[News] AMOLED Display Driver Leader Viewtrix Expands into Optical Communications

On September 15, Viewtrix Technology announced the establishment of two controlled subsidiaries Shuqing Zhiyun (Shanghai) and ChipEngine (Shanghai). Respectively bearing its new optical interconnect and UCIe IP operations, the move extends the company’s business footprint from display driver ICs (DDICs) into the AI compute interconnect domain.

According to the announcement, both subsidiaries are registered with a capital of CNY 10 million each, with the company holding a 55% stake in both entities.

• Shuqing Zhiyun: : Serves as the operating entity for the group’s optical interconnect business. Focusing on the Micro-VCSEL light source technology roadmap, the unit aims to become a full-stack solution provider for Optical I/O, primarily targeting Scale-Up (intra-rack interconnect) and Scale-In (chip-to-chip interconnect) scenarios.
• ChipEngine: Undertakes the UCIe IP business, leveraging cross-standard UCIe interconnect IP licensing as an entry point, with plans to evolve into a platform-level IP vendor in the future.

Regarding the strategic rationale, Viewtrix stated that the rapid evolution of AI, cloud computing, high-performance computing (HPC), and advanced packaging technology is continuously driving up demand for high-speed chip-to-chip interconnects. Optical I/O and Chiplet interconnects have consequently emerged as pivotal directions for the semiconductor industry.

Micro-VCSEL exhibits substantial potential in short-reach optical interconnect applications due to its low power consumption, cost efficiency, and ease of 2D array integration.

Meanwhile, UCIe, as an open die-to-die interconnect standard, is expected to drive the Chiplet ecosystem toward standardization and commercial scale. By establishing independently operated entities and bringing in market-based financing, the company aims to concentrate resources to accelerate R&D, commercialization, and market expansion to cultivate new growth drivers.

Viewtrix is the largest AMOLED display driver IC design firm in China. The company has long specialized in OLED DDICs, with its current product portfolio spanning AMOLED DDICs and Micro-OLED silicon-based display driver backplane ICs targeted at smartphones, VR/AR, and other end-user applications. Notably, this expansion comes on the heels of intensive capital market maneuvers this year:

• HKEX Listing: On May 27, Viewtrix officially debuted on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange as the “first Chinese OLED display driver IC stock,” raising approximately HKD 1.1 billion to support R&D and optimization of AMOLED TDDI chips, Micro-OLED, and Micro-LED display driver backplanes.
• “H+A” Dual-Platform Strategy: On September 2, the company announced an A-share IPO tutoring agreement with GF Securities, initiating its dual-listing pathway.

Viewtrix noted that near-term revenue and profit will remain anchored in its core display driver IC business, while the optical interconnect and UCIe IP ventures represent a “long-term call option” positioned for the next computing era.

(Photo credit FREEPIK)