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Aug 22
ITC ruling against BOE opens door for South Korea, Taiwan's Novatek under pressure
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a preliminary ruling against China's BOE, banning its OLED panels from the US market for nearly 15 years. The decision opens opportunities for South Korean panel makers but raises risks for Taiwanese DDI suppliers closely tied to BOE, including Novatek.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a preliminary ruling siding with Samsung Display (SDC) in its trade secrets case against Beijing-based BOE Technology. The decision could bar the Chinese company from the US OLED market for nearly 15 years.

The third quarter, traditionally a peak season for the smartphone supply chain, has brought a mixed picture for display panel pricing. While overall production remains at high utilization levels, market dynamics and pricing trends vary significantly across panel technologies.

Diva Laboratories, a medical display unit of Taiwan's Qisda Corp., is expanding with three growth drivers: the world's first 55- and 65-inch optical bonding (OB) LCDs for operating rooms, a QDII off-the-shelf display line set for mass production in October, and OLED panels tailored for ultrasound imaging. Shipments of the large OB displays started in July, while OLED models are scheduled to roll out in late 2025 and scale in 2026.

Samsung Electronics has unveiled the world's first 115-inch micro RGB television, marking a bold step to reinforce its presence in the premium TV segment. Unlike self-emissive microLED displays, this model uses micron-scale RGB backlighting combined with AI image processing to deliver more accurate colors, higher brightness, and enhanced picture quality, giving Samsung an edge in the large-size premium TV market.

LG Display (LGD), optimistic about the automotive market outlook, showcased a fully autonomous driving concept car equipped with various innovative display solutions at K-Display 2025. The company also won awards for its globally largest 57-inch full cockpit pillar-to-pillar (P2P) display and automotive slidable OLED screen.
Dixon Technologies formed a joint venture with China's HKC, highlighting a thaw in India-China business ties, even as US President Donald Trump's 50% tariff on Indian goods unsettles global trade. The deal underscores India's balancing act, welcoming Chinese investment to boost manufacturing while navigating shifting geopolitical and economic headwinds.
The microLED market—considered a "game changer" in the next-generation display panel industry—is expected to enter a rapid growth phase starting in 2028, according to market researchers. Driven by expansion in high-end TVs and other applications, related companies are also anticipated to aggressively ramp up equipment investments.

E Ink Holdings is riding a wave of strong demand for its electronic paper displays. During its earnings briefing on August 13, CEO Johnson Lee acknowledged that the company's production capacity has been thoroughly eclipsed by customer demand. He projected that the second quarter would mark the year's revenue peak, with the third quarter likely holding steady, albeit not exceeding the second quarter, and the fourth quarter experiencing some deceleration—possibly pushing some volume into early 2026. Overall, however, Lee assured that 2025 would see solid operational performance, with momentum carrying into 2026.

Taiwan-based polymer materials supplier U-Best Innovative Technology reported a consolidated revenue of NT$356 million (approx. US$11.9 million) in the second quarter of 2025, a 102% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Benefiting from the synergies of group integration, the company continued to optimize its product portfolio and strictly control costs and expenses, driving second-quarter gross profit to NT$80 million.
Electronic paper giant E Ink Holdings reported a consolidated revenue of NT$10.63 billion (approx. US$355.34 million) in the second quarter of 2025, a year-over-year increase of 39%, benefiting from customers' advanced pull-ins. Operating profit in the second quarter reached NT$4.2 billion, soaring 166% compared to the same period last year, while the net income attributable to the parent company was NT$2.97 billion.
China's Visionox is pursuing a dual-track OLED expansion, ordering new production equipment to increase existing output while fast-tracking its proprietary Visionox Intelligent Pixelization (ViP) technology for future high-generation lines.