There's an increasing demand for OLED panels and Samsung continues to dominate the supply as a leading supplier. Chinese companies like BOE are stepping up their investments to try and gain a bigger piece of the pie but to challenge Samsung's progress, they must make significantly higher investments.
A new report claims that BOE is spending money hand over to fist to more effectively compete with Samsung in the OLED market. It's claimed that BOE will be investing three times more in its OLED development compared to Samsung.
BOE's spending the big bucks
BOE is China's leading display manufacturer that's also been trying to win orders from the likes of Apple. It has revealed plans to invest nearly $9 billion in a new 8.6-generation OLED production line in Chengdu. The scale of this investment is nearly thrice that of the $3.1 billion announced by Samsung Display for its 8.6-generation OLED factory.
Other Chinese manufacturers are ramping up their investments as well. CSOT, a TCL subsidiary, will start manufacturing inkjet-printed OLED panels for TVs from next year. The company intends to expand production of these panels for laptops, tablets, and other devices as well.
This focus on ramping up production follows forecast of sustained OLED demand in the years to come, particularly with Apple expected to start using OLED panels in iPads from 2024 and in MacBooks from 2025.
Samsung doesn't have a particularly nice relationship with BOE. The company recently sued BOE for IP infringement and unfair methods of competition. While the company has previously bought panels from BOE for some of its devices, it has since cut ties with the Chinese display manufacturer.
