TCL CSOT's 29.5-billion production line launched, mass production of printed OLEDs to enter fast track
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Author | Huang Yu
Editor | Wang Xiaojuan
At a critical juncture of global display industry technological upgrades and market restructuring, TCL CSOT, a display giant that has been deeply involved in printed OLED technology for twelve years, has ushered in an important breakthrough moment.
On October 21, TCL CSOT's 8.6th generation Printed OLED production line (the "t8 project") officially started construction in Guangzhou. The construction period is 24 months, with a designed monthly capacity of about 22,500 glass substrates (2290mm × 2620mm), mainly covering mid-size IT applications such as tablets, laptops, and monitors.
As the world's first high-generation printed OLED production line, this project is jointly invested and built by TCL CSOT, Guangzhou city government, and the Administrative Committee of the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, with a total investment of about 29.5 billion yuan, including 8.85 billion yuan invested by TCL CSOT.
Unlike the current mainstream "evaporation" technology, the t8 project fully adopts TCL CSOT's independently controllable printed OLED technology.
At a media briefing, Zhao Jun, Senior Vice President of TCL Technology and CEO of TCL CSOT, stated that the t8 project is the first time a Chinese display company has led the market in the high-generation AMOLED field with leap-forward technology. It is also a key breakthrough for Chinese display companies to move from "following" to "running side by side" and achieving "local leadership."
Printed OLED technology refers to the use of inkjet printing processes to produce OLED display panels. Compared to traditional vacuum evaporation processes, this technology can significantly reduce costs. Therefore, printed OLED is considered an important direction for the next generation of display technology.
For TCL CSOT, printed OLED technology is extremely important. As early as 2013, TCL CSOT began R&D on printed OLED technology, and in 2015, it announced that it had chosen printed OLED as the main direction for next-generation display technology.
In Zhao Jun's view, printed OLED aligns with the only definite major trend for the display industry in the next five years—the expansion and penetration of OLED in mid-size applications.
He stated that among the few OLED technologies in mid-size applications currently, printed OLED should have very prominent features. While providing good display performance, it also offers a competitive OLED display solution, which helps expand the popularity and use of OLED in mid-size smart terminal products.
To promote the industrial-scale mass production of printed OLED, in 2020 TCL CSOT made a strategic investment of 30 billion yen in JOLED. By November last year, TCL CSOT had ushered in a milestone moment for printed OLED mass production.
According to reports, the display screens for medical equipment are the first type of printed OLED product chosen for mass production by TCL CSOT, manufactured by TCL CSOT's G5.5 generation printed OLED production line (t12) in Wuhan—the first printed OLED production line in the country.
Now, the t8 project under construction is TCL CSOT's second mass-produced printed OLED production line, and it will also be the fourth high-generation OLED production line announced for mass production in the industry. Zhao Jun pointed out that choosing this timing for the t8 project is based on TCL CSOT's twelve years of technical deep cultivation and progress rhythm.
In Zhao Jun's view, the t12 production line has been mass-producing for almost a year, accumulating a lot of experience in mass production, including yield and capacity ramp-up experience. "With the foundation of t12, the t8 project may have started later, but its full capacity ramp-up and mass production capability may be released more quickly."
Zhao Jun pointed out that capacity expansion is the inevitable result of market maturity, and TCL CSOT's technological leadership and already proven mass production capability ensure that TCL CSOT will take the initiative in future competition.
In recent years, as foldable screens have become a new growth point for displays, automotive screens and wearable devices have increased in volume, and display sizes have expanded, OLED is expected to become the mainstream high-end display technology and experience a market explosion.
According to Omdia data, in 2024 global AMOLED panel shipments will reach 1.01 billion units, accounting for 27% of shipments. It is expected that AMOLED will see rapid growth in the IT and automotive mid-to-large-size application fields, and by 2030 the compound annual growth rate of AMOLED panels for laptops, automotive displays, and desktop monitors will reach 38%, 26%, and 15%, respectively.
Zhao Jun believes that mid-size OLED products are still in their infancy, and should be at the eve of explosive demand growth. This year, many terminal customers have planned OLED projects in their product lines, not only limited to flagship projects, and mass production of these projects may mostly be realized in 2026.
"So starting from 2026, we can foresee that OLED's growth will enter the fast lane."
With the completion of the t8 project, TCL CSOT will undoubtedly push printed OLED technology into more consumer-level products.
According to Wallstreetcn, TCL CSOT's mass-produced mid-size printed OLED products will initially rely mainly on t12, and later on t8 to further consolidate mid-size printed OLED capacity demand, and meet the large-scale mass production of future full-size printed OLED products.
Zhao Jun also revealed that t8 and t12 will be positioned complementarily: t12 will focus more on differentiated, high value-added and special application products, while t8 will concentrate on mainstream consumer electronics products. "According to the current plan, t8 should achieve mass production in the second half of 2027, with the first product focusing on mid-size high-end OLED display applications."
In addition, Zhao Jun told Wallstreetcn that, according to normal high-generation display projects, the investment return should be in 5-7 years. Due to the greater competitiveness of printed OLED, TCL CSOT believes it is hopeful to recover the investment in a shorter time.
It is clear that after 12 years of laying out, TCL CSOT's big bet in next-generation display technology will finally enter a period of accelerated returns.
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