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Sharp is Saved by $350 Foxconn Investment and $3.5 Billion Buyout (Sort of)

foxconn-sharp-0416Foxconn and Sharp have announced a strategic alliance that was approved by each company’s board yesterday. Details of the deal aren’t available to the public yet, but is rumored to be in the range of $3.5 billion, total, that gives Foxconn controlling (2/3) interest in the Japanese manufacturer.

The main reason Foxconn is interested in sharp is their ability to build displays. Thus, it is likely they will sell off the other divisions eventually (kitchen appliances, for example). Foxconn wants to mass-produce the Sharp’s IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) display technology as well as start production of large-format OLED.

The US operations should not change and Sharp says they will still exclusively focus their large-format display operations on the professional AV and digital signage markets. However, as Foxconn is Apple’s largest OEM manufacturer, it is also rumored that Apple will debut larger format TVs in 2017 or 2018 using Sharp’s IGZO technology.

Sharp is here. Foxconn is here.

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