Strategic transformation: from display to semiconductor packaging

At the BOE IPC exhibition in 2024, BOE (Beijing Oriental Electronics Group) unveiled its glass substrate products for semiconductor packaging for the first time, becoming the first domestic enterprise to venture into advanced packaging business from the display panel field. The company plans to leverage its glass processing technology advantages accumulated in panel production lines, combined with equipment depreciation cost advantages, to initiate mass production of glass substrates after 2026, with the goal of achieving large-scale production of high aspect ratio and fine pitch packaging carrier boards by 2027. This technological path aims to solve the warping problem of traditional organic substrates in AI chip packaging, enhancing signal transmission efficiency and heat dissipation performance.

Technological breakthrough: meeting the high-end demands of AI chips

The roadmap for glass substrates released by BOE (Beijing Oriental Technology Group) shows that its products will primarily serve the AI chip sector, optimizing chip packaging integration through high strength and low warpage characteristics. By 2029, the technical indicators will align with the international leading level. This layout directly responds to the demand for high-density interconnection and low-power packaging in AI computing power chips.

Capacity planning: A new production line worth 5 billion yuan is about to be launched

According to the latest developments, BOE plans to initiate the construction of a new production line with a scale of 5 billion yuan by the end of 2026, aiming to become a top-tier player in the domestic glass substrate carrier field by 2028. Currently, the company has established a pilot line in Hefei with a monthly production capacity of approximately 3,000 pieces, and completed equipment installation five months ahead of schedule. In the future, BOE will further integrate upstream and downstream resources, build a complete ecological chain from materials to packaging, and accelerate the application of glass substrates in AI chips.

Industry impact: Rewriting the global packaging landscape

BOE's entry into the glass substrate field not only fills the gap in domestic advanced packaging carrier technology, but also potentially breaks the monopoly of overseas manufacturers in the high-end substrate market. With the explosion in demand for AI chips, glass substrates, leveraging their performance advantages, are becoming a key direction for semiconductor packaging technology iteration. Through technology migration and capacity expansion, BOE is expected to establish its own brand after 2027, driving China's semiconductor industry chain towards high-end development.

Conclusion

BOE's strategy to increase its investment in glass substrates is not only a natural extension of display technology into the semiconductor field, but also an active layout to address the challenges of chip packaging in the AI era. This transformation may reshape the global semiconductor packaging competition landscape, giving China more say in the advanced manufacturing field.