Himax Drives Innovations in Automotive Display Technology with Mass Production of Third-Gen LCD TDDI and High-End OLED Touch IC

Rhea-AI Summary

Himax Technologies (HIMX) has announced mass production of its third-generation automotive TDDI IC (HX83195 series) and OLED touch controller IC (HX8530 series) in Q3. The company holds over 50% market share in automotive TDDI with over 70 million units shipped. The HX83195 features world's first quad-TDDI chip cascading technology, supporting displays up to 30 inches, and has been adopted by Zeekr for its 16-inch display. The HX8530 OLED Touch IC, developed with Korean panel makers, entered mass production for a Chinese electric MPV, supporting displays from 7 inches to 50-inch pillar-to-pillar configurations.

Positive

• Market leadership with over 50% share in automotive TDDI
• Accumulated TDDI shipments exceeding 70 million units
• Mass production commenced for both new TDDI and OLED touch ICs
• Secured design win with Zeekr (Geely group) for 16-inch displays

Negative

• None.

Insights

Tech Industry Analyst

The mass production launch of Himax's third-generation automotive TDDI and OLED touch controller ICs represents a significant technological advancement in the automotive display market. With a 50% market share and over 70 million TDDI units shipped, Himax's dominant position is further strengthened by these new offerings.

The HX83195's quad-chip cascading capability for displays up to 30 inches, combined with dynamic refresh rates and enhanced touch sampling, positions Himax to capitalize on the growing trend toward larger, more sophisticated automotive displays. The partnership with Zeekr (Geely) for 16-inch displays signals strong market acceptance.

The HX8530 OLED touch IC's entry into mass production for a leading Chinese EV manufacturer indicates Himax's successful expansion into the premium automotive OLED segment, which carries higher margins and growth potential. The ability to support displays up to 50 inches with advanced features like 240Hz touch reporting makes this a compelling offering for next-generation vehicle interfaces.

Industry-Leading Supreme Touch Sampling Rate, Ultra-High Resolution, and Energy-Efficient Design, Driving Comprehensive Upgrades in Automotive Display Technology

TAINAN, Taiwan, Nov. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Himax Technologies, Inc. (“Himax” or “Company”) (Nasdaq: HIMX), an industry leader in fabless display driver ICs and other semiconductors, today announced its industry-leading third-generation automotive TDDI IC, the HX83195 series, and automotive OLED touch controller IC, the HX8530 series, have commenced mass production in the third quarter. These new product launches highlight Himax's technological innovation capabilities, strengthen its market influence, solidify its leadership in the high-end automotive display market, and reaffirm its commitment to advancing automotive display technology. Himax holds a dominant position in the automotive LCD and OLED display markets, boasting industry-leading market share and the most comprehensive product portfolio in the industry.

HX83195 series third-generation Automotive TDDI pushes the limits of large-sized and high-resolution automotive displays, delivering an unparalleled touch experience

As the leader in the global automotive TDDI market, Himax boasts a more than 50% market share with accumulated TDDI shipments exceeding 70 million units to date, far surpassing those of its competitors. Driven by continuous innovation from the Company’s engineering team, the third-generation TDDI HX83195 series has quickly become the preferred solution for automakers in Europe, the U.S., and Asia since its launch, and has been rapidly adopted in their latest vehicle designs. Zeekr, a high-end Chinese EV brand under the Geely group, became the first to adopt the HX83195 for its 16-inch, 3.2K x 2K high resolution in-cell touch display which began commenced mass production in the third quarter of the year.

The HX83195 offers the following advanced features:

• World’s first quad-TDDI chip cascading technology: The HX83195 can cascade up to 4 TDDI chips, supporting automotive touch displays of up to 30 inches
• Supports dynamic refresh rate: The HX83195 supports multiple refresh rate and dynamic frame rate adjustment based on display content, enhancing visual quality and reducing power consumption
• Cutting-edge touch sampling rate for real-time sensing responsiveness: Himax’s proprietary high-efficiency touch control algorithm, coupled with a fast-operating processor core, significantly reduces touch response time, delivering an instant, lag-free user experience
• Supports the latest touch sensor multiplexing technology: Doubles the touch sensing area at optimal resolutions, reducing chip costs
• Intuitive human-machine interfaces: Supports standalone capacitive buttons and attachable knobs on the display, enhancing flexibility and user-friendly cabin fashions
• Compliant with stringent automotive safety standards: Developed in accordance with ISO26262 safety standards, fully supporting the latest safety requirements of global automakers

HX8530 OLED Touch IC, in collaboration with strategic Korean panel partners, to foster technological leadership

The automotive OLED market is poised for expansion, driven by growing market demand and continuous technological innovation, with gradual adoption among top-tier car brands and premium car models. Himax, in close collaboration with leading Korean OLED panel makers, has successfully launched the HX8530, which complies with the most stringent automotive standards. The OLED touch IC entered mass production in the third quarter for a flagship electric MPV by a leading Chinese car brand.

HX8530 features the following advanced capabilities:

• Supports various touch channel configurations: Up to 3 ICs can be cascaded in series, supporting automotive OLED displays ranging from 7-inch control panels to 50-inch pillar-to-pillar displays, offering high flexibility for interior design
• Highly compatible with various OLED screen types: Fully supports both rigid and flexible OLED panels, making it suitable for a wide range of free-form and curved automotive display designs, and meeting diverse display design needs
• Equipped with a high-performance, breakthrough touch algorithm: Achieves a touch report rate of up to 240Hz, supporting simultaneous 10-finger touch operation, enabled by an industry-leading signal-to-noise ratio
• Offers high-standard EMC and noise suppression capabilities: Utilizes Himax's proprietary technology to effectively reduce display module noise interference, ensuring compliance with automotive CISPR 25 Class 5 standards and EMC testing requirements of vehicle manufacturers
• Intuitive human-machine interface design: Supports on-display capacitive buttons allowing direct attachment of external knobs to the touchscreen, providing greater flexibility and enhancing user-friendly interior cabin aesthetics
• Safety-focused automotive display design: Designed in accordance with ISO26262 safety standards, fully supporting the latest safety requirements of global automakers

“Himax's continuous innovation in OLED and TDDI technologies has driven advancements in automotive display technology, delivering superior performance and exceptional visual experience for automotive displays,” said Ming-Cheng Chiu, Executive Vice President of Touch and Display Business Unit at Himax. “We provide high quality, versatile solutions that meet market demands for intuitive, responsive, and safety-focused automotive displays. Our close collaboration with automotive customers has not only substantially enhanced display quality and optimized costs, but also ensured compliance with stringent automotive safety standards. We believe we are well positioned to further strengthen our leadership in the global automotive display market driven by ongoing innovation, a robust product portfolio, and strong customer relationships,” concluded Mr. Chiu.

About Himax Technologies, Inc.

Himax Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIMX) is a leading global fabless semiconductor solution provider dedicated to display imaging processing technologies. The Company’s display driver ICs and timing controllers have been adopted at scale across multiple industries worldwide including TVs, PC monitors, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, automotive, ePaper devices, industrial displays, among others. As the global market share leader in automotive display technology, the Company offers innovative and comprehensive automotive IC solutions, including traditional driver ICs, advanced in-cell Touch and Display Driver Integration (TDDI), local dimming timing controllers (Local Dimming Tcon), Large Touch and Display Driver Integration (LTDI) and OLED display technologies. Himax is also a pioneer in tinyML visual-AI and optical technology related fields. The Company’s industry-leading WiseEye^TM Ultralow Power AI Sensing technology which incorporates Himax proprietary ultralow power AI processor, always-on CMOS image sensor, and CNN-based AI algorithm has been widely deployed in consumer electronics and AIoT related applications. Himax optics technologies, such as diffractive wafer level optics, LCoS microdisplays and 3D sensing solutions, are critical for facilitating emerging AR/VR/metaverse technologies. Additionally, Himax designs and provides touch controllers, OLED ICs, LED ICs, EPD ICs, power management ICs, and CMOS image sensors for diverse display application coverage. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tainan, Taiwan, Himax currently employs around 2,200 people from three Taiwan-based offices in Tainan, Hsinchu and Taipei and country offices in China, Korea, Japan, Germany, and the US. Himax has 2,683 patents granted and 390 patents pending approval worldwide as of September 30, 2024.

http://www.himax.com.tw

Forward Looking Statements

Factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in this conference call include, but are not limited to, the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Company’s business; general business and economic conditions and the state of the semiconductor industry; market acceptance and competitiveness of the driver and non-driver products developed by the Company; demand for end-use applications products; reliance on a small group of principal customers; the uncertainty of continued success in technological innovations; our ability to develop and protect our intellectual property; pricing pressures including declines in average selling prices; changes in customer order patterns; changes in estimated full-year effective tax rate; shortage in supply of key components; changes in environmental laws and regulations; changes in export license regulated by Export Administration Regulations (EAR); exchange rate fluctuations; regulatory approvals for further investments in our subsidiaries; our ability to collect accounts receivable and manage inventory and other risks described from time to time in the Company's SEC filings, including those risks identified in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in its Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC, as may be amended.

Company Contacts:

Eric Li, Chief IR/PR Officer
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-6-505-0880
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw

Karen Tiao, Investor Relations
Himax Technologies, Inc.
Tel: +886-2-2370-3999
Fax: +886-2-2314-0877
Email: hx_ir@himax.com.tw
www.himax.com.tw

Mark Schwalenberg, Director
Investor Relations - US Representative
MZ North America
Tel: +1-312-261-6430
Email: HIMX@mzgroup.us
www.mzgroup.us

FAQ

What is the market share of Himax (HIMX) in automotive TDDI?

Himax (HIMX) holds more than 50% market share in the automotive TDDI market with accumulated shipments exceeding 70 million units.

When did Himax (HIMX) begin mass production of its third-gen TDDI and OLED touch ICs?

Himax (HIMX) commenced mass production of its third-generation TDDI IC (HX83195 series) and OLED touch controller IC (HX8530 series) in the third quarter of 2024.

Which automotive manufacturer first adopted Himax's (HIMX) HX83195 TDDI?

Zeekr, a high-end Chinese EV brand under the Geely group, was the first to adopt the HX83195 for its 16-inch, 3.2K x 2K high resolution in-cell touch display.