Samsung Display will be shuttering its LCD business for good before the year is out, according to industry sources on April 1.
Some of the lines, such as the Gen-7 here in Korea will be refurbished to produce OLED and QD panels. Since 2019, the display maker has been switching its LCD L8 line in South Chungcheong Province to QD. In October, the company said it would invest up to KRW 13 trillion into QD displays over the next five years.
In addition, Samsung Display is most likely to sell off its Gen-8 line in Suzhou of China. Samsung holds a 60% stake in the line, while China’s CSOT holds another 10 percent stake. The rest is owned by the Suzhou Provincial Government. Some market watchers say Samsung may sell its stake to CSOT.
To help diversify its portfolio, Samsung Display will also invest in foldable OLED panels and QNED in hopes to mass produce the latter by 2021.
Meanwhile, due to the latest developments, Samsung Electronics will be supplied by Chinese or Taiwanese LCD makers such as BOE, CSOT or Innolux for its LCD TVs.
Samsung Display’s LCD division has been increasingly downsizing in the face of intensifying competition from China. The company is currently capable of producing up to 165,000 of Gen-7 panels a month, and 363,000 of Gen-8 panels.
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