Taiwan has decided to integrate local flat-panel producers to build a flexible active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) industry that is entirely self-sufficient in the development of advanced panels.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on Tuesday said it supported the development of the flexible AMOLED industry, pledging government capital for investment in the sector.
The effort is to integrate local factories producing materials, equipment, panel modules and system solutions into an industry chain for making Taiwan a “core-flexible AMOLED industry cluster,” the ministry said.
Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) said flat panels are the key strategic component in Taiwan’s information and communication technology (ICT) industry.
There are about 100,000 people in Taiwan employed in monitor manufacturing and relevant industries, he said.
The overall output of the panel sector reaches more than NT$950 billion (US$30.05 billion) per year, accounting for 7.4 percent of the nation’s entire manufacturing output, he said.
“To maintain Taiwan’s global competitiveness, the government has helped build up an industry chain in the production of flexible monitor devices through the ministry’s technology cooperation with domestic businesses over the past eight years,” Lee said.
“Now the ministry is seeking to make up the shortfall [in the industry chain] by working with businesses and relevant [technology] institutes,” he said.
The ministry is planning to lead domestic companies in beginning the production of new-generation flexible monitors as part of efforts to promote the general upgrade of the industry, he said.
More importantly, all domestic and overseas resources will be gathered for the formation of a national team in the hope that Taiwan can become a global flexible AMOLED core industry cluster, he added.
Department of Industrial Technology Director-General Fu Wei-hsiang (傅偉祥) said the government has developed a flexible panel-focused industry chain on a research and development platform led by the Industrial Technology Research Institute (工研院).
The industry chain produces 60 percent of the key materials and 80 percent of the equipment for the production of flexible monitors, Fu said, adding that the goal is to boost these figures to 100 percent within two years.
Also, Taiwan has successfully developed a model of flexible AMOLED, Fu said, adding that the technology will be transferred to domestic companies in the future so that “a national team” in the sector can be organized.
A team of this stature would require more than NT$100 billion in funding, but would create more than 1,500 jobs, he added.
AMOLED is an advanced display technology used in smartwatches, mobile devices, laptops and televisions.
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is an LED in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light in response to an electric current.
Unlike the mainstream liquid crystal display (LCD), an OLED display works without a backlight. Because of this, it can display deep black levels and can be thinner and lighter than an LCD.
South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics Co dominates the global market for AMOLED panels, according to industry sources.
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