UDC and Shenzhen Tianma renew long-term OLED materials agreement and deepen technical collaboration

On January 5, Universal Display Corporation(UDC), the world's leader in oled technology and materials, announced that it had signed a long-term OLED material supply and technology licensing agreement with Shen Tianma. According to the agreement, UDC will continue to supply exclusive phosphorescent OLED materials to ShenTianma through its wholly-owned subsidiary in Ireland and provide cutting-edge technical support to help ShenTianma promote the research and development and mass production of next-generation OLED panels. At present, the specific cooperation details and relevant financial terms of the agreement have not been publicly disclosed.

UDC said that the signing of this long-term agreement further consolidates the long-standing strategic cooperative relationship between the two parties and demonstrates the common commitment of the two companies to jointly promote OLED technology innovation and industrial development on a global scale. Relying on UDC's technological accumulation in the field of OLED core materials and Shenzhen Tianma's industrial advantages in the field of panel manufacturing, the two parties will continue to deepen collaboration and assist in the iterative upgrading of high-end OLED products.

In fact, UDC and Shen Tianma have a long history of cooperation, and the strategic coordination between the two sides has been settled for many years. As early as 2016, the two companies signed a multi-year OLED patent licensing and long-term agreement on material procurement, officially starting in-depth cooperation in the field of OLED technology. In December 2021, the two parties reached an agreement again to extend long-term OLED material supply and technology licensing cooperation. At that time, Shenzhen Tianma's Wuhan 6th generation OLED production line was in a stage of rapid production capacity climbing. At the same time, Xiamen's 6th generation flexible OLED project, which invested 48 billion yuan, has also been fully capped, laying a solid industrial foundation for deepening cooperation between the two parties.

According to public information, UDC focuses on the research and development and innovation of OLED technology and materials, has deployed a number of subsidiaries and offices around the world, built strong technical barriers, and has a total of more than 6500 patents. Its core product, energy-efficient phosphorescent OLED(PHOLED) materials, is recognized as a key core component in manufacturing high-performance OLED devices, which can significantly improve the energy efficiency, brightness and life of display products. In terms of financial data, in the first three quarters of 2025, UDC achieved a cumulative operating income of US$477.7 million (approximately RMB 3.336 billion), of which material sales revenue was US$257.4 million, authorization and licensing revenue was US$202.6 million, and net profit of US$175.7 million. The performance was basically the same as the same period last year, showing a stable operating trend.

In terms of the layout of technology patents, UDC has made another important move in the near future. In November 2025, UDC reached a final agreement with Merck to announce the acquisition of some of its OLED light-emitting material-related patent assets. The acquired patent portfolio has a strong lineup, covering more than 300 authorized and pending patents around the world, involving more than 110 independent patent groups, focusing on advanced OLED light-emitting device structures and related material technologies, and the average remaining validity period of patents is approximately 10 years.

UDC emphasized that this patent acquisition will further expand the company's patent coverage in the field of key luminescent materials and strengthen its technological leadership in the development and application of high-efficiency OLED devices. Industry analysts believe that combined with its long-term cooperation with Shentianma, UDC will further consolidate its voice in the field of OLED upstream materials and technology, while providing more solid support for the technological upgrading of downstream panel companies, and promoting the continuous improvement of the global OLED industry ecosystem.