Published date:2012-02-02
AUO Corporation ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) today announced that the Company and Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Idemitsu”) agreed to form a strategic alliance in the field of OLED, which is expected to be used for next generation displays. The strategic alliance includes technological collaboration to develop high-performance OLED displays and OLED-related patents.
Under this strategic alliance, Idemitsu will supply high-performance OLED materials to AUO, including device structure proposal. On the other hand, AUO will reinforce the development of OLED products using high-performance OLED materials supplied by Idemitsu. This will accelerate business growth in AUO's small-sized OLED displays for smartphone and tablet, which have emerged as a new growth area in the display industry, and that of large-sized OLED displays for TV.
Idemitsu has long been dedicated to the research and development of OLED materials. In 2007, Idemitsu established its OLED materials manufacturing plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka. In recent years, the company continues to reinforce the deployment of its OLED supply system. AUO is a global leader in the design, R&D and manufacturing of LCD, with a research staff of more than 3,500 worldwide. AUO has long invested in the research and development of AMOLED and currently holds several hundreds of OLED-related patents. Through this strategic alliance, both companies will be able to enjoy the benefits of reciprocal synergy in the OLED business, effectively increasing competitiveness on both sides and build a foundation to demonstrate leadership in the industry.
Furthermore, both companies will study the possibility of collaboration in the fields other than OLED.