Chris Chinnock, Insight Media
Frank Ko, the CEO of AUO Corporation gave the third keynote address at the 2025 Display Week event. As a 30-year display veteran, he has watched the rapid evolution of display technology, so he naturally addressed the future of displays in his keynote. While AUO is well known for their display products, Ko noted that they are also active in many of the vertical markets where these displays will be used. This includes smart mobility, retail, healthcare, enterprise & education, intelligent service, and green energy.
Ko then provided more details on what they are doing in these business segments starting with smart mobility (automotive). Here, the fusion of the display, user HMI, integrated frame module, camera and touch sensor is leading to cockpit solutions like pillar-to-pillar displays, which they demonstrated at CES 2025. Such displays will be important as AI advances and drivers pay less attention to the road. It will be the third living space.
In healthcare, Ko highlighted their 3D display system integrated with robotic surgical solutions allowing the streaming of 3D images to remote experts anywhere in the world. Such solutions can be very helpful in natural disasters, for example.
In the entertainment space, AUO has helped establish a spherical LED screen in a pilot simulator in Taiwan. This is for entertainment today but has military training potential as well. They have also helped build LED screens for virtual movie/TV production.
At the Tech World Expo 2025 in Osaka Japan, AUO created a fine art display area using LCD to display masterpieces of art along with a 60-inch microLED transparent display demo.
Turning to the topic of AI, Ko asked “How do we communicate with AI – with something intelligent?” Naturally, he thinks displays will be central to this answer with AR glasses one way to interface with Agentic AI engines. He sees light field and even true holographic display coming to address this need in the future. “It used to be hard to make 3D content, but with AI, it is much easier, so this will bring back 3D displays,” declared Ko.
AUO thinks that future displays will need three key ingredients: immersive, interactive and integrated. Immersive means AR/VR to video walls while interactive means both AI and human interaction. Integrated means touch sensors, cameras, surface treatments and more. “Ultimately, we need to get rid of the black screen display when not used and make the display an on-demand item,” said Ko. “The way to do this is by blending the display into existing materials in the application.”
To meet these requirements, AUO sees microLED as the game changing solution. Ko then explained some of the advances they have made in microLED development. This included the first 42-inch microLED module from their new Gen 4.5 mass transfer line. This will help lower the cost of microLED displays and reduce installation time for displays that use many modules. Significantly, transparency has reached a 60% level with stretchability at 25%.
He also highlighted the multi-functionality feature of microLEDs. Because the microLEDs are much smaller than the pixel pitch in direct-view displays, there is a lot of extra real estate to add other components like sensors to create multi-functional displays.
Beyond displays, microLEDs can be used for optical communication between processors and memory in AI data centers. This system can offer much lower power, improved thermal management (10 pJ/bit for copper vs. 1 pJ/bit for optical), and the ability to use polarization to offer new data management possibilities.
However, Ko acknowledged it is really complicated to bring microLED to mass production. With the demonstration of high performance microLEDs completed, the main challenge now is cost reduction. The focus is on reducing LED chip cost, plus increasing throughput and production yield. Part of the strategy is to reduce the size of the microLED and improve the efficiency of the device itself. Mass transfer will need a lot of attention as well as the repair process.
Ko then showed a slide detailing how they have progressed their microLED development products and manufacturing systems. Gen 4.5 will feature a LTPS backplane.
Ko then explained their manufacturing process along with their key partner (PlayNitride and subsidiary, Ennostar). PlayNitride and Ennostar are responsible for epi wafer and device fabrication while AUO and PlayNitride work to create a mass production campus to create the microLED module.
To create a differentiated display experience, AUO works with market. He pointed to the 114” microLED TV marketed by Samsung, the microLED media bar on the front of the AFEELA car from Sony Honda Mobility, and a transparent screen in the Lenovo ThinkPad as leading examples of microLED products. AUO is also working on full-color waveguides for AR, smartwatches, transparent smart windows, rollable displays and even dual-sided microLED displays. However, Ko was clear that he thinks the most important microLED market is the mobility market because of microLED’s ability to function over a wide temperature range, visibility in sunlight, and high dynamic range.
Ko also described their smart cockpit which was demonstrated at CES 2025. But to advance the mobility strategy, AUO acquired automotive Tier 1 supplier BHTC in 2024. They are strong in HMI and timing control.
Ko’s keynote then shifted to what the company is doing in sustainability. This includes display technologies that are more power efficient such as miniLEDs, LTPS backplanes, Cholesteric LCDs and field-sequential-color LCDs. This latter includes a new 65” 8K display that can reduce power by 50%.
On the manufacturing side, AUO now makes the display for an LG monitor using 85% post-consumer recycled materials while also making the display for the Acer Aspire Vera 16 notebook using 100% renewable energy. They have a goal to use 100% renewable energy across their operations by 2050.
In conclusion, Ko said that a display is no longer a screen. “It is a gateway to a richer experience. It’s success is not based on specs but how well it fits into people’s lives.” He sees microLEDs as the path to this future.
