In 2026, the automotive MLED sector is accelerating its transition from technical verification to a new stage of large-scale volume production. According to incomplete statistics, from 2022 to 2026, 16 automotive brands and over 35 vehicle models have adopted Mini LED backlight technology.
As the market expands, challenges within the supply chain remain severe. In the upstream driver IC segment, for instance, solutions must meet stringent automotive-grade standards while also accommodating the demands of overall vehicle cost reduction and rapid iteration. The practical pain points are as follows:
- The combination of multiple chips in the cockpit creates coordination and debugging pressure among multiple suppliers.
- The MLED solutions for the vehicle interior and exterior are fragmented, lacking a unified architecture.
- The threshold for automotive-grade functional safety and reliability certification is high, with limited complete implementation cases for domestic chips.
Driven by the dual demands of cost reduction and efficiency improvement for complete vehicles, alongside the upgrade of display experiences, integrated automotive MLED solutions covering all scenarios are emerging as a core focus that the supply chain urgently needs to address. On September 8, Huang Wengang, Senior Product Manager at Chipone, will attend the "Mini LED Backlight Image Quality Advancement and Micro AR Glasses Trend Analysis Conference" to deliver a presentation on "Comprehensive Automotive MLED Solutions", providing industry insights from the driver IC solution perspective towards the integration of "intelligent cockpits and intelligent interactive displays".
According to Xingjia Shuo Display, Chipone is an automotive-grade display IC manufacturer that has simultaneously achieved large-scale mass production and deployment in both the cockpit MLED and exterior smart lighting communication sectors. In 2026, the company's automotive-grade IC products for cockpits and smart lighting communication have been continuously deployed in high-end flagship models.
- In March, the newly launched Hyper GT model was equipped with its automotive-grade display and touch integration IC, the ICNL9971;
- In August, the launched Zunjie V800/V680 models, featuring exterior full-color interactive streaming taillights and an interior scroll-interactive starry sky roof, adopted its automotive-grade LED driver IC chipsets, the ICND7001 and ICND7201.
It is revealed that the company has now established a full-stack IC product matrix covering the two major scenarios of intelligent cockpits and smart lighting communication.
- In the smart lighting communication sector, an LED direct display driver IC series centered on ICND7001, ICND7201, and ICND7301 has been established, comprehensively covering exterior full-scenario interaction needs such as pixelated taillights, exterior interactive screens, and rear window interactive lighting communication.
- In the intelligent cockpit sector, multiple automotive-grade product lines have been developed, including TDDI display and touch integration ICs, Bridge ICs, Mini LED backlight driver ICs, and PMIC (Power Management IC)s, which can be adapted to all cockpit display components such as central control screens, instrument screens, passenger entertainment screens, and electronic rearview mirrors.
At the customer level, Chipone's automotive-grade display ICs have passed multiple certifications, including AEC-Q100 and ISO26262 ASIL-B, and have achieved large-scale mass production and integration in multiple models from leading domestic automakers such as GAC, Geely, Changan, Chery, Zunjie, Avatr, NIO, and IM Motors. Furthermore, Chipone is accelerating its IPO process this year, having currently completed its pre-IPO counseling.