[News] China’s JBD Reportedly Inks Deal for Meta’s Orion, Challenging South Korean Display Giants

According to a report by Business Korea, Meta, a leading company in augmented reality (AR) technology, has partnered with the Chinese display manufacturer JBD as the exclusive supplier of LEDoS displays for its AR glasses prototype, Orion.

JBD is notably the only company worldwide capable of manufacturing LEDoS displays, as the report highlights. This development signals shifting industry dynamics, with Chinese firms increasingly challenging established market leaders.

Since last September, Meta has produced approximately 1,000 prototypes of Orion and aims to begin mass production by 2027, according to the report.

The rapidly expanding AR market has raised concerns that South Korea may lag behind China in securing future growth technologies, as the report notes.

Samsung Display and LG Display are actively developing XR lenses, primarily focusing on OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) for virtual reality (VR). However, scalability remains a significant challenge for them, with Japan’s Sony reportedly dominating the OLEDoS technology sector, as noted in the report.

TrendForce points out that although OLEDoS resolution is rapidly improving, it still struggles with balancing brightness and color display in AR applications. With its market share expected to be impacted by the rise of LEDoS, OLEDoS’s share in AR devices is projected to decline from 54% in 2024 to 25% by 2030.

According to TrendForce, AR devices are viewed as perfect candidates for AI integration. LEDoS technology aligns well with the requirements of AR—offering high brightness, miniaturization, and low power consumption—and makes it a pivotal technology for the future of AR.

TrendForce’s 2024 report on near-eye displays posits that the AR device market is anticipated to hit 25.5 million units by 2030, with LEDoS technology projected to capture 44% of the market as it establishes itself as the leading solution.

Read more

• Meta Unveils First AR Glasses Prototype “Orion” that Employs LEDos Technology, Says TrendForce
• AR Device Shipments Expected to Reach 25.5 Million Units by 2030, with LEDoS Technology Becoming Mainstream, Says TrendForce
• [News] Meta’s Dual-Brand Smart Glasses: Oakley for Performance, Ray-Ban Goes High-End

(Photo credit: Meta)