LG Innotek is positioning itself to become a supplier of chip-on-film (CoF) for Apple’s OLED iPads, according to a report. This move hinges on Apple’s decision—expected this month—regarding approval of LX Semicon’s display driver IC (DDI), which integrates LG Innotek’s CoF technology.
Currently, Apple exclusively uses Samsung System LSI’s DDI in OLED iPads. The DDI controls the display via thin-film transistors (TFTs) and must be attached to the OLED panel via CoF, a component that transmits signals from the DDI to the display.
If approved, LX Semicon’s DDI, paired with LG Innotek’s CoF, would be used by LG Display for its OLED iPad panels. This would mark a significant shift in Apple’s display supply chain, opening the door for two new suppliers.
Both LG Display and Samsung Display produced OLED panels for iPads last year, but each relied solely on Samsung’s DDI. This potential change would bring LX Semicon into Apple’s supply roster for the first time, as its earlier bid in 2024 was rejected.
LX Semicon, which had been a sole DDI supplier for iPhone OLEDs until the iPhone 16 series, is now competing with Taiwan’s Novatek. Securing the iPad OLED contract would help offset that lost exclusivity.
For LG Innotek, approval would also open up a new revenue stream—although it already supplies CoF for other Apple devices, it has yet to do so for the iPad OLED line.
Apple’s decision this month could signal a broader diversification of suppliers as it seeks to reduce dependency on a single vendor and optimize its display component ecosystem.
