Korean display makers strive to regain market share lost to China

Samsung Display VP Lee Chang-hee lectures on “Display Technology for the AI Era” at the Display Business Forum in Seoul. [Photo by Yonhap]

South Korean organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display makers are losing market share to Chinese rivals.

Based on OLED shipments from the first quarter of 2024, the market research firm Omnia found South Korea’s share dropped to 49 percent in the first quarter of the year while China captured 49.7 percent.

Chinese display firms are increasingly dominating the market. Data from the Korea Display Industry Association revealed a growing gap between the market shares of Korean and Chinese companies. The data found that Korea held a 40.4 percent share in 2019, 9.5 percentage points higher than China’s 30.9 percent. However, the gap had narrowed to just 0.1 percentage points by the following year. China marked a reversal in 2021 and surged ahead with a 47.9 percent share in 2023, significantly outpacing Korea‘s 33.4 percent.

In response to falling market shares, Korean display companies are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (XR) to regain their competitive edge. Major Korean display companies, including Samsung Display Co. and LG Display Co., convened in Seoul on Tuesday for the Display Business Forum 2024 that organized by the association. The event featured executives from Samsung Display and LG Display as keynote speakers.

Samsung Display said it is focusing on low-power OLED technology. “We are continuously conducting research to secure low-consumption technologies, such as new materials that can reduce heat generation and pixel control algorithms,” Samsung Display Vice President Lee Chang-hee stated during his keynote speech.

The display giant is working on what is known as OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) to integrate the microdisplay tech into XR content, according to the executive.

LG Display is also advancing its research into next-generation OLEDs. “We are using AI in design and manufacturing processes to detect any irregularities in advance,” LG Display Chief Technology Officer Yoon Soo-young said.