The world's leading display producer, Samsung Electronics is believed to be trying to sell Dutch subsidiary Liquavista BV to Amazon.com Inc., reported Bloomberg on Friday.
The article stated that Samsung is seeking a sale of the Eindhoven, Netherlands- based maker of electronic-reader display technology for less than $100 million.
Liquavista's displays are based on the principles of electrowetting, uniquely suited for colour and video. The displays can be reflective, like the black and white electrophoretic displays used in Amazon's Kindle and other e-readers.
E-reader sales using the black and white electrophoretic displays peaked in 2011 but have fallen since - more than 25 million e-readers were sold in 2011 according to IDTechEx Research, but in 2012 it was less than 15 million. The consumer demands colour displays capable of video.
News from Liquavista has been quiet recently with no announced product path and a divestment would not be unexpected - Samsung are highly focussed on OLEDs and want to be more than just a panel maker to be less exposed to competition from Japan and China.
"We are currently reviewing many plans, including the sale, but nothing has been confirmed yet," Chenny Kim, a spokeswoman for Samsung, said by phone today.
The company acquired Liquavista BV in 2011 in a buyout of all shares from past shareholders.
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