[News] China Reportedly Narrows Glass Substrate Gap with South Korea as BOE and Visionox Advance

As global companies accelerate glass substrate development, China is also stepping up its efforts. According to ETNews, Chinese suppliers are positioning themselves to compete through competitive pricing and large-scale production capabilities. Industry observers expect demand for products from early leaders such as South Korea to remain strong during the market’s initial growth phase, but believe China’s market share will gradually expand over time.

ETNews notes that more than 10 Chinese companies are now active in the glass substrate market, with some reportedly narrowing the technology gap with South Korean manufacturers. As the report indicates, a representative from a partner company working with a Chinese glass substrate producer said China has nearly caught up with South Korea in through-glass via (TGV) and etching technologies, which are critical to glass substrate manufacturing.

While China is ramping up its efforts, global industry leaders continue to advance their own glass substrate roadmaps. Wccftech notes that Intel unveiled its first CPO-enabled glass substrate prototypes in May, targeting commercialization by 2030. Business Post reports that SKC and its subsidiary Absolics could begin the world’s first commercial glass substrate production by year-end, while The Elec says Samsung Electro-Mechanics is running a pilot line in Sejong with mass production targeted after 2027. Separately, TrendForce’s substack highlights that TSMC introduced its 310×310 mm CoPoS (Chip-on-Panel-on-Substrate) platform in 2025, where glass is used as the interposer.

Chinese Players Accelerate Glass Substrate Development

Among Chinese companies, BOE was among the first to officially enter the semiconductor glass substrate market. As noted by ETNews, BOE has been moving aggressively, establishing a pilot production line within approximately two years of announcing its entry into the market. BOE is also expanding its partnerships in the field. As noted by Yicai, the company announced on May 20 that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Corning, a leading display glass supplier. The two companies will collaborate on glass-core packaging substrates, foldable glass, perovskite glass substrates, and optical interconnect-related applications.

Visionox, another leading Chinese display manufacturer, is also advancing its glass substrate efforts. According to ETNews, the company has been building a materials, components, and equipment supply chain since last year and is continuing to invest in equipment to support future glass substrate production.

China Advances Glass Substrate Technology and Equipment

China’s progress is also becoming increasingly evident at the technology level. According to EE Times China, WG Tech has achieved a through-glass via (TGV) process with an aspect ratio of 100:1 and a minimum via diameter of 5 micrometers. The company has already delivered 1.6T optical module glass substrates to customers for sampling.

Advances are also emerging on the equipment side. According to The Beijing News, DR Laser stated that its TGV laser microvia equipment can be used in semiconductor chip packaging and related applications. The company added that it has already completed shipments of panel-level glass substrate through-via equipment.

Read more

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• [News] Glass Substrates Eye 2027 Launch, Scale Toward 2030 as CoWoS Costs Rise and Hyperscaler Demand Grows

(Photo credit: WG Tech)