Samsung to delay further AMOLED expansion to 2012

According to reports, Samsung decided to adjust/delay their AMOLED production in their upcoming 5.5-Gen fab. The first line is almost complete and will start producing panels during the second quarter, as planned, but further expansion will be deferred to the first half of 2012 (instead of the end of 2011). This does not represent a big change in Samsung's AMOLED plans, and total investment is not changed.

The first line will be able to produce 24,000 monthly substrates in Q2 2011. This will grow to 48,000 by the end of 2011. But Samsung's original plans were to produce around 100,000 substrates per month by that time, and now the company decided to defer that further expansion to the first half of 2012.

Samsung is adjusting plans because of equipment shortages from Japan (as was reported earlier) - but also because Samsung feels that the market for small tablets (6"-9") will not be large enough in that stage and they do not want to expand AMOLED production too quickly.

via ETNews