MicroLED displays are very attractive for automotive applications, as they enable thin, highly efficient, bright, flexible and long-lasting displays. The automotive market is capable of adopting premium display technologies, and so is one of the key target markets for many microLED displays developers.
Many companies have demonstrated automotive microLED display prototypes over the past years - for example AUO in 2023 showed a 16.1" automotive transparent microLED that is a 'blended' display - one that is hidden into the dashboard when not in use. In early 2024, the company showed a transparent microLED automotive display that is embedded inside windows. In 2024, Innolux also unveiled a new microLED automotive display prototype - in fact a complete instrument cluster display made from microLED panels. Continental demonstrated a 10" microLED display embedded inside a crystal housing, developed in collaboration with Swarovski.
MicroLED automotive displays are highly promising - but it is likely to take years before the technology would reach actual production.
Taiwan-based Innolux demonstrated new microLED display prototypes: a wide 187-inch microLED tiled display, a 9.6" flexible automotive microLED prototype and a transparent microLED.
Innolux did not detail much about these new prototypes. All of its microLEDs are based on blue microLEDs with quantum dot color conversion, and LTPS backplanes on glass substrates.
Last week during Touch Taiwan 2024, AUO demonstrated several new (and not new) microLED display prototypes. The company released this short video showing the displays in action:
AUO showed its large-area (60") microLED displays, its automotive microLED solutions (including transparent automotive displays), a 30" real-depth 3D microLED display for entertainment applications, medical-grade displays and a 31" microLED display that is a single panel (not a tiled display) - which AUO says is the world largest.
MicroLED display developer VueReal announced a partnership with automotive supplier Continental to showcase innovative automotive display designs based on VueReal's microLED technology.
VueReal did not say much about this joint project with Continental, but it is likely that Continental will develop and demonstrate microLED-based automotive displays based using displays provided by VueReal. In January 2024 Continental demonstrated its first microLED automotive display prototype, the CrystalCenter Display which is based on a 10" microLED display, but we do not know whether it was supplied by VueReal or a different microLED developer.
The European New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), an independent (and voluntary) automotive safety body is set to introduce new rules in January 2026 that will require vehicles to go back to physical controls rather than touchscreens in order to achieve the NCEP five-star safety rating.
NCAP says that car makers are overusing touchscreens, to the point where almost all key controls of the cars (such as HVAC, wipers, hazard lights and more) are now done via the touchscreen rather than by physical knobs, dials, and buttons. Drivers are reportedly complaining that this is annoying - but also dangerous as it diverts your attention from driving into looking to the screen, to go over menus and choices.
Continental demonstrated its first microLED automotive display prototype. The so-called CrystalCenter Display is based on a 10" microLED display, that is housed inside a crystal housing, developed in collaboration with Swarovski. The company says that this display offers a stylish frameless and semi-transparent look.
Continental says it chose a microLED display for this project, as its offers much greater brightness compared to other display technologies. Continental did not detail any commercialization plans for such a display - and it's likely that there are no such plans in the near future.
CarUX, a subsidiary of Innolux, is demonstrating new microLED automotive display prototypes at CES 2024. The main demonstration is the Pixiu 3 premium, shown below.
This complete cockpit system utilizes Innolux's unique Micro LED COB (Chip on Board) to offer high brightness, high contrast ratio, rapid response, and high color saturation - in addition to very high efficiency. Innolux says that it aims to meet the requirements of power consumption features and advanced automotive markets.
AUO is demonstrating several new displays at CES 2024, including some new automotive microLEDs.
The first display is a new touch-enabled transparent microLED panel that is integrated in vehicle side windows. AUO did not disclose any technical specifications. In the past, AUO demonstrated many transparent microLEDs, including a 13.5" 1920x1080 panel shown in 2023, with a transparency of 55% and a high brightness of 5,000 nits. The microLEDs used in that display were 30 micron in size.
DSCC estimates that the microLED display market will reach $1.4 billion by 2028, led by TVs and wearables. Other applications will include AR glasses and automotive displays (these do not appear in the graph below).
DSCC believes that MicroLED displays will offer superior performance, but its high price will keep it from being a mainstream technology in the near future. The first microLED smartwatch will launch in 2024, but it will target the high-end of the market and volumes will remain low.
During the company's latest conference call, AU Optronics made some interesting remarks on its microLED project. First of all, the company intends to continue investing in micro-LED technologies going forward. That's not a surprise. Second, the company re-iterated its plans to mass produce microLED smartwatch displays by the end of 2023.
AUO also says it plans to apply microLED displays to an "increasing number of high end TV and automotive display products". AUO will increase its microLED display range and make it commercially available to more products and applications. As far as we know, this is the first time that AUO discusses microLED TVs.
Market Research firm Trendforce predicts that microLED chip sales will reach $27 million in 2023, a growth of almost 100 compared to 2022 ($14 million). Trendforce says that the market is expected to actually accelerate its growth, and grow at a CAGR of 136% from 2022 to 2027, reaching $580 million in 2027.
Of course not just the LED chip market will grow - the entire ecosystem, including production equipment, backplanes, and more.
