Touch panel manufacturer GIS has faced significant operational challenges in 2024. Despite a rebound in consolidated revenue during the third quarter, the company's product mix resulted in a reduced gross profit margin. As GIS's market share in fingerprint recognition continues to expand, the company expects overall performance in 2025 to surpass that of 2024, with fingerprint recognition revenue projected to exceed 10% for the first time.

South Korea's display industry faces new uncertainties following Donald Trump's return to the US presidency. While Samsung Display and LG Display maintain their OLED technology leadership, industry watchers are closely monitoring the potential impacts of heightened US-China tensions.

Apple's planned release of the OLED MacBook Air faces potential delays, primarily due to pricing challenges and market dynamics. The transition from LCD to OLED panels significantly increases production costs, and Apple believes this upgrade alone may not provide sufficient value proposition for consumers.

As the display panel industry enters its traditional off-season following the peak inventory demand period, major manufacturers reported lower revenues for October. AUO experienced a nearly 20% decline from September, while Innolux saw a 10% month-over-month decrease.

Himax Technologies exceeded third-quarter 2024 expectations, fueled by strong automotive IC revenue from Chinese orders. Despite a revenue decline and lower gross margin, the company remains optimistic about growth in the automotive, AI, WLO, and OLED sectors amid market uncertainties.

South Korean media TheElec reports, citing Sigmaintell data, that OLED TV panel shipments are set to reach 6.48 million units in 2024, representing a 22% increase from the 5.3 million units in 2023. This growth comes as OLED's market penetration is expected to edge up by 0.4 pp to 2.6%, from 2.2% last year, even as LCD panel shipments remain steady at 230 million units.

Novatek posted strong revenue growth in the third quarter of 2024, fueled by high inventory demand for mobile OLED DDIs. However, gross margin slipped from the previous quarter, mainly due to price adjustments for specific chips, rising gold costs, and lower non-recurring engineering (NRE) revenue.

Taiwan is gradually positioning itself as a global leader in Micro LED development, driven by extensive investments in core areas like epitaxial wafers, TFT substrates, mass transfer, and full-color display technologies. However, with OLED technology advancing rapidly, Taiwan must redouble innovation efforts to sustain the competitiveness of Micro LED technology.

Donald Trump's potential return as the US President has captured global attention. Peter Chen, chairperson of Qisda, notes that from an economic and industrial perspective, Trump's anticipated presidency is expected to boost the US stock market through his proposed quantitative-erasing policies. Lower interest rates and the resulting capital influx could positively impact the economy.

NexChip and Samsung Foundry have emerged as the dominant players in the display driver IC (DDIC) market for the third quarter of 2024, according to the latest insights from Omdia's Display Driver IC Market Tracker. NexChip has captured the largest market share in the large-area display and LCD driver IC segments, while Samsung Foundry leads the AMOLED DDIC market.

Polarizer manufacturer Cheng Mei Materials Technology (CMMT) has stepped up its deployment in high-value product segments to alleviate the impact of oversupply in the LCD market which has prompted panel makers to shut down some of their fabs.

Apple is strengthening its collaboration with China's display industry, aiming to lower production costs and reduce reliance on primary South Korean suppliers, Samsung Display (SDC) and LG Display (LGD). As Chinese OLED technology progresses, this shift is capturing significant attention in the industry.

Samsung Display (SDC) plans to accelerate the production of its 8.6G OLED panels for IT applications, which will first be utilized in Samsung Electronics' notebook products.

As AUO (AU Optronics) undergoes a strategic transformation, the company maintains a cautious stance on fan-out panel level packaging (FOPLP) but shows increased optimism about silicon photonics' future. Leveraging its optoelectronic expertise and Micro LED technology, AUO aims to enter the emerging silicon photonics field.

Following the sale of its Southern Taiwan plant to TSMC, Innolux has announced it will sell its assets in Nanjing, China, in a transaction valued at CNY450 million (approximately US$63.16 million), with an expected disposal profit of CNY320 million.

October 27 marked the second anniversary of Jae-yong Lee's tenure as Samsung Electronics' (Samsung) executive chairman. However, both Lee and Samsung are facing unprecedented challenges.

Apple plans to launch the iPhone 17 series in 2025, featuring low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) OLED panels across all models. LTPO is a low-power panel technology currently supplied to Apple by Samsung Display (SDC) and LG Display (LGD).

Panel manufacturer AUO has announced its tenth consecutive quarter of losses in the third quarter of 2024, despite revenue growth. The company maintains a negative forecast for the fourth quarter, anticipating the display panel sector to enter its customary off-peak phase.

AUO has recently agreed to sell its Tainan plant to Micron for NT$7.4 billion (approx. US$228 million), with the transfer expected to be finalized by the end of 2024. AUO anticipates a gain of approximately NT$4.2 billion from the sale. Paul SL Peng, Chairperson of AUO, stated that the company will revitalize idle facilities, using the proceeds to redeploy assets, upgrade existing operations with higher-value products, and support its three core businesses.

Dixon Technologies, the largest India-based EMS/ODM, said it had bagged orders of four out of five top PC brands in India. The company is expanding its mobile phone manufacturing business with the acquisition of the Indian subsidiary of Transsion Group.

John Moolenaar, Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and China, has recently written to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding China's subsidies for LCD and OLED displays. In his letter, he argued that these subsidies have driven non-Chinese companies out of the market, strengthening China's dominance in the display sector.

Samsung Electronics achieved a historic high in revenue for the third quarter of 2024. Yet, overall operating profit fell short of market expectations, primarily due to one-time expenses including incentive bonuses in the Device Solutions (DS) division and foreign exchange fluctuations.

While China's recent "trade-in" subsidy policy has boosted demand for large-size TVs, stabilizing LCD TV panel prices, monitor panel prices continue to decline amid weak IT demand. Industry analysts expect this downward trend to persist through the fourth quarter of 2023.

Samsung Electronics is expected to launch its flagship Galaxy S25 series in early 2025. Reports indicate that Samsung Display (SDC) will supply OLED panels using a material combination known as "M13."

Display panel leader Innolux posted an operating loss in the third quarter of 2024, though the company managed to stay profitable after taxes. Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, the company expects a traditional seasonal downturn in panel demand. However, China's "trade-in" subsidy program, aimed at encouraging consumers to upgrade their TVs, is projected to help sustain demand for complete TV sets. LCD TV panel prices are expected to remain stable, while demand for IT panels is likely to soften.