Taiwan’s largest curved interactive MiniLED display, the ‘Wishing Tree,’ makes waves at Touch Taiwan 2024

Taiwan’s largest 375-inch curved interactive miniLED display, the “Wishing Tree,” is stealing the show at the Touch Taiwan 2024 held April 24-26 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

This is one of the 23 innovative display technologies showcased at the event by the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

The global display industry reached a scale of US$108.1 billion in 2023, with smartphones, TVs, and computer panels as the three main applications. The potential business opportunities for smart display applications are expected to reach US$170 billion by 2027, with emerging applications such as automotive panels to grow significantly, according to statistics released by the DoIT.

The DoIT has consistently invested over NT$5 billion (US$153.33 million) in Research and Development (R&D) resources within the display industry through dedicated science and technology initiatives. This endeavor has yielded over 120 innovative research outcomes, catalyzing additional R&D investments exceeding NT$13 billion. Projections suggest that the upcoming output value attributable to these efforts could soar to NT$210 billion.

At Touch Taiwan 2034, the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) unveiled a groundbreaking innovation: the ‘High-Definition Transparent Projection Window Screen,’ marking a pioneering leap in projection technology. Leveraging optical microstructure tech advancements, this transparent display boasts an impressive transmittance exceeding 83% and a projection light utilization rate of 21%, ensuring remarkable transparency, brightness, and definition. When integrated with a glass window, this display not only facilitates immersive experiences such as viewing sports events and exhibitions but also offers simultaneous access to a diverse array of information directly on the window screen

ITRI ​​and AU Optronics (AUO) have jointly released the “In-Vehicle Transparent Panoramic Display System,” designed to project driving information onto the windshield tension between the two A-pillars. This innovative system offers panoramic visual data with a transparency exceeding 75% and information brightness surpassing 1,000 nits, ensuring clear visibility of vital information including vehicle status, navigation, traffic conditions, and even driver physiological indicators

According to Frank Ko, chairman of the Taiwan Display Union Association (TDUA) and CEO of AUO, the display panel industry is expected to gradually recover from the trough experienced in 2023. This year, a surge in demand for consumer panels, including those for smartphones, notebooks, TVs, and monitors is expected. Additionally, the burgeoning markets for AI PCs and automotive displays are poised to serve as significant growth catalysts.

Market research data indicates that the global automotive Head-Up Display (HUD) market is projected to surge to US$26.5 billion by 2027, for a Compound Annual Growth R]ate (CAGR) of 17.3%. As cars evolve into the next frontier for mobile living and workspaces, tapping into the automotive market emerges as a pivotal strategy for Taiwan’s display panel industry to transcend the conventional scale-based competition model and delve into specialized vertical domains.