LG Display is aiming to overtake Samsung for top spot in the display market. On April 22, 2010, it was announced that LG plans to make a total investment of KRW 5.5 trillion in this year alone. Last year, they made a total investment of KRW 4 trillion. This was announced after LG Display reported their first quarter operating profits of KRW 789.4 billion, which exceeded expectations.
Out of the KRW 5.5 trillion, LG plans to invest KRW 1.5 trillion will be invested towards the development of OLED. The upside of OLED's are that they are thinner than LCD's, provide better picture quality, and they consume less power. The current monthly OLED output capacity is 4,000 glass sheets, but LG plans to expand that number to 12,000 glass sheets by the second half of 2011. Through these investments, LG plans to produce OLED's for smartphones, cell phones, and 30-inch televisions by the second half of 2011.
After witnessing LG's aggressive investment, it is likely that Samsung will make a move too. Samsung Mobile Display is currently the leader of the display market and likely will not yield the top position without a fight.