispute, which has attracted widespread attention from the industry. TrendForce analyst Wang Fei said in an interview that as a leading company in the industry, Sanan Optoelectronics has a first-mover advantage and a more adequate layout and reserves in terms of patents. Therefore, it may use this advantage to compete with other companies. The dispute between the two leading companies may trigger changes in the competitive environment of the industry. Wang Fei believes that industry competition shouldn't stay on the shallow dimensions of production capacity and cost. If everyone shifts their focus to technological innovation and R&D capabilities, it will benefit the healthy development of the entire industry.
★ BOE intends to acquire CLP Panda for 12.1 billion yuan, setting off the largest M&A case in the domestic panel industry
BOE announced on the 23rd that it intends to acquire two production lines of CLP Panda in Nanjing and Chengdu, and the amount involved is as high as 12.117 billion yuan. This is the largest merger and acquisition in the history of the domestic LCD panel industry.
BOE stated that the company will provide guarantees of no more than 14 billion yuan for the acquisition. After the acquisition is completed, BOE will become the actual controller of Nanjing G8.5 and Chengdu G8.6, and the company will be responsible for daily operations.
★ Samsung The Wall Micro LED display enters the Japanese commercial display market
Recently, Samsung announced that The Wall Micro LED display has entered the Japanese commercial display market. At present, NGC, Japan's largest display solution provider, is supplying Samsung's The Wall series products to customers such as NHK and TV Asahi.
★ LGD plans to spend 1.5 trillion won to expand OLED production capacity
According to Korean media reports, LG Display has decided to restart the investment in the 6th generation E6 production line of the Paju P9 plant to increase the production capacity of plastic OLED panels for the production of small and medium-sized OLED panels for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablet computers. The monthly production capacity can reach 15,000 plastic substrates, the investment amount is estimated to be about 1.5 trillion won.
Industry experts said that Apple placed incremental orders in response to the upcoming iPhone 12 series, prompting LGD to expand its production plan. In addition, LGD's increased profitability is also one of the main reasons for the company to let go of investment.
★ Taichuang plans to raise US$50 million to expand the Micro LED production line
Taichuang specializes in Micro LED technology in recent years, and recently reported that the company has received the first part of a US$50 million financing and is building a second production line. Taichuang hopes to start mass production in the new production line in the second or third quarter of 2021. This new production line will expand the company's Micro LED production capacity by 2 to 3 times. In addition, Chenchuang also plans to conduct an initial public offering on the Taiwan Stock Exchange of China before the end of 2021.
★ InFarm's first round of financing has raised 170 million US dollars to deploy global vertical farms
According to LEDinside, the vertical farm startup InFarm plans to raise US$200 million through Series C financing. Recently, InFarm announced that it has raised $170 million in the first round of financing.
Up to now, InFarm's total capital has exceeded 300 million US dollars. By 2025, InFarm's vertical farm is expected to reach 5 million square feet. It will build the world's largest vertical farm and help cities achieve food self-sufficiency.
★ Withdrew from LCD, South Korea's display industry moved to the QD-OLED display stage
Recently, the South Korean government finally approved the business reorganization of companies entering the next-generation QD (quantum dot) display industry, including Samsung Display, which announced the termination of LCD production. With Samsung Display's investment in next-generation QD displays, related materials and parts suppliers decided to join the market, and large, medium and small companies jointly applied for business restructuring.
★ Osram's control will be handed over to ams on November 3, and plans to split the joint venture with Continental Lighting Systems
Osram and ams reached an agreement on the transfer of control and profit and loss on the 22nd, and an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders will be held on November 3, 2020 to approve Osram to join the agreement.
Osram also announced on the 23rd that it is planning to split the automotive lighting joint venture Osram Continental. The existing customer relationship remains unchanged, and the orders and promises that have been placed will continue to be completed and fulfilled. The relevant split is expected to be completed before the end of this year.
★ The world's largest gallium nitride plant was built in Suzhou, and trial production is expected to start at the end of the year
On the 19th, InnoSec Suzhou's third-generation semiconductor base started from the plant construction stage to the mass production preparation stage, and the world's largest gallium nitride plant was officially completed. After the project is completed, it will become the world's largest third-generation semiconductor industry chain R&D and production platform integrating R&D, design, epitaxial production, chip manufacturing, and testing. After full production, it will achieve a monthly output of 8-inch silicon-based gallium nitride wafers. 65,000 pieces, the product will provide core electronic components for the independent innovation and development of strategic emerging industries such as 5G mobile communications, data centers, new energy vehicles, unmanned driving, and fast mobile phone charging.
【New Products and New Technology】
★ Apple's Apple Watch 6 blood oxygen detection function lifts a wave of sensing components again
Apple’s latest Apple Watch Series 6 announced at this year’s press conference added the blood oxygen concentration sensing function to support the measurement of blood oxygen, and successfully stood at the C position at the press conference.
TrendForce estimates that the number of Apple Watch shipments in 2020 will reach 27.7 million, with an annual growth rate of 3.7%. And as terminal products pull goods, the demand for suppliers will also increase significantly. Related suppliers include ASE-Universal and STMicroelectronics, which provide modules; LED suppliers are Osram and Epistar; and Opto Lei is responsible for supplying the photodiodes.
★ Xiaomi released a new MiniLED TV, achieving a breakthrough improvement in picture quality
On September 23, Xiaomi TV officially announced the new Mi TV, equipped with Mini LED breakthrough display technology to achieve a breakthrough improvement in picture quality. This new product will debut on September 28. In addition, the Mi TV Master Extreme Commemorative Edition also uses 8K resolution, and the official said that 8K will be the standard in the next five years.
★ Hisense enters the field of gaming displays, new products support QLED quantum dot technology
At the end of July, the home appliance giant Hisense announced that it would enter the e-sports display market. Now, Hisense has finally officially released its own Hardcore series of e-sports monitors, including Hard Plus, Hard Pro, and signed the LGD e-sports team at the same time.
Among them, the Hisense Hard Pro gaming monitor uses a 27-inch fourth-generation 1000R super-curvature screen, with a resolution of 2560×1440, a high refresh rate of 240Hz, a grayscale response time of 1ms, and supports Adaptive Sync adaptive synchronization technology. HDR technology also supports QLED quantum dot technology.
★ Seoul Semiconductor's WICOP bi-color LED was used in Audi headlights for the first time
Seoul Semiconductor recently announced that it has supplied WICOP Bi-Color (2 in 1) LED products to the 2020 Audi A4 for the daytime running lights and turn signals of the headlights. WICOP Bi-color (2 in 1) is conducive to emitting light where the distance between the light emitting surfaces is narrow, achieving both white and yellow in one package, thus providing the possibility for the slim design of the headlight. It is said that this is the first time that Seoul Semiconductor WICOP products have been applied to Audi headlights. (Organized by LEDinside Mia)
