Focusing on optical interconnection and other businesses, BOE and Corning signed a memorandum of cooperation

On May 20, BOE announced that it had signed a memorandum of cooperation with Corning Incorporated (Corning Incorporated). The two parties will carry out comprehensive and in-depth cooperation in multiple frontier fields such as optical interconnection, glass-based packaging carriers, foldable glass, perovskite glass substrates, etc., to explore new opportunities in the field of next-generation consumer electronics and computing technology.

Image source: BOE

Judging from the basis of the cooperation, Corning has leading advantages in glass materials and advanced semiconductor material solutions, while BOE has deep accumulation in display devices, display modules, advanced manufacturing and application innovation. The two parties hope that through this cooperation, they can achieve complementary synergy between materials and application capabilities and promote the evolution of related technologies toward industrialization.

BOE stated that the signing of this cooperation memorandum will help further consolidate the long-term and stable strategic cooperative relationship between the two parties, carry out multi-dimensional collaboration around their respective areas of advantage, and jointly enhance their competitiveness and influence in related global industries.

In terms of specific business progress, BOE also simultaneously disclosed its latest layout and progress on multiple technology paths.

Among them, in terms of optical interconnection and Micro LED related businesses, BOE said that its subsidiaries will invest in the construction of Micro LED chip production lines in 2023. At present, the company's subsidiaries have produced relevant samples of Micro LED optical interconnect chips and sent them to customers. As of now, this business has not yet generated sales revenue, and there is significant uncertainty as to when it will.

It is reported that BOE Huacan Optoelectronics, BOE's core chip platform, is currently expanding its strategic focus to the optical interconnection field of intelligent computing centers and launching the research and development and mass production layout of Micro LED optical modules.

From the perspective of technological progress, BOE Huacan Optoelectronics is developing low-power, high-bandwidth optical interconnect modules for AI server scenarios relying on the Zhuhai Micro LED project. The company has previously delivered Micro LED optical communication samples to overseas leading customers for verification, and has reached strategic cooperation with display driver chip company Xiangxiang Micro, trying to open up the industrial chain from chip manufacturing to module integration.

Market attention surrounding this business direction is also continuing to increase. On April 23 this year, BOE Huacan Optoelectronics added the concept of "co-packaged optics (CPO)" and was included in the relevant concept section to further strengthen its market awareness in the direction of optical interconnect technology.

At the capital level, on April 27, BOE Huacan Optoelectronics announced that the company’s controlling shareholder BOE Technology Group plans to participate in its 2026 issuance of A shares to specific targets in cash, with a subscription amount of no more than 998 million yuan. This capital increase is expected to further strengthen the collaborative relationship between the two parties in cutting-edge technology fields such as Micro LED and optical interconnection.

In addition, in terms of the glass-based packaging carrier business, BOE invested 993 million yuan in building a test line in 2024. It has sent samples to some customers and entered testing and verification, but it is still in the early stage and has not yet been mass-produced.

Judging from industry progress, it is not unprecedented for panel manufacturers to enter glass-based packaging carrier boards, but the overall technical threshold is relatively high. According to Fan Boyu, deputy general manager of TrendForce Consulting Research, panel manufacturer Innolux is currently making relatively rapid progress in this field and has achieved mass production of some products in the first phase. However, this phase is a relatively entry-level technology, and it is the latter two phases that can truly bring higher added value. Among them, rewiring layer technology is expected to see progress in the next one or two years, while glass perforation technology will take three to five years, with specific results likely to appear around 2028 to 2029.

Fan Boyu further explained that it is extremely difficult to perforate glass because glass itself is a brittle material. It is necessary to drill hundreds of extremely fine holes on a glass substrate and complete copper-plated wiring while ensuring that the substrate is not damaged, which requires extremely strict process requirements. He believes that there are currently multiple technical routes being developed in parallel, and it is still difficult to determine which one will eventually lead to mass production.

In terms of folding screen business, it has achieved stable mass production and supplied to global customers. In terms of perovskite, it has invested nearly 1 billion yuan in building three major R&D platforms: glove box and experimental line. It is carrying out life verification and demonstration projects. However, the overall revenue has not yet been generated at scale, and the mass production time is uncertain.

BOE stated that the signing of this cooperation memorandum will help further consolidate the long-term and stable strategic cooperative relationship between the two parties, carry out multi-dimensional collaboration around their respective areas of advantage, and jointly enhance their competitiveness and influence in related global industries. (Compiled by LEDinside)

Please indicate the source when reprinting! For more LED information, please pay attention to the official website (www.ledinside.cn) or search the WeChat public account (LEDinside).