BYD and Tesla are in talks with Samsung for the supply of AMOLEDs, in what could be a turning point for automotive OLEDs

We hear that the world's leading EV makers, Tesla and BYD, are both in talks with Samsung regarding the supply of automotive OLED displays. This could be a turning point for the automotive OLED market, if even one of these companies decides to adopt OLEDs in one of its main models.

It was reported already that BYD has met with Samsung Electronics regarding a potential components agreement, but now it is said that the Chinese EV maker is also interested in next-gen AMOLED displays from SDC. In a similar fashion, last week we reported that Tesla is in talks with SDC regarding an AMOLED supply for its next-gen humanoid robot product - but now we hear that it is also interested in automotive AMOLED displays.

This could be indeed dramatic for the automotive OLED industry, and for Samsung Display in particular. It is estimated that in 2024, automotive OLED shipments reached almost 4 million units in total. A meaningful agreement with either Tesla and BYD (or both, of course), would mean a jump in shipments. Tesla ships almost 2 million cars annually, while BYD ships over 4 million. Note that many car models utilize more than one display per car. In addition Tesla is utilizing rather large displays: Model S and X use a 17-inch horizontal display, the Model 3 and Y feature a 15-inch display, and the Cybertruck has a 18.5-inch screen. 

Of course, it remains to be seen whether these two deals will materialize into an agreement, and whether BYD and/or Tesla will choose to adopt OLEDs only in their premium car models, and when do they plan to start rolling out these new displays. Usually the design cycle for automotive companies is quite long and it may take a few years before we see OLEDs in BYD or Tesla models.