AU Optronics

According to reports from Japan, AUO is thinking about closing down its 4.5-Gen AMOLED production line in Singapore, as the company is shifting its focus on microLED display technologies.

AUO's first target it to start producing wearable microLED displays. It has reportedly signed a deal with Tag Heuer to supply it with smartwatch displays. In April 2023 AUO 'launched' its wearable microLED display, and it seems it is ready to begin small scale production. It will take time for AUO to expand production, as the path towards low-cost and mass-production of microLED displays (even for applications such as smartwatches) it not clear yet. 

AUO has demonstrated its latest microLED displays at Display Week 2023. Most of these displays have been shown before, but this was an impressive lineup for the Taiwanese display maker, and we'll detail the displays below.

So first up we have the 13.5" 1920x1080 (163 PPI) transparent microLEDs, which AUO says is the highest-resolution transparent microLED display ever demonstrated. The display offers a transparency of 55% and a high brightness of 5,000 nits. The microLEDs used in this display are 30 micron in size.

A few days ago, AUO announced that it has finalized the development of its wearable microLED display, and the company is now launching the 1.39" round smartwatch display commercially, with mass production expected in the second half of 2023.

Yesterday AUO announced that it plans to convert its LCD 5A fab in Taiwan's Longtan District into a microLED production line. The new line will begin microLED production in 2025 or 2026, targeting wearable displays, automotive displays, TVs and signage displays. 

AU Optronics is demonstrating several display at Touch Taiwan 2023, including an interesting new laptop microLED display. The display is a 14.6" 2560x1440 (QHD, 202 PPI) foldable panel, that can reach a brightness of over 1,000 and a bending radius of 4 mm.

In addition to this display AUO is showing its 17.3" transparent microLED prototype.

AU Optronics released some very interesting information as the company gets ready to showcase its latest microLED displays and technologies at Touch Taiwan 2023.

So first of all, AUO announced that it has finalized the development of its wearable microLED display, and the company is now launching the 1.39" round smartwatch display commercially. AUO demonstrated the wearable microLED display back in 2021 - a 1.39-inch 472x472 full-circle panel, that was developed together with PlayNitride. It's not clear when AUO actually plans to start selling this display to its customers, and what will be its production capacity.

AU Optronics revealed that the company plans to start mass producing microLED displays for wearable applications by the end of 2023. The company developed its own mass transfer technology that it says makes it possible to produce displays commercially. The company also plans to use microLED display technology to produce automotive displays, and TVs, later on.

AUO demonstrated a wearable microLED display back in 2021 - a a 1.39-inch 472x472 (338 PPI) full-circle panel, that was developed together with PlayNitride.

AUO, together with ITRI, developed a new 17.3" transparent microLED display, and deployed a few of these displays in a ferry operated by the Taiwan Kaohsiung Shipping Company. The Snoopy-featured Yawan Smart Ferry, will set sail for the first time on December 24, connecting Zhanerku, Cijin, and Gushan. The gesture-controlled AI smart window screen navigation system combines AR and eye tracking to show tourists information based on what they are looking at. 

The LTPS microLED displays offer a 1820x720 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The transmittance is 55% and the peak brightness is 3,000 nits

PlayNitride is planning for an IPO, and if all goes according to plan, the company will issue new shares and will start trading at the newly launched Taiwan Stock Exchange Innovation Board in Q3 2022.

PlayNitride's CEO recently participated in an investor conference, during which he said that the company aims to be break-even (on a monthly basis) by the end of 2023, and to turn a profit in 2024.

AU Optronics have been showing new microLED display prototypes, and the following video from Insight Media shows the company's booth and new displays at SID Displayweek 2022.

You can see AUO's stretchable 141 PPI display (a very interesting demo, developed together with PlayNitride), the rollable 14.6" 2K (202 PPI) LTPS microLED display, AUO's 1.4" circular 454x454 (326 PPI) microLED another stretchable microLED, this one 6.45" in size with a 900x450 resolution (163 PPI), and finally AUO's 17.3" 2000-nits 1280x720 transparent (60% transparency) microLED prototype.

AU Optronics announced that it will showcase new MicroLED display prototypes next week at Touch Taiwan 2022.

AUO will show a rollable 14.6" microLED display, that offers a 2K resolution (202 PPI) with a 40 mm rolling radius. The company will also show a 17.3" 2000-nits 1280x720 transparent (60% transparency) microLED prototype. In 2021 the company demonstrated a smaller transparent display, which was even brighter at 3,000 nits.