Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited Samsung Display's core production base to look after the fiercely competitive panel business.
According to the industry on the 17th, Lee visited the Samsung Display business site in Asan, South Chungcheong, on the 16th to inspect the production line and tour the site. The Asan campus is a hub that produces small-, medium-, and large-sized OLED (organic light-emitting diode) panels.
Samsung Display is investing 4.1 trillion won here to build an 8.6-generation OLED panel production line for IT, aiming for mass production next year. The move is to respond to demand for next-generation OLED panels from global IT corporations, including Apple, a "big-spending" customer.
Earlier, in February 2023, Lee also visited the Asan campus to look around the quantum dot (QD)-OLED panel production line and review strategies for developing next-generation display technologies.
Samsung Display maintains its lead in the small and mid-sized OLED market, but Chinese display corporations are closing in fast. In some small and mid-sized OLEDs, such as smartphone panels, China's BOE has already surpassed Samsung Display in shipments. The industry views Lee's latest visit as a move that signals a determination to secure future market leadership through investment in next-generation technologies.