AU Optronics' classic TN screen comes to an end
Date:2026-03-19
AU Optronics' classic TN screen comes to an end, ushering in the AHVA era in the industrial control market
#AU Optronics Accelerates Transformation: Selling Taiwan's Old Line, Classic TN Screen Ends, Industrial Control Market Welcomes AHVA Era
Affected by the global panel industry's technological iteration and the continuous squeezing of high generation production capacity, Taiwanese panel giant AU Optronics (AUO) has recently made significant adjustments to its production capacity layout. Following the closure of some low generation production lines in Singapore and Taiwan between 2023 and 2025, AU has recently officially sold its old generation factories located in Taiwan. With this asset revitalization action, two classic 10.1-inch and 10.4-inch TN industrial LCD screen production lines are also about to reach the end of their lifecycle. According to supply chain sources, AU Optronics will comprehensively transform its related industrial control product lines into wide perspective AHVA technology to cope with increasingly fierce market competition and high-end application demands.
##Old factory for sale: Semiconductor industry players become the best buyers, accelerating convergence of low generation lines
Against the backdrop of ongoing price wars and structural overcapacity in the panel industry, the exit of low generation lines has become an irreversible global trend. In recent years, AU Optronics has actively carried out asset revitalization and strategic transformation. After closing its L4B plant in Singapore and L5A plant in Taoyuan, Taiwan between 2023 and 2025, it has recently disposed of its old factories in Taiwan. These early production lines were mostly concentrated in the 5th generation and below, mainly cutting laptops, monitors, and small and medium-sized industrial control panels. However, in the face of today's 8.6th generation or even higher generation lines, production costs and benefits have no advantage.
According to data from TrendForce Consulting, as more small generation lines exit the market, it is estimated that the proportion of 5th generation and below production capacity in the overall LCD market will decrease to 4.7% by 2026. It is worth noting that these old factories with high specification cleanroom levels are highly valuable in the semiconductor industry. Previously, Licheng Technology had spent nearly NT $6.9 billion to purchase a factory located in the Hsinchu Science Park from AU Optronics, mainly for expanding panel level fanout packaging capacity to meet the strong demand for advanced packaging in AI and automotive electronics. This model of "selling panels and accepting semiconductor orders" is becoming the best way for panel factories to activate assets and recover funds.
##Classic farewell: AUO10.1-inch and 10.4-inch TN screens discontinued
With the sale and closure of old generation production lines, two classic industrial control product lines under AU's umbrella -10.1-inch and 10.4-inch TN LCD screens - have officially entered the countdown to discontinuation.
Taking the classic 10.4-inch product as an example, such as the AU G104VN01 V1 model, which has been in mass production since the second quarter of 2009, as an evergreen tree, it is widely used in various industrial equipment, car displays, and cash register systems due to its wide temperature range (working temperature -30~85 ° C), high brightness (450 cd/m ²), and up to 50000 hours of backlight life. However, although these traditional TN screens have a fast response speed (20/10 ms), the viewing angle is always their weakness, usually only 80/80/60/80 (typical value), and color drift is more obvious when viewed vertically.
Against the backdrop of LCD technology accelerating towards higher generation line concentration, these traditional specifications of low generation wire cutting products are no longer cost-effective. With the closure of the production line, these two classic TN products that have accompanied the industrial control market for more than ten years will officially announce their retirement. This is not only the discontinuation of a single product, but also symbolizes the comprehensive decline of old TN technology in the field of large-scale production.
##Technology conversion: ADP takes over, TN upgrades to AHVA
Faced with the market gap left by the withdrawal of TN screens, AU has clarified its product planning path for the future. It is reported that AU's Display Solutions subsidiary (ADP) will fully undertake the conversion work of related products, and the original TN products will be upgraded to AU's independently developed AHVA technology.
AHVA (Advanced Hyper Viewing Angle) is a type of wide-angle technology with optical properties comparable to IPS or PLS technologies on the market. Compared to traditional TN, the biggest advantage of AHVA is that it can increase the viewing angle to a level close to 178 degrees without sacrificing response speed, while significantly improving contrast and color expression. This is crucial for high-end applications such as industrial control, medical, maritime, and special vehicle applications.
Converting the TN production line to AHVA means that future 10.1-inch and 10.4-inch products will have better display performance. Although upgrading specifications may bring slight cost fluctuations, in the current environment where end-users have increasingly high demands for visual effects, this transformation is undoubtedly a key measure to enhance product added value and market competitiveness. This move by AU is also in line with its development strategy of "moving towards value" in recent years, which is to move away from simple panel supply and shift towards providing higher value display solutions.
##Industry Outlook: The convergence of the old generation line is accelerating, and the future is dominated by high generation and new technologies
This production line adjustment by AU is not an isolated case. Almost at the same time, Innolux continued to dispose of its old South Tech factory, and news of selling its P7 factory was also reported from LGD, a Korean factory. This indicates that the competitive landscape of the global LCD industry is accelerating towards a few giants with high generation lines.
On the one hand, TCL Huaxing, BOE, Tianma and other land-based panel factories continue to increase their production of 8.6th generation lines, and it is expected that the proportion of 8.6th generation lines in global LCD production capacity will rise to 26% by 2026. These high generation lines mainly target the large-size TV, high-end laptop, and automotive markets, further squeezing the survival space of small generation lines. On the other hand, for niche markets such as industrial control and medical, manufacturers are no longer simply pursuing large sizes, but are more focused on upgrading technical specifications. The transition from TN to AHVA/IPS is a manifestation of this trend.
In summary, by selling old factories to recover funds and focusing resources on advanced packaging (FOPLP) cooperation and the promotion of high-value display technology (AHVA), AU has made an inevitable choice in the face of industry changes. For terminal manufacturers who once relied on 10.1-inch and 10.4-inch TN screens, completing the design import and verification of new products as soon as possible and smoothly transitioning to the AHVA era will be an urgent task in the near future.
AUO LCD DISPLAY:https://www.auo-lcd.com/products/auo-lcd-screen/
AUO 10.4-inch TN industrial LCD screen:https://www.auo-lcd.com/products/auo-lcd-screen/10_4inch/
AUO 10.1-inch TN industrial LCD screen:https://www.auo-lcd.com/products/auo-lcd-screen/10_1inch/
