On August 17, South Korean media KIPOST reported that while Samsung Electronics signed a semiconductor wafer foundry contract with Tesla in July worth at least $16.5 billion (approximately RMB 118.5 billion), its subsidiary Samsung Display (SDC) also secured an order from Tesla.
The report states that Samsung Display will begin supplying 8-inch OLED screens to Tesla starting in 2027. Some believe that this size of product may be used for the rear touchscreen of Tesla electric vehicles or the facial screen of the next-generation Optimus humanoid robot.
Regarding the former possibility, Tesla's current rear-seat touchscreens already use an 8-inch LCD-based touchscreen, and replacing it with an OLED screen would not offer any fundamental improvement and would increase material costs. On the other hand, the next-generation Optimus humanoid robot could improve human-computer interaction performance by introducing a facial display screen, and the flexible, low-power, and thin OLED display technology is also more suitable for the curved structure of the robot's face.
Image source: Tesla
Tesla reportedly plans to launch its third-generation humanoid robot, Optimus, by the end of this year and begin mass production in 2026, aiming for an annual production capacity of 1 million units within five years. The third-generation Optimus is expected to feature a facial display screen, showing emotions and basic information to those around it.
It's worth mentioning that previous reports indicated Apple would also be entering the robotics industry. The company is currently developing an iPad desktop robot, with the prototype using a 7-inch display, and plans to launch it in 2027.
In January of this year, Apple published a paper detailing a lamp that uses robotics to move around, which some industry insiders have dubbed the "Pixar Lamp".
In addition, Apple plans to launch a standalone display by the middle of next year as a simplified version of the robot. This robot will have no arms but can play music and help users take notes. (Compiled by TrendForce Display)
