Due to strong demand for flat-panel television sets, Sony and Samsung Electronics plan to build one of the world’s most advanced liquid crystal display (LCD) panel production lines, they said Friday.The two companies will invest 1.8 trillion won (US$1.9 billion) in the new factory, which will be operated by S-LCD, their LCD manufacturing joint venture. S-LCD already operates a factory in Tangjeong, South Korea, and the new factory will be located alongside this existing plant.The joint investment will go toward machinery and other systems. Samsung will invest an additional 900 million won and construct the factory building itself.The factory will house a so-called eighth-generation (8G) line, which is one step more advanced than S-LCD’s existing line. An 8G line is capable of processing sheets of glass that measure 2 by 2.5 meters, from which eight 46-inch TV panels or six 50-inch TV panels can be produced. Current plans call for the factory to begin production in late 2007 at a capacity of 50,000 sheets of 8G glass per month. Sony and Samsung divide output from S-LCD equally and then use the screens in their own TVs or sell them to other manufacturers.Strong worldwide demand for LCD TVs is driving the companies to increase production. On Friday, Samsung increased its prediction of global demand for LCD TVs for this year to 48 million units, up 4 million from its previous forecast. Samsung sold 1.2 million LCD TVs in the second quarter of this year, four times what it sold in the same three-month period one year earlier. Friday’s deal cements a preliminary agreement reached between the two earlier this year.-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content Feature Industry clouds prove their business value Born of partnerships and ecosystem-centric by their nature, cloud solutions aimed at specific verticals are taking root, forming a complex, rapidly evolving market CIOs must be strategic about entering. By Paula Rooney Mar 24, 2023 7 mins Cloud Computing Feature What is data governance? Best practices for managing data assets Data governance defines roles, responsibilities, and processes for ensuring accountability for and ownership of data assets across the enterprise. By Thor Olavsrud Mar 24, 2023 10 mins IT Governance Frameworks Big Data Data Mining BrandPost Stay in Control of Your Data with a Secure and Compliant Sovereign Cloud By Stan Kwong Mar 23, 2023 6 mins Cloud Security Cloud Computing News Accenture to lay off 19,000 to cut costs amid economic uncertainty Technology services giant Accenture will continue to hire but meanwhile is cutting staff to streamline operations in the face of economic headwinds. By Anirban Ghoshal Mar 23, 2023 2 mins IT Consulting Services Technology Industry Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe