Sharp may delay its OLED production plans

Following Foxconn's $3.5 billion Sharp Takeover, it was reported that Foxconn aims to invest a total of $1.8 billion in OLED technologies, as Foxconn aims to become an OLED supplier to Apple. In June 2016 Foxconn's president said that the company aims to start mass producing OLEDs as early as 2017.

As we estimated, this was overly optimistic, and it is now reported that Sharp is considering to revise its OLED investment plan, and produce those OLEDs in a Saki Display Product fab in Osaka and not in Sharp's fab in Kameyama. This move will delay production, and Sharp will not be able to start producing OLEDs even in 2018.

Apple will require very high end production capabilities, most likely of flexible OLEDs. Sharp recently demonstrated a 3.4" 540x960 IGZO bendable OLED prototype. This panel seems to be quite similar to OLEDs Sharp unveiled four years ago at SID 2012.

Posted: Aug 28,2016 by Ron Mertens