Samsung adds a new OLED DDI supplier

Recently, Korean media ETnews reported that Wonik D2I, a semiconductor design company under Wonik Group, will officially launch its semiconductor fabless business in April. Wonik D2I will officially mass-produce display driver chips (DDI) for mobile devices in the same month, which will be matched with Samsung Display's organic light-emitting diode panels and eventually used in smartphone products.

It is reported that Wonik D2I has an important strategic position within Yuanyi Group. Yuanyi Group has long been engaged in materials and equipment related to semiconductors, display panels, and secondary batteries.

Korean media reported that in August 2022, the chairman of Wonik Group proposed the idea of strengthening South Korea’s chip design capabilities to enhance the overall competitiveness of the industry. Since then, Wonik Group invested approximately 10 billion won to acquire the D2I company. Subsequently, Yuanyi Group commercialized the DDI business by absorbing professional talents and continuous technological investment.

It is reported that DDI, as the core component for controlling screen brightness and color, is difficult to develop. Especially in the smartphone industry, the development of DDI usually requires planning for future models 2 to 3 years in advance. Therefore, Wonik D2I has invested a lot of R&D funds and time costs in the past few years.

In addition to the mass production project in April, Wonik D2I has also undertaken 3 to 4 different levels of DDI development projects, covering multiple market segments from popular to high-performance flagship products.

Korean media pointed out that currently, the Korean DDI market is mainly occupied by Samsung Electronics System LSI Division and LX Semicon. On the other hand, as the growth rate of the global display market slows down and price competition intensifies, manufacturers in mainland China and Taiwan are quickly catching up.

Against this background, if Wonik D2I can develop stably in the future, it will form a new territory for the Korean DDI industry together with Samsung Electronics System LSI and LX Semicon, injecting new vitality into the development of the Korean fabless industry.