The demand for liquid crystal display (LCD) is continuing to soar according to a leading global manufacturer of the material.

Corning officials speaking at the second annual Western New York Investors Conference in the US revealed that the glass was helping to drive up profits at the firm.

Corning vice chairman and chief financial officer James Flaws told an audience that LCD was one of the company's leading markets, with demand continuing to grow.

Looking ahead to the firm's next quarterly results, Mr Flaws predicted that demand for LCD glass would be between three and ten per cent higher than the last quarter.

"We are seeing significant retail pricing declines this quarter, which is a very positive trend as we head into a typically stronger consumer electronics buying season," he explained.

He estimated that LCD televisions could command a 16 per cent share of the television market by 2006, tripling the current status.

Corning says it is planning to ramp up production at its LCD plants in both Taiwan and Japan.