AUO and SunPower to Jointly Invest in Solar Cell Manufacturing Facility in Malaysia
By Au Optronics Corp., PRNEWednesday, May 26, 2010
HSINCHU, Taiwan, May 27, 2010 - AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO) held
a meeting of the Board of Directors on May 27, 2010, at which the Board
approved the resolution of a joint venture to construct and operate a solar
cell manufacturing facility in Malaysia with SunPower Corp., the largest
manufacturer of residential and commercial solar systems in the United
States. The resolution was passed in view of the need to accelerate the setup
of a complete solar value chain to meet the rapidly growing market demands.
The strategic alliance with SunPower, the manufacturer of the world's highest
efficiency solar cells commercially available, is AUO's latest endeavor in
the solar business since the acquisition of over 50% the shareholding of
M.Setek, the leading Japanese supplier of upstream polysilicon and wafers.
The collaboration will establish a new solar business model featuring cost
efficiency and leading technology in the development of high efficiency solar
cells. Meanwhile, by means of cooperation with SunPower in continuous process
improvement, production and management, AUO will be able to produce more
innovative products with higher conversion rates to better serve its
customers.
The resolution adopted by the Board of Directors of the two parties for
the joint investment was in view of SunPower's leading brand position on
solar technology in the U.S. market, its twenty-five years of experience in
R&D, intellectual property related to high efficiency solar cells, and AUO's
core competence in global manufacturing, management and securing of the
material source. The joint investment in Malaysia will be US$700 million. AUO
and SunPower will each contribute US$350 million over several installments,
owning 50% of the shareholding respectively.
SunPower is a global leader in the manufacturing and development of solar
cells with a minimum rated efficiency of 22%, the highest efficiency
commercially available now. The company possesses the highest market share in
the U.S. for residential, commercial & public sector and large-scale utility
projects. It is as well a market leader in Germany, Italy and Spain. "It is
our great pleasure to work with SunPower," said K.Y. Lee, Chairman of AUO.
"This joint venture sets a remarkable milestone for AUO's solar business.
SunPower leads the solar industry with the world's highest efficiency
technology for solar cells. With the joint venture, we will join our strength
to maximize competitiveness and long-term benefits. Customers worldwide will
profit from the synergy of vertical integration and scale for their solar
investments."
"AUO's proven ability to rapidly scale advanced manufacturing technology
while driving consistent, aggressive cost effectiveness makes them the ideal
partner to ramp up the future fab in Malaysia," said Tom Werner, SunPower's
CEO. "AUO's professional strength in global operations, management and smart
logistics will indeed add significant value for us. We believe that this
world-class manufacturing alliance will establish SunPower as one of the
leading solar cell technology platforms."
ABOUT AU OPTRONICS
AU Optronics Corp. (AUO) is a global leader of thin film transistor
liquid crystal display panels (TFT-LCD). AUO is able to provide customers
with a full range of panel sizes and comprehensive applications, offering
TFT-LCD panels in sizes ranging from 1.2 inches to greater than 65 inches.
AUO generated NT$359.3 billion (US$11.2 billion) in sales revenue* in 2009
and now houses a staff of more than 42,000 employees, with global operations
in Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, the U.S., and
Europe. Additionally, AUO is the first pure TFT-LCD manufacturer to be
successfully listed at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). AUO extended its
market to the green energy industry in late 2008, and formally founded its
Solar Photovoltaic Business Unit in October, 2009. For more information,
please visit AUO.com.
* 2009 year end revenue converted at an exchange rate of NTD31.95:USD1.
Safe Harbour Notice
AU Optronics Corp. ("AUO" or the "Company") (TAIEX: 2409; NYSE: AUO), a
global leader of TFT-LCD panels, today announced the above news. Except for
statements in respect of historical matters, the statements contained in this
Release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of
the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements were based on our
management's expectations, projections and beliefs at the time regarding
matters including, among other things, future revenues and costs, financial
performance, technology changes, capacity, utilization rates, yields, process
and geographical diversification, future expansion plans and business
strategy. Such forward looking statements are subject to a number of known
and unknown risks and uncertainties that can cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including
risks related to the flat panel display industry, the TFT-LCD market,
acceptance of and demand for our products, technological and development
risks, competitive factors, and other risks described in the section entitled
"Risk Factors" in our Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission on May 11th, 2010.
For more information, please contact: Freda Lee Corporate Communications Division AU Optronics Corp. Tel: +886-3-5008800 x3206 Fax: +886-3-5772730 Email: freda.lee@auo.com Yawen Hsiao Corporate Communications Division AU Optronics Corp. Tel: +886-3-5008800 x3211 Fax: +886-3-5772730 Email: yawen.hsiao@auo.com
Freda Lee, +886-3-5008800 x3206, +886-3-5772730 (Fax), freda.lee at auo.com, or Yawen Hsiao, Corporate Communications Division, AU Optronics Corp., +886-3-5008800 x3211, or +886-3-5772730 (Fax), or yawen.hsiao at auo.com, both of Corporate Communications Division of AU Optronics Corp.
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