TOKYO, Oct 22 (Reuters) – Japan’s Sharp Corp said
it has boosted output of its IGZO displays, the thin,
power-saving screens that the struggling TV maker wants to sell
to ultrabook PC makers to spark a revival in its fortunes.
Shares of Sharp gained as much as 11 percent to 165 yen in
early trading, their biggest one-day gain in almost two months,
after local media earlier reported the increase in production
capacity.
Sharp is seeking supply agreements with ultrabook makers
Lenovo Group, Dell Inc and Hewlett-Packard
, Kyodo news agency reported.
The Japanese company, which secured $4.6 billion in
emergency loans from its banks in September, this month began
producing IGZO screens at a liquid crystal display factory in
Nara prefecture western Japan, Sharp spokeswoman Miyuki Nakayama
confirmed.
“We are starting in two different plants. The volume is
increased,” she said.
Sharp already makes IGZO displays that it supplies for Apple
Inc’s iPad tablet at its Kameyama plant. The facility
also makes screens for the iPhone 5.
Sharp says IGZO, which consume 10 percent to 20 percent of
the power required by conventional panels, may be better suited
for ultrabooks. Needing less backlighting, IGZO screens are also
thinner than conventional LCD displays.
Intel is promoting ultrabooks to counter tablet computers
from Apple. Earlier this year, the U.S. chipmaker signed deals
with several panel makers to ensure adequate supplies for a wave
of ultrabooks with touch screens expected to hit the market
following Microsoft Corp’s launch of Windows 8 this
month.
