Q2 Sales of 4K TV 'Tracking Better' Than in Q1, Chip Maker Himax Says

In the large-panel driver-integrated circuit (IC) business of chip maker Himax Technologies, “TV applications will be the main growth area, partially offsetting in the softness of those for notebooks and monitors,” CEO Jordan Wu said Thursday on an earnings call of his outlook on Q2 operations. “The forces behind growth in the TV application include our market share gains with several customers, sales of 4K TV tracking better than the first quarter, and display manufacturing capacity expansion in China. We are confident that our large-panel driver-IC business will generate double-digit growth this year.” With the move into large panels for 4K, the driver and the “timing controller” components “are becoming a lot more technically challenging,” Wu said in Q&A. “So you are limiting a lot of competitors in the marketplace. So there are actually only a very, very small handful of players at the moment.” Wu treats that as “a very good sign for us,” he said.