The crytopmining fever is sweeping across China where miners are buying out all large-capacity SSDs available on the spot market ahead of the start of trading of the new crypto coin Chia. Supply of SSDs has been constrained by shortage of controller ICs. NAND flash device controller and module supplier Phison Electronics recently has raised its product prices again. Meanwhile, Taiwan's top LCD panel makers, AUO and Innolux, are optimistic about miniLED applications.Cryptomining demand for large-capacity SSDs surges in China: China-based cryptomining hardware makers are "panic buying" all the available large-capacity SSDs from the spot market, according to industry sources.Phison hikes chip prices again: NAND flash device controller and module supplier Phison Electronics has raised its quotes for the second time this year to reflect rising foundry and backend costs, as well as costs of IC substrates and other related chip components, according to industry sources.AUO, Innolux optimistic about miniLED backlighting: Taiwan's top LCD makers believe Apple's adopting miniLED backlighting for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro will encourage other device vendors to follow suit, spurring demand for such applications.

Taiwan stands a good chance of becoming a global top-3 exporter of machine tools in the next 7-10 years, up from its current foruth place, according to chairman Jimmy Chu for machine tool maker Fair Friend Enterprise.In terms of machine tool output value, Taiwan may climb from seventh place globally to the top-five group, Chu said.In line with increasing use of green energy in manufacturing, design in components of machine tools has to be adjusted, leading to demand for newly-developed machine tools, Chu noted.Taiwan's ICT capability gives it competitiveness in developing an ecosystem supporting electric vehicles (EVs), Chu indicated. Taiwan-produced machine tools fall between mid-range and high-end ones technologically speaking, and can cater to EV components production, Chu said.

TSMC has allocated a budget of almost of US$3 billion for expanding capacity of mature process technology. But until the capacity comes on line, mature process capacity will remain tight throught at least year-end 2022. Tight foundry capacity, along with rising quotes for fab services and materials, has been disrupting order placements by IC designers. MCU vendor Holtek has recently stopped taking orders from clients for 2022 until it gets a clearer picture of the size of foundry support it will get. The EV market is picking up momentum fast. Taiwan-based electric scooter vendor, Gogoro, which has seen significant success in the local market, is entering India by striking up a partnership with Hero MotoCorp.TSMC to expand capacity for 28nm process at China fab: TSMC's board of directors has approved a budget of about US$2.89 billion for installation of mature technology capacity, the pure-play foundry announced on April 22.Holtek reportedly stops taking orders for 2022: MCU firm Holtek Semiconductor has notified its distributors and major clients that the company will not take orders for 2022 until it has completed negotiations with foundries about capacity allocation, according to industry sources.Gogoro taps India market via partnership with Hero MotoCorp: Taiwan-based electric scooter vendor Gogoro has announced a strategic partnership with India-based Hero MotoCorp for setting up a joint venture to operate battery-swapping Gogoro Network and develop electric motorcycles and scooters for sale in India.

Strong demand from major clients has prompted TSMC to raise its output from its 5nm manufacturing process. The pure-play foundry house is expected to process up to 150,000 wafers monthly at the 5nm node through the end of the year. Morris Chang considers Samsung a strong competitor of the company he founded, but is skeptical about Intel's bid to expand its presence in the foundry sector. Apple has just unveiled its new miniLED-backlit iPad Pro devices powered by M1 chip. Shipments for the new devices are expected to reach 11 million units in 2021.TSMC stepping up 5nm chip output: TSMC will be stepping up its 5nm chip output, scaling it up to as much as 150,000 wafers monthly starting in the second quarter through the end of this year, according to industry sources.Samsung remains formidable competitor for TSMC, says Morris Chang: Samsung Electronics is still a formidable competitor for TSMC, according to Morris Chang, founder of the world's largest pure-play foundry.New-gen iPad Pro shipments to peak in 3Q21: Shipments of Apple's just-unveiled miniLED-backlit iPad Pro will peak for 2021 in the third quarter, according to industry sources.

As the US-China trade war continues to exacerbate tensions between the countries, the formulation of a clean supply chain - whereby the manufacturing, assembly, testing, and packaging of products all take place in Taiwan - has become an important national security and economic strategy for the United States. Over the past 30 years, Taiwan has built a complete semiconductor industry chain that provides global customers with advanced manufacturing and R&D support. In light of this, Martin Lin, marketing director at Macronix, says that now is the time for Taiwanese industry players to continue actively expanding their business layout and take the initiative to wield their competitive advantages.To address the needs of its immense domestic market, over the past few years China has created a red supply chain that has become a formidable presence for all industries across the globe. Multinational companies, including those from Taiwan, have set up production sites in China, and the global economy is becoming increasingly dependent on the mainland. Circumstances have drastically changed, however, following the United States' launch of the trade war in 2018. As Lin indicates, at the time, the Trump administration made all-out efforts to promote its clean supply chain policy in 2020 to maintain the US's dominating position in technology and economy. In particular, the two most important actions taken were to tighten export restrictions on China's major technology companies and to prohibit the export of key semiconductor-manufacturing equipment to China. These two policies have prompted major technology companies in various countries to shift their focus to resources outside of mainland China, a move that has in turn shifted the spotlight to Taiwan where the semiconductor industry chain has become increasingly mature over the past few decades.Taiwan began developing its semiconductor industry in the 1980s. Some semiconductor manufacturers began focusing on optimizing the manufacturing process after assuming their roles as OEM wafer manufacturers, while others focused on the research and development of proprietary products, such as memory market leader Macronix. Apart from continuing to invest in R&D and manufacturing technology, the company has also formulated a complete product layout. European and American companies, on the other hand, focus on IC design, contributing to the division of labor in the semiconductor industry of which Taiwan plays a crucial part and to an industry that has been flourishing for 30 years.As manufacturing processes continue to evolve, the demand for capital and technology in semiconductor manufacturing is rapidly increasing. As such, semiconductor manufacturing has become one of the world's most advanced and sophisticated industries. In addition to semiconductor manufacturing, IC design, packaging, testing, and assembly are of equal importance. Based on current industry conditions, Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain is able to provide complete, vertically and horizontally integrated services within an area of just 36,000 square kilometers, and it is this advantage that enables Taiwan to play a significant role in the clean supply chain.Lin states that Taiwan's semiconductor industry chain has three advantages in terms of its role in the clean supply chain. First, IC design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, along with other semiconductor manufacturing processes, have already formed an industrial cluster in Taiwan. As such, suppliers are not only technologically advanced but also have sufficient production capacity. Second, Taiwanese industry players have always remained closely aligned with the international community and are, therefore, not only familiar with the rules of the game but have also established trusting, cooperative relationships with customers. Last but not least, they are able ensure compliance with the conditions and requirements of a clean supply chain. In view of these three advantages, therefore, Taiwan is perfectly poised to become a safe and reliable partner for industries across the globe.Even with these apparent advantages, however, Lin believes that Taiwanese companies must strengthen their product layout so as to further expand their niche, citing as an example the trend of "intelligentization" that has emerged in recent years. In the past, products manufactured by the electronics industry were primarily used in computer, communication and consumer - also known in Taiwan as 3C - products. With the advent of intelligentization, however, the application of semiconductor components began to diversify. Market needs such as in the industrial, medical and automotive segments gradually emerged, and the types of components required by these markets became so diverse that only manufacturers with complete product lines can satisfy supply. Macronix, for instance, has a comprehensive line of memory products that offers customers a full range of solutions and services that is rare within the industry.Lin said that, in the past, product R&D conducted by memory manufacturers were mostly oriented toward the optimization of compatibility. Macronix, however, adopted a different strategy by choosing to provide differentiated design services that fulfill the needs of leading chip manufacturers in the industry and create the most suitable product solutions for different fields of application. Under this strategy, Macronix was able to forge an even more complete product line layout, particularly with regard to its two main product lines, NOR Flash and SLC NAND, offering customers corresponding products ranging from the most basic to the most advanced specifications. In terms of manufacturing processes, Macronix's NOR Flash is manufactured using a 55-nanometer process that will be upgraded to 45-nanometer. SLC NAND, on the other hand, is produced using a 19-nanometer process and has also entered mass production. The company's 48-layer 3D NAND Flash is also ready to be launched and will be joining Macronix's line of memory products to better meet diverse customer needs.In addition to the complete product line, Lin pointed out that non-consumer applications, such as automotive electronics, industrial control, medical systems, and other applications have stringent requirements for product reliability. To remain competitive in this supply chain, advanced technology is a prerequisite, not an advantage, while unwavering quality and long-term stable supply capabilities are additional keys to success. Macronix, as a manufacturer fulfilling all of the above three criteria, has long been affirmed by customers in this field with whom the company has established profound partnerships.As competition between the United States and China grows stiffer, calls for the establishment of a clean supply chain has also become more urgent. Under these circumstances, Lin foresees that, with its advanced and complete semiconductor industry cluster, Taiwan will play an important role within the global clean supply chain. As such, industry players should grasp this golden opportunity to formulate development strategies that maximize and fully exert their advantages.Martin Lin, Marketing Director, Macronix

Taiwan-based pure-play foundry house UMC has told clients that it will raise manufacturing quotes in 2022. Some mature segments at UMC will see at least a 40% rise in foundry quotes. Some IC designers, such as Phison and Silicon Motion, who are keen on securing supply, have already placed orders with their foundry partners for 2022. Singapore is well-known for its service and finance sectors, but it has ambitions to play a bigger role in manufacturing in Southeast Asia. Yip Wei Kiat, Singapore's trade representative in Taipei, told Digitimes in a recent interview how his country can be a gateway for manfacturers seeking to invest in ASEAN.UMC plans 40% price hike in 2022: United Microelectronics (UMC) is negotiating contracts for next year, when the pure-play foundry plans to initiate another price hikes, according to sources at IC design houses.Phison, Silicon Motion place NAND controller foundry orders for 2022: NAND flash controller specialists Phison Electronics and Silicon Motion Technology have placed orders for 2022 with their foundry partners, but are still aware tight mature process capacity may disrupt their shipments next year, according to industry sources.Singapore can be springboard into ASEAN, says Singaporean trade representative in Taipei: Singapore is well-known for its services and finance sectors, but there is much more to the economy of the Southeast Asian country, which is keen on expanding its manufacturing and can be a gateway for Taiwanese firms looking to establish a foothold in the region.

Singapore is well-known for its services and finance sectors, but there is much more to the economy of the Southeast Asian country, which is keen on expanding its manufacturing and can be a gateway for Taiwanese firms looking to establish a foothold in the region.Yip Wei Kiat, Singapore's trade representative in Taipei, told Digitimes in a recent interview that his country is seeking to maintain its manufacturing at over 20% as a proportion of the country's GDP.In line with that goal, Singapore is looking to grow its manufacturing output by 50% over the next 10 years. Singapore is looking at manufacturing sectors, such as bioteh pharmaceuticals, that are capital intensive with highly automated production lines.Singapore is not only seeking to expand its own manfacturing sector, but also to play a bigger role in manufacturing in ASEAN, which, for its member states, is "one community" as far as economic develpment is concerned, according to Yip.Earlier this year, the country announced the formation of the Southeast Asia Manufacturing Alliance (SMA), a tripartite agreement between its Economic Development Board (EDB), Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and private sector partners to help manufacturers set up their operations in industrial parks in both Singapore and the region.Many Taiwanese companies have been keen on the setting up manufacturing plants in Southeast Asia - a move that has been accelerated by the US-China trade tensions.It may be too costly for manufacturers to set up plants in Singapore, but Ip thinks his country is in a good position to help."We can help Taiwanese companies to expand their presence in ASEAN," said Yip.He noted that Taiwanese companies looking to invest in ASEAN can leverage the network and experience that SMA offers, as a lot of Singaporean companies have a presence in other ASEAN countries and they know well the local cultures and ways of doing business - which would be a great help for Taiwanese investors.Singapore has maintained tight trade relationships with Taiwan over the years. Singapore is one of the few countries that have signed free trade agreements (FTA) with Taiwan, and bilateral trade has reached about US$50 billion, with electronics accounting for most of the exports from Singapore to Taiwan, many of whose IT firms have set up R&D and distribution hubs in the Southeast Asian country.Singapore may not be as strong as Taiwan in terms manufacturing in the IT manufacturing sector, but it does have a sizeable semiconductor industry. Taiwan-based pure-play foundry UMC has a fab in Singapore, and VIS not long ago took over a wafer fab from Globalfoundries there. And SSMC, a joint venture between TSMC and NXP, is just across the road from the UMC fab.Singapore will continue to develop its semiconductor industry though it has no intention to challenge Taiwan's leadership, according to Joshua Lim, EDB's regional director, Taiwan, who accompanied Yip during the interview.Lim said Singapore will focus on mature and special-purpose semiconductors, where shortages are most acute. Such semiconductor applications are focused on 5G high-frequency communications and power electronics required for electric vehicles (EV).Special chemicals such as plasticizers, UV absorbers, polypropylene for masks and isopropyl alcohol for disinfectants, and biotech pharmaceuticals are also industries that Singapore is promoting investment in because they are highly automated and capital intensive.At the end of 2020, the Singapore government announced a SGD25 billion (US$18.81 billion) research and innovation fund over the next five years - the Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 program, - which has focuses on various areas, such as heterogeneous integration of semiconductor packaging technologies, power electronics and specialty materials such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride.Yip said that Singapore hopes to have closer cooperation with Taiwan enterprises in innovation, R&D and technology upgrade, and is communicating with Taiwan to explore ways to cooperate in innovation and digital transformation in the post-epidemic era. Singapore's research institutions and universities have invested many resources in advanced manufacturing R&D and production innovation, and can be a strong partner for Taiwanese companies, he said.Lim added that the Singaporean government will do a lot of communication with the industry when making investments to collect feedback and proposals to ensure that the government's investments are in line with the industry's R&D and commercialization roadmap for the next five or 10 years.Taiwanese companies can also use Singapore as a test market for their products and services, as consumers in many Southeast Asian countries have a very positive and high opinion of Singapore's products and services, so if products sell well in Singapore, they often follow suit in other Southeast Asian markets, Lim said.Yip Wei Kiat, Singapore's trade representative in TaipeiJoshua Lim, regional director, Taiwan, for Singapore's Economic Development BoardPhotos: Liu Kuo-tai, special to Digitimes, March 2021

Manz AG is the wet chemistry process leader in Taiwan and China for production of displays panels, printed circle boards and advanced semiconductor packaging technology. The product offerings include solutions for cleaning, coating, plating, etching and stripping of various substrates, and the production automations. As Industrial 4.0 revolution and smart manufacturing swept through the global manufacturing industries, Manz leveraging intelligent technologies, production equipment and modular software design provide streamlined production automation systems to help Asia's customers for quickly expanding manufacturing capacity and production lines. Outstanding cost performance ratio and optimal productive time ensure excellent returns with consistent product quality.In an exclusive interview, Robert Lin, General Manager of Manz Taiwan, talked about the new development of Manz product strategy before Touch Taiwan 2021 exhibition. Over two decades, Manz delivered automation equipment to Korea, Japan, China and Taiwan. Nowadays, Manz's intelligent production solutions provide the automated handling services for display panels ranging from 4-inch to G10.5 generation line for big 8K TV manufacturing tasks. Moreover, the tailored solutions to fit different requirements of various customers are most welcomed.Manz highlights intelligent vertical handling systems for display industryManz is benefiting from the strong hardware and software design capability of its high-tech engineering teams. The new intelligent vertical handling systems showcase unique features with high stability, high availability, low glass breakage rate and high precision vertical handling capability. More than this, the teams create a close partnership between the company and the customers. The increasing trend towards automation in the production processes of Asian customers, Manz uses its long-standing technological expertise to collaborate with customers to provide tailored production solutions and tight integration in the processes. Following the company's successful development of intelligent production automation projects, the minimal breakage rates are achieved through material and chemical transport optimized to the process and substrate. Manz has gained customer trust from around the world.Moreover, these new intelligent production solutions are leveraging PC-based controller from Beckhoff, another Germany-based automation firm to utilize open architecture and popular IT protocols as a design basis. The systems are providing high precision positioning features by an accurate replica of human hand positions, even at high throughput, minimal breakage rates are achieved through material and chemical transport optimized to the process. There are four major unique features highlights including real-time data collecting and analyzing, modular software design, high stability and great integration of Electro-Mechanical Integration systems. The solutions will help customer to achieve shortening time-to-market goal.The automated projects in Taiwan are mainly focus on upgrades of 8.5th generation ("G8.5") facility. In China, due to the lack of flexibility and cost concerns, the new investment of G10.5 panel production lines are becoming more conservative. But the G8.6 investments are getting more attractive in China. Although, various automation solution providers with unique strength in the market already, the high value-added of Manz product offerings attract key customers because the requirements of high precision, speed and stability through long time establishment of corporate credits. Despite a high level of exposure to US-China tensions, European vendors like Manz still have good potential in China market while China panel makers beginning to focus more on high-end and advanced equipment.Taiwan panel makers show innovative Micro and Mini LED displayLin highlights smart manufacturing is a technology massively driven by automation. Thanks to the cross-strait customers welcomed AI-based technology to ramp up the speed of manufacturing optimization during the course of industrial upgrading. In the other hand, recently, the new display technology, especially Mini and Micro LED technologies, has emerged as a significantly driving force to push advanced production solutions. It is foreseeing the mass production of Mini LED display modules in this year. Taiwan panel makers are ready to launch mini LED backlighting applications targeting the smartphone, touchpad and TV market. And the Micro-LED display is also under developing to solve the technology challenges of Mass Transfer issues. The future growth of Taiwan panel makers is relying on this.From perspectives of production solutions, the change of process equipment making mini LED panels is limited. During development of the processes, the use of the equipment in the process of Color Filter and TFT Array may be not much changed. The automation solutions perform good results including robust production, easy operation and high reliability, as well as production yield. For the coming Micro LED display technology, Manz is highly participating to design the solutions for proofing in the experimental production lines.5G technology upbeat IC Substrate demandsManz provides wet chemical processing solutions for the Printed Circuit Boards. In the higher end PCB sector, there is strong demands from IC Substrate leveraging the hot trend of 5G technology. Taiwan-based IC substrate providers are poised to enjoy a particularly strong orders in the first half of 2021, thanks to robust demand for high-end substrates PCB boards. This is benefiting to Manz production solutions in the semiconductor production solutions. As the advanced packaging and testing solutions getting more sophisticated, Manz is maintaining the continuous investments of production solutions for further increase the competitiveness and win the market. An explosive opportunities of electric vehicle and lithium-ion batteryChina is the world's largest electric vehicle market. Taiwan is also continuing to expand its scale of operations and grow into the lithium-ion battery cells and modules as well as for the assembly of battery packs for electric vehicle industry. These are huge business opportunities. Manz already entered into a strategic cooperation in the field of lithium-ion battery systems and portfolio enabling innovative, integrated turnkey production solutions. Meanwhile, Manz Taiwan is joining the MIH Alliance to jointly build an Electric Vehicle open platform for entering this potential business and introduce Manz automation solutions to Asia maker for gaining next boost in the business.For further highlighting the new development of Manz production solutions and automation systems, during 2021 Touch Taiwan events, Manz will showcase at its booth a full range of products at Nangang Exhibition Hall 1 at fourth floor, booth no. M520. Manz sales and product teams warmly welcome you to visit the booth to experience more innovative solutions.Robert Lin, General Manager of Manz Taiwan

With the advent of the audio-visual era, whether for consumer use or commercial applications in retail, F&B or factory manufacturing, the demand for high image quality is ever-increasing. In recent years, moreover, breakthroughs in LED display technology have been rapidly and successively made, resulting in brightness, color gamut, and color contrast that are greatly superior to that of LCD displays.Focusing exclusively on the high-quality, high-performance mini/micro-LED market, Yenrich Technology Corporation has recently launched ultra-fine pitch LED solutions ahead of market contenders. Through its advanced technology, comprehensive services and extensive product line, it will be able to reduce system operator development cost and shorten time-to-market, allowing it to grasp next-gen business opportunities with its highly competitive advantages.The global market for large-size displays has been shifting since 2018 as LED screens that used to be installed outdoors began to move indoors, providing users with better display technology. In the past, indoor displays were mostly comprised of LCDs. Li-yuan Huang, VP of Sales and Marketing at Yenrich, nevertheless pointed out that LCDs designed with backlight architecture have certain limitations in terms of both color contrast and brightness. With regard to brightness, for instance, even though mini-LED light sources have become increasingly prevalent in backlight modules these past couple of years, the increased brightness - from 500 nits to 1000 nits - is still far from comparable with the 2000 nits of Yenrich's LED products. The lifetime, screen area and transportation convenience of LCD displays are moreover inferior to that of LED displays, therefore it is expected that mini-LED displays will dominate even in the market for high-end, large-size commercial displays.Li-yuan Huang went on to say that although LEDs will be the mainstream in the market for indoor / large-size displays, this does not mean that the technology can be directly replicated and applied to this field. Due to the different viewing distances between outdoor and indoor scenarios, user's perception of display resolution also differs. At present, the pixel pitch of outdoor LED displays is 10mm-2.5mm, but if used indoors, an even smaller pitch must be adopted, usually between 1-2.5mm. The flip-chip RGB mini-LED die used by Yenrich enables the company to make ultra-fine pitch screens with pitch below 1mm.Li-yuan Huang further indicated that under the demand for high-end audio-visual and digital transformation, boutique flagship stores, government agencies, and large enterprises have all begun to install LED screens in interior spaces for marketing advertisements or war room use. This trend has completely opened up the market for ultra-fine pitch LED displays, and garnered the interest of related industry peers. Most manufacturers, however, are currently still using conventional face-up LED dies to build their displays, a technology that can only achieve a minimum pitch of 0.8mm. In comparison, Yenrich's industry-leading four-in-one flip-chip RGB mini-LED package can achieve a pitch of 0.6mm or even smaller to further improve LED screen resolution.Yenrich Technology Corporation, a member of Ennostar Group, utilizes flip-chip RGB mini-LED dies as an important weapon for achieving ultra-fine-pitch displays. The high-quality flip-chip dies are the achievement of years of development conducted by EPISTAR, another member of Ennostar Group. Ever since it was founded, Yenrich has been focusing on next-gen packaging and expanding its market share with the flip-chip dies developed by EPISTAR. As all relevant materials and technologies are now readied, the company has been receiving orders from several end-customers. Li-yuan Huang stated that, in addition to advanced mini-LED packaging technology, Yenrich is also committed to providing clients with various solutions. Currently, the company has established joint ventures with partners in mainland China to offer customers a variety of advanced mini-LED packaging services and solutions, including advanced mini-LED packaging production lines and SMT lines equipped with capacity of 800kk monthly. Customer products can enter mass production upon completion of design, greatly shortening time-to-market.Even as it enhances its technology over production, Yenrich has also actively engaged in configuring its IP deployment. With confirmation in 2016 the company's mission is to produce high-brightness and high-tech displays, Yenrich has been continuously applying for patents for its research and development outcomes. At such, currently the company's ultra-fine pitch and advanced mini-LED packaging technology has been under patent protection in both the European and American markets. At this year's Touch Taiwan exhibition, Yenrich's new technological prowess will be unveiled. 0.46mm ultra-fine pitch products can be combined with 5G technology to make 8K resolution LED screens, stretching the limits of current LED technology. Another 0404 RGB LED package developed by Yenrich focuses on surface treatment technology, and is able to enhance visual uniformity while in off-state and correct color shift of the LED screen, creating a spectacular visual experience.Li-yuan Huang explained that, since its establishment, Yenrich has been deeply committed to creating high-quality products with advanced technology. As past research and development has now yielded fruitful results, the company has been able to offer solutions that indisputably lead the market in terms of technology. Moving forward into the future, Yenrich will continue to uphold existing strategies, utilizing its advantages of advanced packaging technology and comprehensive production line to provide customers with the strongest and most reliable support.Yenrich Technology Corporation has launched ultra-fine pitch LED solutions ahead of market contenders

Components shortages have been troubling the notebook sector, with ODMs and brand vendors set to see shipments fall short of demand by 30-50% in second-quarter 2021. Chromebooks have been among devices that have seen extremely tight supply of eMMC storage they need - a result of short supply of NAND flash controllers. Meanwhile, panel maker AUO has entered the supply chain of Samsung's microLED TVs by providing backplanes.Notebook makers see 2Q21 shipments fall short of orders by up to 50%: The supply of notebooks particularly that of Chromebooks remains constrained in the second quarter, with ODMs and brand vendors expected to see shipments fall short of orders by 30-50%, according to industry sources.NAND flash controller supply remains tight: The supply of NAND flash controllers remains tight, constraining shipments of eMMC storage devices and SATA SSDs, according to industry sources.AUO breaks into supply chain for Samsung microLED TVs: AU Optronics (AUO) has cut into the supply chain for Samsung's microLED TVs by providing glass backplanes, with shipments to kick off in the second half of 2021, according to industry sources.