Global annual production capacity for small- to medium-size AMOLED panels (mostly for smartphones) will reach 5.9 million square meters, growing 16.5% on year, and will keep increasing to 14.4 million square meters in 2019 at a compound annual growth rate of 30% during 2015-2019, according to WitsView.
Samsung Display, with AMOLED capacity utilization rising from 75-80% in 2015 to over 90% in 2016, has dominated global supply of AMOLED panels and plans to expand the capacity over the next few years.
China-based panel makers BOE Technology, China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT), Tianma Micro-electronics, Visionox, EverDisplay Optronics (Shanghai) and Truly Semiconductors have been establishing or will expand AMOLED capacity.
BOE is setting up a 6G LTPS/AMOLED factory in Chengdu, western China, with investment of CNY22 billion (US$3.4 billion) and will invest another CNY24.5 billion to expand AMOLED capacity.
CSOT is setting up a 6G LTPS/AMOLED factory in Wuhan, central China, with investment of CNY16 billion. Tianma has a 4.5G AMOLED factory and will set up additional AMOLED capacity at an existing 6G TFT-LCD and color filter factory. Visionox and Truly are setting up a 5.5G AMOLED factory and a 4.5G one respectively, while EverDisplay Optronics will establish a 6G AMOLED factory in addition to a 4.5G one already in operation.
Japan-based Japan Display and JOLED are likely to start AMOLED panel production in 2017-2018, while Taiwan-based AU Optronics (AUO) has begun small-volume production of AMOLED panels for smart wearable and VR (virtual reality) devices.
Taiwan-based EMS provider Foxconn Electronics will have Sharp devote efforts developing OLED technology.
