Recently, I attended the National Advanced Manufacturing Conference, where I earnestly studied and comprehended General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions on developing advanced manufacturing and the conference’s deployment requirements. While deeply inspired, I also feel a profound sense of responsibility. The electronic information industry is the vanguard of manufacturing, and the display industry stands out as a representative strength sector that has grown independently within China’s advanced manufacturing landscape. Over a decade ago, annual imports of display screens exceeded USD 50 billion, ranking fourth among bulk commodity imports in China, behind integrated circuits (ICs), oil, and iron ore. Today, China has become the world’s largest manufacturer of display panels, with LCD panel shipments accounting for over 70% of the global market share. BOE’s overall shipment volume and area have ranked first globally for several consecutive years (data source: Omdia), achieving a historic leap from "shortage of chips and screens" to "Chinese screens supplying the world."
These achievements did not come easily, but we must never afford to relax or take a break. Technical iterations in the industry are evolving rapidly, and global competition is intensifying. We must keep the instructions in mind, act with integrity and diligence, and implement the spirit of the conference without compromise into our corporate development practices. We need to continuously strengthen the competitiveness of the display industry, firmly hold the autonomy of technological development in our own hands, persistently forge leadership in industrial development, and make greater contributions to building a strong manufacturing nation.
Adhering to Innovation-Driven Growth to Solidify the Foundation of Advanced Manufacturing
The core of developing advanced manufacturing lies in innovation. When inspecting BOE in 2016, General Secretary Xi Jinping profoundly pointed out that innovation is the key to enterprise development and market victory; core technologies are not bestowed by others. Companies cannot merely follow others but must strive for self-reliance, dare to achieve breakthroughs, and aim higher even after reaching great heights. This important assertion has always guided BOE employees to move forward with determination.
Core technologies require substantial financial investment and sustained efforts over time. BOE maintains respect for technology and commitment to innovation, placing technological advancement at the forefront of its overall strategy. We consistently invest approximately 7% of annual revenue in R&D, with 1.5% specifically allocated to basic and frontier technology research. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, total R&D investment approached CNY 65 billion.
High-intensity R&D investment has driven continuous leaps in technical capabilities. Currently, BOE has filed over 100,000 independent patent applications, more than 90% of which are invention patents. We have ranked among the top 20 global recipients of US patents for eight consecutive years and entered the top 10 global rankings for international patent applications for ten consecutive years. We have achieved autonomous breakthroughs in critical links such as display array processes and lithography exposure, cultivating three industry-leading proprietary technology brands: ADS Pro, f-OLED, and α-MLED.
Looking ahead, we will continue to be guided by the "N-th Curve" theory. On one hand, we will increase investment in basic research, daring to tackle hard problems and sit through long periods of quiet effort. We will focus on breakthroughs in frontier displays and optoelectronic fusion technologies, prioritizing new display technologies such as Micro LED, light field display, and quantum dot display. Additionally, we will explore new tracks including glass-based packaging substrates, glass-based perovskite devices, and short-range optical interconnects. On the other hand, we will accelerate the full-chain implementation of technical breakthroughs, result transformation, and product iteration, rapidly converting innovation capabilities into product competitiveness perceived by customers and consumers. We will abandon path dependency, resolutely pursue a path of independent technological upgrades, and continuously solidify the foundation of China’s display industry.
Promoting Intelligentization, Greenification, and Integration to Advance the Upgrade Path of Advanced Manufacturing
The National Advanced Manufacturing Conference explicitly proposed adhering to the directions of intelligentization, greenification, and integration, and continuing to grow and strengthen advanced manufacturing. This provides clear guidance for the transformation and upgrading of the display industry.
We empower high-quality corporate development through intelligentization. In 2024, BOE officially implemented the "AI+" strategy, focusing on three major directions: "AI + Manufacturing," "AI + Products," and "AI + Operations." We were the first in the industry to propose and build AI factories, driving AI technology across core application scenarios including R&D, planning, production, and quality management. We independently developed a series of AI innovative applications such as AI scheduling, defect management, and yield management. These achievements have been scaled up across BOE’s 18 production lines, helping factories improve quality, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency. We use AI laboratories to drive paradigm shifts in underlying R&D, constructing an AI-driven multi-mode product innovation system covering "device-system-scenario." This promotes the comprehensive penetration of AI capabilities throughout the entire process from product R&D to terminal applications, enhancing product competitiveness. We have deployed multiple AI agents in key areas such as corporate strategy, business analysis, and operational processes to improve decision-making and collaboration efficiency. BOE’s self-developed Blue Whale Display Large Model continues to iterate and upgrade, strongly supporting the implementation of AI in production, product innovation, and corporate operations, thereby improving quality and efficiency in relevant segments.
We fulfill the mission of sustainable development through greenification. As domestic and overseas clients increasingly demand green production and green energy supply, greenification has become a prerequisite for enterprises participating in global competition. BOE has clearly stated its goal to peak carbon emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations by 2050. In 2025, BOE released a top-level sustainability plan, proposing a development system of "1 Major Cycle + 7 Minor Cycles," and launched ONE, the industry’s first sustainability brand. Following six paths—green management, green products, green manufacturing, green recycling, green investment, and green action—we are building a low-carbon development system covering the entire industrial chain. To date, we have established 18 national-level green factories, 2 zero-carbon factories, 1 national-level waste-free enterprise, and 4 national-level green supply chain management enterprises. We were the first in the industry to achieve chlorine-free processes. Next, we will continue to advance process innovations and technical transformations, expand zero-carbon and waste-free manufacturing practices, create green products with full lifecycle considerations, and build a green supply chain system.
We expand new spaces for industrial growth through integration. Technical iteration does not stop. For LCDs, the industry’s largest base, Chinese enterprises have achieved global dominance. In the OLED field, we are currently running parallel to global peers; after several years of intensive efforts, we are confident in surpassing overseas competitors. In flexible displays, our technical capabilities have joined the global leading camp, with advancements in stacking, sliding rolls, tri-fold, privacy protection, and LTPO+ leading the industry. However, the industry changes rapidly, leaving no room for complacency. We must maintain a constant sense of crisis, akin to walking on thin ice, deeply insight into technological trends, and ensure we remain at the forefront of innovation. While exploring new display technologies, we are also promoting deep integration between display technology and fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), materials, and equipment. We strengthen cross-domain collaborative innovation, continuously elevating the technical strength, talent depth, and industrial ecosystem of China’s display industry.
Tackling Upstream Basic Materials and Equipment to Solidify the Base of Supply Chain Resilience and Security
Coordinating high-quality development with high-level security and continuously consolidating industrial resilience are major tasks in building advanced manufacturing. The display industry chain is long with many links. Upstream basic materials, components, equipment, and software are characterized by their foundational nature, small market size, long R&D cycles, and fast iteration speeds, making them critical factors affecting industrial development. After years of collaborative efforts, by 2025, BOE has made significant progress in localizing materials and components for LCD lines and equipment for OLED lines. This has effectively guided regional clustering of industrial resources and driven coordinated growth for over 1,000 upstream and downstream enterprises.
Basic materials and equipment represent "small industries with big foundations." It is difficult for individual enterprises to achieve rapid breakthroughs alone. We hope for further policy guidance and resource tilting at the national level towards basic materials, equipment, components, and software. We urge improvements in support mechanisms and policies to guide multi-party collaboration among "industry, academia, research, and application," accelerating the resolution of development bottlenecks. Building advanced manufacturing is not a solo endeavor for one company or one industry. It requires government, enterprises, research institutions, and all parties in the industrial chain to raise their perspective and target efforts precisely. While we continue to strengthen and optimize our strengths, we must attach great importance to weaknesses and vulnerabilities. We should concentrate efforts on weak links, fill gaps and blockages in the industrial chain, refine targeted supporting policies, and guide orderly tackling of key tasks.
The development practice of China’s display industry over the past two decades demonstrates that China’s prospects for advancing manufacturing are broad and confidence is sufficient. As a main force in the display industry, BOE will firmly implement the deployments of the National Advanced Manufacturing Conference. We will adhere to the directions of intelligentization, greenification, and integration, keep in mind our original aspiration of serving the country through industry, and work alongside industrial chain partners. We will continue to strengthen the display industry’s strengths, contributing greater efforts to accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system anchored by advanced manufacturing and solidly advancing the building of a strong manufacturing nation.
Author | Chen Yanshun, Chairman of BOE
Editor | Zhang Xinyi
Art Editor | Ma Liya
Supervisor | Lian Xiaodong