According to a news report on the Digitimes website Innolux is cooperating with Sharp on R&D of OLED technology and supporting Sharp's construction of a Gne-4.5 OLED factory in Japan.
EMS provider Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) and its subsidiaries made a strategic investment in Sharp in March 2016 becoming a majority shareholder. Tuan stepped down as Innolux chairman in June 2016 and was appointed a consultant for the Foxconn Group specifically to promote reform of Sharp's panel business, especially cost reductions.
While Sharp has a simple OLED panel production line, Innolux has an OLED experimental line with better equipment. Therefore, Sharp's and Innolux's R&D engineers have jointly undertaken OLED experiments using Innolux's experimental line before Sharp's Gne-4.5 OLED factory is completed. In April or May, Innolux will expected to send about 10 engineers to Sharp's factory.
In addition to cooperation in OLED panels, Innolux and Sharp may cooperate on IGZO TFT-LCD panels. As it is relatively easy to transform a-Si TFT-LCD production equipment to producing IGZO TFT-LCD panels, Innolux is likely to provide some of its IGZO TFT-LCD production capacity for use by Sharp.