Partnership addresses lcd controllers

Renesas, Sharp and Powerchip are establishing a joint venture which will specialise in drivers and controllers for small and mid size lcds. According to the partners, the new company – Renesas SP Drivers – will begin operations in April.

The three partners say that, in recent years, the market for lcd panels has grown exponentially, due to the growing popularity of lcd tvs, mobile phones with higher quality displays, and the use of lcds in products such as car navigation systems and game consoles. This, in turn is generating heavy demand for integration of driver and controller functions in small and mid size panels. Whilst the new company will be fabless, Powerchip will handle most of the actual production, using its ultrafine process technology and production cost competitiveness.