首先就是车载领域，“接下来MicroLED的应用大概率会锁定在车用上，很大的原因是MicroLED的高亮度，以及很低的像素填充率。高亮度应用在中控、仪表方面都是可以的，甚至接下来很多高端车配备的AR HUD也是MicroLED应用的潜在方向。至于低像素填充率，意味着Micro LED显示技术可以同时达到高亮度，又可以提供非常好的透明度（高达70%），不是OLED这种大型显示器可以比拟的。”邱宇彬说，“因为高端车到低端车的价差非常大，只要车厂愿意导入，就算Micro LED透明显示器在初期成本居高不下，车厂还是有能力用高价车的溢价去弥补高成本。”1. Multiple manufacturers have announced the progress of MicroLED production lines, and 2025 will be the first year for mass production by multiple manufacturers. 2. Analysis believes that in scenarios such as automotive and AR, MicroLED is irreplaceable. 3. The industry believes that there are still difficulties in the large-scale application of MicroLED.
Financial Associated Press, November 8th (Reporter: Wang Biwei) Recently, Tianma Microelectronics (000050.SZ), BOE Technology Group (000725.SZ), AU Optronics, and other leading panel manufacturers are preparing for the mass production of MicroLED-related production lines in 2025, and the large-scale commercial use of MicroLED technology may be just around the corner. "We believe that after the commercialization of large glass-based MicroLED screens, the next application should focus on automotive displays." Qiu Yubin, Senior Research Vice President of TrendForce, told reporters.
MicroLED technology, which features high brightness, wide color gamut, and high reliability, has always been seen as the "next-generation display technology." However, with the previous suspension of MicroLED technology development for Apple Watch, some viewpoints are uncertain about the future of MicroLED technology. Analysts believe that due to the superior performance of MicroLED itself, its application in multiple fields is irreplaceable.
Firstly, in the automotive field, "the next probable application for MicroLED will be in automotive use, primarily due to the high brightness of MicroLED and its very low pixel fill rate. High brightness can be applied in the center console, instrument panel, and even in the potential direction of MicroLED applications for many high-end cars equipped with AR HUD. As for the low pixel fill rate, it means that Micro LED display technology can simultaneously achieve high brightness while providing very good transparency (up to 70%), which cannot be compared to large OLED displays." Qiu Yubin said, "Because the price difference between high-end and low-end cars is very large, as long as car manufacturers are willing to introduce them, even if the initial cost of Micro LED transparent displays is high, car manufacturers still have the ability to offset the high costs with the premium of high-priced cars."
In addition, Qiu Yubin believes that in the field of AR, silicon-based MicroLED also has development opportunities, mainly because AR glasses have very high requirements for the volume and brightness of the optical engine.
In this situation, TrendForce expects that by 2028, the production value of MicroLED chips will reach $5.8 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023 to 2028 of 84%.
Currently, there is an increasing amount of news about MicroLED mass production.
"Tianma MicroLED production line plans to complete all processes by the end of this year, achieve full process integration, improve yield and efficiency based on production line products next year, with the goal of achieving small-scale delivery by the end of 2025." Xi Kerui, Vice Dean of the Tianma Microelectronics MicroLED Research Institute, said in an interview with Financial National Press at the 2024 Tianma Microelectronics Global Innovation Conference held recently.
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the news of the MicroLED production line, tianma microelectronics, hisense visual technology, and xiamen changelight jointly released boundaryless Crystal Connect MicroLED display technology products at the 2024 Tianma Microelectronics Global Innovation Summit. Related parties introduced on site that this technology is currently the highest PPI MicroLED display technology globally.
"The products on site are samples from our development stage. We have completed product development based on these samples, and we will continue to iterate. It is expected that next year, we will release more stunning seamless splicing products with our partners." Xike Rui revealed to Caixin journalists.
In addition, according to the official WeChat account of Zhuhai State-owned Assets Management Co., Ltd., in September of this year, BOE ZHUHAI MLED project officially started. The project is jointly established by BOE's Crystal Core Technology and hc semitek corporation (300323.SZ), with a total investment of approximately 1 billion yuan. It is expected to achieve the lighting of MLED direct display products and full-scale production in the first quarter of 2025. According to OLEDindustry, AU Optronics' 4.5th generation MicroLED production line was completed in October of this year and is expected to enter mass production phase by 2025.
However, despite the progress made by many manufacturers, there are still challenges to overcome for the overall industry. Geng Yi, Deputy Secretary-General of the China OLED Industry Alliance, frankly stated at the Tianma MicroLED Display Technology Forum that there are currently four major challenges in the industry: production technology still faces difficulties, many technical bottlenecks hinder its industrialization process; production costs remain high, production equipment requires high precision and speed, leading to high R&D and manufacturing costs; the industry links are relatively dispersed, the industry chain is longer, the industry system is more complex, and the competition among enterprises in the supply chain is more intense; lack of unified standards and specifications has led to differences in MicroLED products in terms of definition, specifications, interfaces, and other aspects.
