Samsung Display explores halftone black PDL tech to cut OLED production costs

Samsung Display is evaluating a new manufacturing process known as halftone black pixel definition layer (PDL) that could streamline the production of its OLED panels, industry sources disclosed to The ELEC on September 22. By integrating two separate manufacturing steps into a single photolithography process, the display maker aims to reduce costs and boost efficiency for upcoming flagship devices.

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Qualcomm and Google eye Agentic AI, expand partnership to GoogleBook, automotives

During his keynote at Snapdragon Summit 2026, Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon invited Rick Osterloh, Senior Vice President of Platforms and Devices at Google, on stage to discuss the past year’s developments in agentic AI and the strategic direction of their ongoing partnership. Amon emphasized that Google remains an indispensable partner to Qualcomm, noting that the relationship—built on co-developing the industry’s first Android smartphone—has grown even stronger amid the broader AI transformation.

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China’s BeiDou eyes US$150 billion industry scale with AI, services at the core

China’s BeiDou satellite navigation industry continues to expand rapidly, with applications spreading from chips and modules to end devices. Emerging technologies including artificial intelligence are increasingly being integrated with BeiDou, while the industry is shifting from hardware sales towards data, platforms, and services. Overseas markets are also emerging as a key source of future growth.

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ZDT prices US$800M ECB to expand AI server PCB push

Printed circuit board (PCB) maker Zhen Ding Technology (ZDT) Group completed pricing of its sixth overseas convertible bond issue on September 22, raising a total of US$800 million (about NT$25.224 billion). The company plans to issue the bonds on September 29 and list them on the Singapore Exchange, with proceeds to be used entirely to replenish working capital and support technology development for high-end products.

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Hotai expands MaaS push with FunNow stake

Hotai Motor said it will invest in lifestyle and entertainment booking platform FunNow to deepen its mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) ecosystem. The company plans to inject US$10 million (about NT$318 million) for an approximately 10% stake, while also launching a deep strategic partnership between its ChicTrip travel platform and FunNow.

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