2024: The rise and prospects of COB in the LED display industry

In the long river of technological development, the LED display industry has always been in a wave of continuous evolution and change. In 2023, COB technology faltered amid many doubts and struggled to explore the way forward; however, by 2024, the situation has undergone a dramatic change. It has turned from the object of doubt to the entire industry. One of the recognized trends and reached broad consensus in the industry, like the dawn after dawn, illuminating a new direction in the LED display field.
Looking back on 2024, COB technology has achieved remarkable results in multiple dimensions, laying a solid foundation for its rise in the industry. In terms of scale, its production capacity has shown explosive growth. At the beginning of the year, COB's monthly production capacity (converted into area according to P1.2) was only 16,000 square meters. However, as time went by, it was like a thriving seedling. It had rapidly grown to 42,000 square meters in the first half of the year, and by the end of the year, it was further jumped to 51,000 square meters, and this growth momentum is still strong. Production capacity and demand are like twin engines, which continue to drive its continuous rise. It is predicted that the planned monthly production capacity in 2025 is expected to exceed the astonishing figure of 80,000 square meters, which will leave a strong mark in the development process of the LED display industry, marking that COB technology is about to enter a large-scale production. A new stage.
In terms of market penetration, COB technology has also performed well, like a pioneer who is moving forward bravely, steadily advancing in various market segments. In its key P1.2 spacing product market, relying on its own technological advantages and product characteristics, its market share has been successfully increased to 60 - 70%, becoming one of the well-deserved mainstream technologies. At the same time, in the P1.5 and P0.9 equal-pitch markets, COB technology has further improved its penetration rate with its continuously improving performance and gradually optimized cost structure, demonstrating strong market competitiveness and broad application prospects. This not only reflects the adaptability and flexibility of COB technology in meeting different customer needs, but also reflects the market's high recognition of its technical value.
The significant increase in the number of manufacturers participating is another strong evidence of the vigorous development of COB technology in 2024. In 2023, there will be only 7 companies with COB production capacity of more than 200 square meters, which is like a spark; by 2024, this number will be like a prairie fire, rapidly growing to 16 companies. Many companies have flocked to the COB field, increasing investment in R & D and production, forming an industrial pattern in which hundreds of flowers bloom and hundreds of schools of thought contend. Among them, Zhaochi Jingxian and Zhongqi Optoelectronics stand out in terms of production capacity and shipments and become important promoters of industry development. With its strong technical strength and efficient production management, Zhaochi Jingxian's production capacity has successfully doubled from 10000 square meters per month in December 2023 to 20000 square meters in October 2024, becoming the world's largest COB manufacturer in one fell swoop., making great contributions to the large-scale development of COB technology; While maintaining full production and sales, Zhongqi Optoelectronics actively expands the COB technology application market below P1.0. From January to October 2024, shipments of COB below P1.0 have exceeded 10000㎡, becoming an important force in this field. In addition, the COB production capacity of companies such as Zhouming Technology and High-Tech Video has also achieved rapid improvement this year, injecting new vitality into the development of the entire industry.
However, although COB technology has made brilliant achievements in 2024, we should also clearly realize that the LED display industry is currently facing severe challenges. With the rapid development of the industry, the overall production capacity has exceeded market demand. This oversupply situation is expected to continue in 2025, which will undoubtedly trigger more intense market competition. In this context, COB technology will face three core challenges in 2025: First, in the field of large-pitch applications, how to achieve a perfect balance of cost-effectiveness, effectively control costs and improve yields while ensuring product quality, It will be a key problem that companies need to overcome; Second, for the micro-spacing market below P1.0, although its potential is huge, the current market space has not yet been fully developed. How to further stimulate market demand and expand market share will test the company's market insight and marketing capabilities; Third, in today's increasingly fierce technology competition, COB technology still needs to continue to innovate, improve its own performance and technical barriers to cope with challenges from other technology camps and maintain its leading position in the industry.
Looking to the future, the development prospects of COB technology in the LED display industry are still full of hope and challenges. Although the road ahead is rugged, relying on its technological advantages, market foundation and industrial ecology accumulated in 2024, COB technology is expected to continue to grow and develop while constantly overcoming difficulties, contributing more to the progress of the entire LED display industry., leading the industry towards a more brilliant tomorrow.