MicroLED Industry Association - Page 2

The MicroLED Industry Association released a new internal market note, detailing its member views on the current goals and direction the industry should take. The market note includes analysis into the current industry situation, future projections and display segmentation based on members’ opinions, and also includes a market/industry sentiment review.

Following Apple’s decision to cancel its main microLED wearable display project, many in  the industry feel that there is a strong need for the microLED industry to align its strategy to make sure the industry moves in the right direction and manages to achieve a successful market introduction of microLED display technologies.

As you can see in the graph above, most microLED association members believe that the first goal of the industry should be to target niche applications, as it is highly challenging to target the display industry’s main segments (TVs, smartphones, wearables and IT devices). Targeting niche applications may be easier as the volume requirements are lower, the price pressure may be lower and such applications could benefit from the performance gains enables by microLED displays. 

The MicroLED Association's meeting took place on Monday, May 13th, at the McEnery conference center in San Jose, where SID's DisplayWeek event is currently underway. This meeting marked the second time in which MIA members gathered to network, exchange opinions and strengthen relationships within the Association.

The meeting was joined by almost 40 representatives of Association members, and was a laid-back event with an informal atmosphere, which enabled open conversation and friendly networking.

The Association's founder, Ron Mertens, gave a short speech that recounted the achievements and projects of the last year, and shared plans for future endeavors. A professional discussion followed, on a range of topics including cost reduction, target applications, microLED roadmaps, collaborations and recent shifts in the display industry.

The MicroLED Industry Association has announced that in less than 18 months, there have been over 6,000 downloads of its white papers, roadmap and library documents.

The MicroLED Association has published four white papers, and towards the end of 2023 it published its first industry roadmap. The display industry is highly interested in microLED solutions, and this has created much interest in the Association’s papers, as evident by the large number of downloads.

In addition to its own white papers, a year ago the MicroLED Industry Association launched the MicroLED Library, an extensive compilation of MicroLED presentations, white papers, brochures and more. A year after the MicroLED Library was announced, the association reports over 1,000 downloads for the documents in the library, further enhancing the reach of its members and helping to educate display professionals with the latest microLED technologies, processes and topics.

SID's DisplayWeek is the world's leading display conference, gathering display professionals from all over the world. DisplayWeek will also host the 2024 annual meeting of the MicroLED Industry Association, where members will get together to share updates, connect with colleagues and launch new business relationships in a pleasant and welcoming setting.

Last year's DisplayWeek event marked the first MIA meeting, bringing together over 40 display professionals. We look forward to seeing our members soon!

Apple started developing microLED displays for wearable devices years ago, first aiming to launch the first product in 2023. The project was delayed several times, as the cost of production for microLED displays was too high for Apple, to the point where it was suggested Apple's goal is to launch the first microLED watch in 2027.

One of Apple's main microLED partners is ams-Osram, that is building a $850 Million 8-inch microLED epiwafer factory in Malaysia. Yesterday ams-Osram announced that its "cornerstone project" (it did not name Apple specifically) got unexpectedly cancelled. This triggered ams-Osram to re-assess its microLED strategy. As a first estimate ams-Osram believes it will have impairment charges of $650-$900 million and it will also likely to cancel or delay some of its investments in Malaysia (which may actually improve the company's cashflow in the next two years).

We're happy to interview Reza Chaji, CEO and founder at VueReal, as part of our series of interviews with MicroLED Industry Association members. Canada-based VueReal developed a unique microLED display production process (which it refers to as a MicroSolid Printing Platform) and the company now offers a turnkey platform that enables its partners and customers to develop a custom display and fabricate it at VueReal's own pilot production line. 

Hello Reza, can you introduce your company and technology?

From the outset, we recognized that microLED solutions should address the formidable challenges of developing smartphone microLED displays to pave the way beyond niche markets. Consequently, our focus has been on developing scalable and cost-competitive technologies tailored for high-volume applications. This strategic approach positions us effectively to address the smartphone sector soon and opens doors to other markets.

VueReal's fundamental technological innovation lies in our transfer solution with unique printing attributes, microSolid Printing. This groundbreaking solution boasts distinct advantages over lasers and pick-and-place methods.

About two weeks ago, The MicroLED Industry Association published its first MicroLED Industry Roadmap and State-of-the-Industry document. The document has been well received, with over 400 downloads to date. In addition, over 400 downloads were recorded for other MicroLED Library documents in December, including the association's own white papers, and contributed materials from association members.

The 2024 MicroLED Roadmap covers the latest microLED technology trends, details the MicroLED Association’s roadmap and projections for the future of the microLED industry and market, by application segments. The summary edition can be downloaded here. 

MicroLED-Connect is a hybrid event series, a year-long program of virtual and onsite events, all focused on the microLED industry. The first online 2-day webinar was hosted successfully last month, with over 25 lectures (all recordings accessible for pass holders). The next event is a startup showcase, that will be hosted on February 22, 2024.

The startup showcase includes lectures from 8 leading microLED startup companies, covering topics such as microdisplays, AR headset development, microLED production, transfer processes and microLED inspection.

Now is a great time to reserve your ticket and make sure you stay updated with the latest innovation from the following startup companies: Rayleigh Vision, Inziv, Comptek Solutions, QustomDot, Terecircuits, iBeam Materials, Kura Vision and NS Nanotech. You can read the complete agenda here.