Samsung starts new OLED line two months ahead of schedule

Samsung Mobile Display, the monopolistic supplier of booming AMOLED display used in smartphones, gaming machines and tablets, said on Tuesday it had started production two months ahead of schedule amid explosive growth for the high-end display.

The joint venture Samsung Electronics and Samsung SDI have been building a so-called 5.5th-generation production line since last year which uses glass substrates three times larger than the previous generation plant, thus cutting costs sharply and boosting output. Active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) is increasingly used in high-end smartphones and tablets and has been touted as a future large-sized TV display. Global makers of LCD flat screens such as LG Display are increasing investment in the new AMOLED technology. The market is expected to more than triple this year to USD 4.26 billion and grow to USD 14 billion in 2015, according to research firm DisplaySearch. Samsung, which controls nearly 100% of the market, plans to invest 5.4 trillion won (USD 5 billion) this year in boosting AMOLED production capacity. (USD 1 = 1080.150 Korean Won)