The new startup aims at satisfying the growing demand and emerging opportunities in the flexible display market for smart handheld devices, wrist worn devices and flexible medical sensors.

“ITRI has been actively promoting Taiwan's startup business in recent years. FlexUP Technologies is the fifth spin-offs from ITRI this year and its launch suggests that Taiwan's display industry has officially entered the arena of flexible material.” said ITRI Chairperson Tsay Ching-yen.

FlexUP Technologies Chairperson and President, Dr. Wang Bor-ping, said that domestic industries so far do not have a dedicated flexible substrate material supplier to assist flexible IC product development. In the future, FlexUP Technologies will be able to provide critical substrate material to help customers develop high value-added products.

For instance, there will be ergonomic wearable devices which are thin, lightweight and flexible, smart handheld devices which serve as a tablet when opened and a mobile phone when folded, and e-paper based products which are compact and impact resistant.

Regarding the existing touch-panel industry, the high temperature resistance characteristic of the flexible substrate material makes it well-suited for use in automotive and medical niche markets. The material can also be manufactured on current production lines which reduces the time and cost of initial production line deployment. The establishment of FlexUP Technologies is expected to attract more than NT$1 billion in investment.