On September 12, TCL Technology Group Co., Ltd. announced that the company and its subsidiary TCL Huaxing jointly signed a project cooperation agreement with the People's Government of Guangzhou City and the Management Committee of Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, and plans to jointly fund the construction of an 8.6-generation printed OLED display panel production line in Guangzhou City with a monthly capacity of approximately 22,500 2290 mm glass substrates (referred to as the t8 project). The main products of the project cover application fields such as tablets, notebook computers, and displays, with an estimated total investment of approximately RMB 29.5 billion.
Printing OLED technology is an OLED display panel manufacturing technology that accurately sprays liquid light-emitting materials onto a substrate according to a preset pattern through a high-precision nozzle, and then forms pixels through processes such as drying and curing. This technical route has the characteristics of excellent color performance and high resolution. At the same time, it has high material utilization, low energy consumption, and lower investment and manufacturing costs. It is a large-scale commercial OLED technology path suitable for small, medium and large size.
TCL Huaxing has been deeply involved in the OLED field for more than ten years and has carried out in-depth technical research and exploration. Now it has the ability to print OLED mass production and key patents. Its G5.5-generation line printing OLED production line in Wuhan will achieve mass production and user delivery starting from November 2024. Currently, the production line production capacity is steadily increasing from 3k /month to 9k /month, and the production process, efficiency and product quality are continuously optimized.
In recent years, the global new display industry market, including application areas such as TVs, mobile phones, notebooks, desk displays, wearable devices and car displays, has entered a relatively stable state. Against the background of folding screens becoming a new growth point for displays, increasing the volume of car screens and wearable devices, and expanding the size of display screens, OLED is expected to become the mainstream of high-end display technology and usher in a market explosion. According to data from third-party platforms, global AMOLED panel shipments will be 1.01 billion in 2024, accounting for 27%. It is expected that AMOLED panel shipments will exceed 1.33 billion in 2030, and the proportion of shipments will increase to 35%. Among them, AMOLED has grown significantly in large and medium-sized size applications such as IT and vehicle-mounted vehicles. It is estimated that by 2030, the compound annual growth rate of notebooks will reach 33%, the compound annual growth rate of car displays will reach 27%, and the compound annual growth rate of desktop displays will reach 19%. The construction of the t8 project will help TCL China Star seize market growth demand, increase its share of high-end products, and continue to optimize operating efficiency.
From following to leading the way and seizing the strategic commanding heights of the global new display industry, it is worth noting that the technologies used in the TCL CSOT t8 project are all owned by TCL CSOT. The 8.6th generation line based on printed OLED technology will provide strong support for my country to seize the strategic commanding heights and play a leading role in the new competition pattern of the global new display industry.
According to announcements and public information, TCL Huaxing has built a large-scale global patent layout, holding a total of more than 9700 OLED patents, including more than 1200 printed OLED patents, ranking first in the industry. Its patents cover all aspects of design, materials, processes and equipment, building indestructible technical barriers.
Looking back on the development history of TCL Huaxing's printing OLED printing, it has been a long journey of more than ten years since it invested in printed OLED research in 2013, after years of precipitation, to mass production and shipment of the G5.5 generation line in 2024, and then to the announcement of the construction of a high-generation printing OLED production line. During the journey, TCL Huaxing has always insisted on independent research and development, vigorously made talent reserve and long-term investment, and ultimately became an innovation leader. Printed OLED has also become the first display technology led by China companies to enter the commercial stage. It is a key breakthrough point for my country's display industry to move from following to leading.
In this process, TCL Huaxing joined hands with its peers to carry out all-round layout and improvement, from device technology development to upstream materials to core equipment, which is enough to build an independent and controllable new generation display technology ecosystem.
According to the announcement, the TCL China Star t8 project is expected to start in November 2025. As the world's first high-generation printed OLED production line, if this project is successfully operated, it will become an important opportunity for my country's display device manufacturers to surpass the position of foreign companies in the field of high-generation AMOLED based on printed AMOLED technology, helping my country become a leader in new technologies., seize more initiative in the competition of the global new display industry and promote my country's display industry to a higher level of development.
