Sony has decided to shift more contract orders to AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) and its production arms from Hon Hai, likely due to Hon Hai build ties-up with its major competitor Sharp in the market for LCD TVs. According to industry insiders, as soon as building partnership with Sony, AUO has seen orders for LCD TVs significantly increase since the beginning of Q3 in 2012, with lots of which allegedly coming from the Japanese customer. Meanwhile, BriView Electronics Corp., a production arm of AUO, Lextar Electronics Corp., an LED maker, and I-C...

Lextar, the LED subsidiary of AU Optronics Corporation (AUO), plans to launch its IPO with a stock price of NT$ 17 on September 29th. The considerable growths in both lighting product business and penetration rate contribute to Lextar’s revenue outperformance in 2H11 compared to 1H11. Lextar is a LED manufacturer that vertically integrates upstream chips and packages and downstream light sources and light products. The company’s business in the panel sector accounts for 70% of its total revenue. Lextar’s parent company AUO is its biggest acc...

Recently, Delta Electronics' LED project and AU Optronics' (AUO's) AMOLED project has received subsidies totaling NT$600 million (US$19.7 million) from the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), which accounted for about  45% of each company's estimated research expenditure. Delta has developed a 3D display technology with using multiple LED projectors to create high-resolution, multiple viewing angle 3D images, which did not require users to wear glasses.

AUO has built a partnership with Arizona State University’s Flexible Display Center (FDC) to develop mixed oxide TFTs to speed the commercial availability of active-matrix OLED flexible displays. As AMOLED in conventional glass displays are already beginning to gain market traction for applications such as smart phones, the FDC-AUO partnership will continue to expand its application with bringing the benefits of AMOLED displays, including full-color, full-motion video, to flexible substrates.

AUO has designed a 70-inch, 21:9 ratio beast of a 3D panel, which is co-called the world’s largest 3D TV. It’s also designed with a 240Hz double frame rate, LED scanning backlighting and a ultra-narrow border. The ratio is the same as used in movies theaters, which is why the company is marketing it as the perfect companion to state of the art home theater systems.

In 3Q10, AUO was the only profitable panel maker in Taiwan due to its leading shipments of LED-backlit TVs, in which LED-backlit TV panels accounted for 30% of its total TV panels. But look into 4Q, the company was expected to slow down result from vendors adjust LED-backlit TV shipment goals due to high product prices.

AU Optronics Corp. (2409) recently announced its unaudited results for 3Q10. The company posted consolidated revenue of NT$124,403 million (about US$3,989 million), down 3.3% from 2Q. Gross profit stood at NT$6,241 million (about US$200 million), with the gross margin of 5.0%. Operating profit arrived at NT$232 million (about US$7 million), with the operating margin of 0.2%. AUO's net income for 3Q came in at NT$227 million (approximately US$7 million) after tax.

Recently, AU Optronics has reported its new organization arrangement effective. The company has been honoring the outstanding next-generation of professional managers with the promotion of four new vice presidents, to instill fresh impetus into the organization.

AU Optronics (AUO) expanded LED-backlit TV and monitor panels, TV panels cover from 24 -inch to 65-inch models, while monitor panels go up to as large as 27 inch. AUO noted that the proportion of LED-backlit Notebooks panels will be up to 100% at the end of this year. In addition, AUO is preparing for moving into 3D panels for TV, monitor and notebook. The company will release 65-inch 3D TV panels, 3D notebook panels and 23- and 27-inch 3D monitor panels in the next times.

AU Optronics Corp. today announced that its new cutting-edge innovative display technologies will be exhibited at FPD International 2009, held in Yokohama Japan, from Oct. 28-30.

Taiwan’s leading panel maker AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) recently decided to invest NT$30 billion (US$923.08 million) to establish four LED chip factories in Taiwan in the fourth quarter this year, to meet the strong demand for LEDs used in panel backlight modules, Taiwan Economic News reports, and the facilities is planned to begin mass production in late 2010.

To accommodate the booming demand of LED panels, leading panel maker, AU Optronics Corp, has decided to invest over $900 million to build four LED chip production plants under its subsidiary Lextar in Central Taiwan Science Park. The project is slated to begin in the fourth quarter this year, and it is expected to start production by the end of 2010. Lextar Chairman H.B. Chen indicated that going forward, Lextar’s role in supplying AUO’s LED chip demand will become increasingly important.

AU Optronics, (AUO 2409.tw) invested some NT 2.5 billion in the LED chip equipment expansion of Lextar, and pre-ordered 15 MOCVD systems this year. AUO Vice Chairman and Lexstar Chairman H.B. Chen indicated that Lextar’s plant construction has completed, and is now on course for equipment setup. Chen emphasized that Lexstar will become the primary supplier of AUO’s LED chips, supplying over 50% of its demand.

Taiwan’s leading panel vendor AU Optronics plans to fully-adopt LED backlight for all NB panels shipped before the end of 2010; penetration of LED backlight in its internal monitor shipments is expected to reach 10 ~ 15%. In 2010, the estimated global LED TV penetration may hit 10%. Dr L.J. Chen, CEO of AUO, indicated that as a result of strong demand for LED panels, tighter supply of LED chips is expected in 2010.

It’s reported that Samsung Group's LED business unit will begin operation in June with an initial target production of 120,000 LED panels. However, Samsung indicated that this production target is not big enough to challenge leading foreign makers in terms of market share. They expect the production capacity will be tripled by 2010.

Festering market of LCD panels, the major applications of various backlights, has compelled Taiwan Lamp maker Wellypower Optronics Corp. to shift business emphasis to lighting. The company will ramp up output of LED emitters and LED lighting fixtures to find an outlet for LED chips from Lextar Electronics Corp., which is a member of the AUO Group as is Wellypower.

The shipments of notebook-PC panels with LED backlights grew by 63% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) to 2.1 million in the third quarter from 1.3 million in the previous quarter, according to the related report. Taiwan TFT-LCD panel suppliers AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO) ranked the world’s third- and sixth-largest, respectively, LED-BLU notebook PC panel makers during the period.

It’s reported that AU Optronics Corp., the largest TFT-LCD panel manufacturer in Taiwan, has decided to restart an active matrix-organic light-emit diode (AM-OLED) research project in the fourth quarter after two years of suspension. B.D. Liu, vice president of AUO Technology Center, pointed out that his company plans to restart AM-OLED display development in the fourth quarter to meet the market demand.

The use of LEDs for the backlight's light source has created new business opportunities in the maturing NB panel market. In contrast to CCFLs, white LEDs provide higher color saturation and are mercury-free and less power-consuming--making them more environmentally friendly.   

Recently, at Rubicon Technology’s 2Q08 earnings conference call with industry analysts, the company's president and CEO discussed the future of the LED market.