Taiwan's government is forming an AMOLED alliance - to compete against Korean makers - mostly Samsung. The alliance will include seven partners: two AMOLED produces (AUO and Chimei Innolux) and ITRI, Acer, Asustek, HTC and MediaTek. It is reported that HTC and Asustek will secure all of AUO's upcoming AMOLED capacity.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), who is coordinating the alliance will invest around NT$10 billion (about $333 million US) in AMOLED R&D (mostly though ITRI). CMI will come up with an AMOLED production plan which will get subsidized by the government. Officials from the MOEA say that AMOLED is "rising as a must for next-gen smart phones", and is also likely to enter into the tablet and TV markets.
Taiwan's AMOLED alliance has been in discussions since August 2011, and the minister of the MOEA already said he wants to help AUO and CMI shift to AMOLED production.
AUO's will soon (Q2 2012) start producing 4" to 5" AMOLED panels, aimed toward smartphones. The panels will feature 250-300 ppi (without pentile). The panels use an LTPS substrate and will be produced in AUO's 3.5-Gen line in Hsinchu, Taiwan. In the second half of 2013, AUO's 4.5-Gen AMOLED Line in Singapore (at AFPD) will start producing panels as well. Perhaps the new initiative and the fact that the production volume is already secured will accelerate AUO's plans.
AUO also wants to enter the OLED TV market, and the company is also researching transparent and flexible OLEDs, and OLED lighting panels.
AUO flexible OLED prototype
CMI is investing in AMOLED R&D, but the company shelved plans to start mass production. Hopefully this will now change. Originally CMI planned to start producing OLEDs in two plants - a Gen-3.5 (620x750mm) LTPS/OLED Plant in Jhunan, Taiwan and a Gen-5.5 (1,300x1,500) Oxide-TFT (IGZO) plant in Tainan (also in Taiwan).
