Staff Reporter: Wang Xiaolei
On September 15, TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology (TCL CSOT) announced that it had successfully held a mass-production launch ceremony at its Suzhou campus for COB direct-view products under its MLED project. At the same time, TCL CSOT’s first Mini LED product—the P1.2 COB display—officially rolled off the production line, marking a key breakthrough in the industrialization of MLED display technology and pushing the industry into a new stage.
Just three days earlier, another TCL project made major news: on September 12, TCL Technology (000100.SZ) disclosed that its subsidiary TCL CSOT signed a project cooperation agreement with the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government and the Administrative Committee of the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. The parties plan to jointly invest in building in Guangzhou an 8.6-generation inkjet-printed OLED display panel production line (the “t8 Project”) with a monthly processing capacity of about 22,500 glass substrates measuring 2,290 mm × 2,620 mm. Target products include tablets, notebook PCs, and monitors, with a total planned investment of approximately RMB 29.5 billion.
Advanced display technologies are entering a new cycle of global competition. Leveraging comprehensive advantages in technological innovation, scale of industrial investment, long-term R&D, and market development, China is poised to lead worldwide. At the same time, countries are accelerating strategic investments in key areas such as MLED and OLED—especially Korea, which views China as a rival and has been ramping up R&D and capacity to reclaim its former global leadership in displays. At this pivotal moment of industry competition, TCL—as a leading Chinese panel maker—has strategies closely tied to the nation’s voice and standing in the global display arena. This time, TCL CSOT has not only achieved a mass-production breakthrough for COB direct-view products under its MLED project, but also plans to invest RMB 29.5 billion to build the world’s first 8.6-generation inkjet-printed OLED display panel production line (the t8 Project). The strategic significance speaks for itself.
Technical Features and Innovations of the Two Major Projects
Principles and Features of the MLED Project’s COB Direct-View Technology
COB (chip-on-board) is an advanced packaging technology used in MLED displays that mounts LED chips directly onto the substrate to form high-density, high-reliability display modules. Compared with traditional SMD (surface-mount device) packaging, COB offers the following advantages:
High integration: By placing LED chips directly on the substrate, COB reduces intermediate steps, increasing system integration and reliability.
High reliability: The monolithic encapsulation provides excellent protection and supports a wider range of operating environments.
Seamless splicing: COB supports large-panel designs that enable seamless splicing for superior visual uniformity.
High brightness and contrast: COB can deliver higher brightness and contrast for an enhanced visual experience.
COB packaging has become a mainstream technology. Many companies are investing in it, and as costs decline and real-world applications expand, market demand continues to grow. The mass production of TCL CSOT’s MLED COB direct-view products aligns with this market trend and is expected to capture meaningful share and attractive returns in this fast-growing segment.
Breakthroughs in Inkjet-Printed OLED Technology
Inkjet-printed OLED is a manufacturing process in which liquid emissive materials are precisely jetted onto a substrate in predefined patterns using high-precision nozzles, followed by drying and curing to form pixels. Compared with conventional vacuum-evaporated OLED, inkjet-printed OLED offers the following notable advantages:
High material utilization: By depositing emissive materials exactly where needed, utilization can increase more than threefold, significantly reducing material waste.
Lower energy consumption: The printing process does not require a high-vacuum environment, resulting in substantially lower energy use than evaporation.
Lower capital and manufacturing costs: Equipment investment and production OPEX are both lower than for evaporation, making the approach especially suitable for large-size panels.
Full-size adaptability: Inkjet-printed OLED is a scalable commercial path that supports small, medium, and large formats to meet diverse application needs.
Excellent color performance: It can achieve color quality and high resolution comparable to evaporated OLED.
TCL CSOT has conducted more than a decade of R&D and exploration in OLED, building deep technical know-how and innovation capabilities. Public information indicates that TCL CSOT has established a large-scale global patent portfolio with over 9,700 OLED patents in total, including more than 1,200 inkjet-printed OLED patents—the most in the industry—covering design, materials, processes, and equipment. This comprehensive layout creates a strong technological moat.
Synergy and Complementarity of the Two Technology Routes
TCL’s dual-track deployment of inkjet-printed OLED and MLED is not a simple stacking of technologies but a strategic layout based on market demand and technology trends. The two routes exhibit clear synergies and complementarities.
Application scenarios are complementary: Inkjet-printed OLED primarily targets medium-to-large-size markets such as IT devices and in-vehicle displays, while MLED focuses on high-end commercial displays, automotive displays, and AR/VR. Together, they cover a wide range of applications from small and medium sizes to ultra-large formats.
Technical characteristics are complementary: Inkjet-printed OLED offers advantages such as high resolution and superior color performance, making it ideal for scenarios that require fine, detailed imaging; MLED delivers high brightness, high contrast, and high reliability, making it suitable for use cases that demand strong visual impact and long-term stable operation.
Market Outlook for the Two Projects
MLED market outlook
According to RUNTO Technology, by 2028 the global Mini/Micro LED (MLED) market will reach USD 36 billion, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 50% over the next five years. MLED technology is advancing toward higher resolutions, smaller pixel pitches, and lower power consumption. Mini/Micro LED chip sizes continue to shrink, display resolutions keep improving, and product performance is steadily optimized.
OLED market outlook
Omdia forecasts that by 2030, the shipment-area share of inkjet-printed OLED panels worldwide will jump from 7% in 2025 to 38%, with television applications accounting for more than 60% of the incremental growth.
Reshaping the Competitive Landscape
The implementation of these two projects will reshape competition in the global display industry:
Rising status of Chinese enterprises: As the builder of the world’s first high-generation inkjet-printed OLED production line, TCL will gain greater status and influence in the global display industry, helping elevate the overall standing of Chinese companies in this field.
Higher industry concentration: The two projects will further increase industry concentration. Leading players will strengthen their market share and influence, intensifying the “Matthew effect.”
Shifts in the division of labor: These projects will alter the global division of labor in the display sector. Chinese enterprises will capture a larger share in high-end display technologies and products, pushing the industry toward a more balanced global distribution.
As inkjet-printed OLED technology matures and scales, costs will continue to decline. By 2026, the production cost of large-size OLED TVs is expected to drop by about 30%, which will further accelerate the adoption of inkjet-printed OLED.
Conclusion
It is clear that although TCL’s MLED and inkjet-printed OLED projects follow different technological paths, they form an elegant synergy and complementarity in both technical attributes and application scenarios. Together, they create a full-spectrum product matrix that spans “commercial + consumer” and “medium/large + small/medium” formats—precisely aligning with diverse market needs while forming a technology loop that mitigates single-track risks. For TCL, the rollout of these two projects will further consolidate its leadership in the display industry; for China’s display sector, it will help break the long-standing dominance of overseas players in high-end display technologies, support the transformation from a “major display manufacturer” to a “display technology powerhouse,” and enhance China’s voice in the global industrial division of labor.
