Japanese Nobel Laureate Shuji Nakamura, known for his invention of blue LED manufacturing technology and several subsequent LED innovations, disclose the history of blue LED and shared with the public his insights concerning the future of the LED industry on 8th Feb. at Academia Sinica. As general lighting has lately come to the stage of maturity, which hindered the LED industry, LED manufacturers are now seeking potential markets where they could recuperate and thrive. In his speech, Nakamura 'illuminated the industry’ by unveiling three future LED applications: Micro-LED, laser lighting, and the Li-fi technology.

Philips Lighting, with sales of EUR 7.1 billion in 2016 and 34,000 employees worldwide, has been focusing on developing new smart lighting solutions to cater to smart city trends around the world.

Using ground-breaking LED technology from SGM, an interactive light commission entitled IN LIGHT: Illuminating Capability Brown’s Landscape, was created by light artist Laurent Louyer from Creatmosphere.

LEDs have become mainstream lighting applications. In recent years, market penetration rate of LED lighting has increased rapidly, and in 2016 the downtrend in prices became less noticeable. However, market growth has slowed, suggesting that global demand has become uneven.   

Veeco Instruments today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2016.

The 7th annual LED professional Symposium +Expo will be taking place from September 26th to 28th. 

Larson Electronics has announced the release of an 18 watt PAR 36 LED bulb that produces 1,800 lumens of light and operates on 10-30 volts DC.

Seoul Semiconductor announced the immediate start of the mass production of its LED Chip-On-Board Package for use in LED filament bulbs, a market currently estimated to be USD 1.3 billion globally.

Automotive LED has been one of the LED applications whose market scales are huge and still rapidly growing. According to LEDinside, The trend that global auto lighting has shifted from traditional light bulbs to LED light sources has accelerated in 2016. More matured markets have steadily migrated into high portion of LED light sources. Emerging countries have stably followed the trend. LEDinside's research data showed that 2016 exterior LED lighting market value reached US $1.57 billion. This sector's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is projected to hit 6% from 2016 to 2020.

Apple is said to release a low-priced iPad and will partner with Chinese players to reduce production costs, boosting this new product’s competitive edge.

A new LED lighting installation service from UK lighting supplier SLG Lighting is helping businesses across the UK to slash their energy and lighting maintenance costs – and become eco-friendly at the same time.

Maximum safety for people and vehicles in publicly-used car parks is optimally achieved with the new Siteco luminaire Compact Monsun LED Parking. State-ofthe-art LED technology with 4,500 lm rated luminous flux and improved vertical illumination now provide optimum lighting and greater safety in multi-storey car parks. The luminaire is also equipped with a high frequency sensor that controls light according to movement in the car park.

Given the growing demands placed on the electrical, optical and thermal functionality of LEDs, engineers are paying more and more attention to the advancement of new material properties. To this end, the FLINGO project (Functional Inorganic Layers for Next Generation Optical Devices) was established to develop new materials (layers, in particular) and processes to improve the efficiency and durability of LEDs. As the project coordinator, Osram Opto Semiconductors is working with renowned universities, research institutes and companies to maintain and improve market leadership in innovative LED products. The German Federal Ministry for Education and Research is sponsoring the FLINGO project – set to run through January 2020 – as part of the M-ERA.NET EU initiative, an EU-financed network set up to support the coordination of European research projects.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute has signed a sponsored research agreement with Acuity Brands Lighting, Inc., the leading North American supplier of LED-based lighting solutions.  As part of this project, the Center for Lighting Enabled Systems and Applications (LESA) will develop light protocols for specialized LED lighting with integrated feedback for efficient plant growth.

Due to recent pollution crackdown by Chinese authorities, the steel industry in China has halt production and undergone consolidation, leading to a dramatic price surge in steel products. As a result, prices of LED chip and packages have also increased, further resulting in a price hike in LED end products.

Today, ANSI Accredited Standards Committee C81 revised two standards for the lighting industry: ANSI C81.61-2017 American National Standard for Electric Lamp Bases—Specifications for Bases (Caps) for Electric Lamps and ANSI C81.62-2017 American National Standard for Electric Lampholders, as announced by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA). These standards present specifications for lamp bases and holders, and now include G6.6 designations.

Osram’s spokeman told Reuters it foresees a rapid increase in demand for its infrared components in the light of the introduction of the state-of-the-art iris-scanning identification in mobile devices. Osram plans to recruit around 1,000 new talents at its factory in Regensburg, Germany.

Fulham’s new LED outdoor rated drivers are feature-rich and ideal for European lighting manufacturers looking for the very latest technology to drive all forms of exterior lighting luminaires.

Prodigital Technology Corp. creates special applications of LED light. We are committed to the use of LED to change life. LED lighting is no longer troubled with the professional planning to recommend the most suitable products.

- First-quarter revenue rises almost 8 percent on a comparable basis  - Adjusted EBITDA margin at 18.0 percent  - Osram confirms outlook for fiscal 2017

While standardizations have been mainly focusing on retail and indoor lighting application, also the field of industrial lighting is undergoing a same move. Availability of standard building bricks lead to a shorter time to market, crucial in the hectic lighting world of today.

Phoseon will showcase the latest UV LED curing solutions for adhesive, coating and ink applications at the upcoming Advanced Tech Korea event in Seoul, South Korea. Visit the Phoseon exhibit, booth number C-11, to learn how Phoseon LED technology is a perfect fit for your application. Phoseon's products are compact, easy to integrate, and achieve high intensity output through optimized LED thermal management. Users of Phoseon LED curing systems can process a variety of materials (including thin and heat-sensitive substrates) at maximum production speeds with low-input power.

Cree, Inc. announces the C1010 LED, a breakthrough three-in-one RGB Surface Mount Device (SMD) LED that enables display manufacturers to create state-of-the-art video displays that are sharper and more dynamic than previously possible. Featuring the best far field pattern matching and the lowest power consumption in its class, the new LED delivers 40 percent better contrast ratio and a longer lifetime than competing LEDs. The C1010 is the only high density display LED with zero cross talk between pixels, eliminating the need for louvers that add cost and weight to displays.

From 9 – 12 June 2017, Asia’s most influential and comprehensive lighting and LED event – the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE) will return for the 22nd year to the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China. As a continuation of the well-received show theme in 2016, next year’s “THINKLIGHT: The convergent future” focus will appropriately address market shifts and trends.

The 9th edition of HKTDC Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Spring Edition) will be staged from 6 to 9 April 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Around 1,300 exhibitors are expected to join the fair, offering global buyers a one-stop sourcing platform for all finished products, parts and components.

Another bitter litigation between two noted LED manufacturers has come to an end. The Intellectual Property High Court of Japan (IPHC) announced on 18th of Jan, 2017 a dismissal of the lawsuit Everlight filed to call for injunctions against Nichia based on the Japanese Unfair Competition Act.

What would be your prediction for lighting in 10 years’ time? What effect do you think Brexit will have on the UK lighting industry? Who will be the movers and shakers in our industry looking forward 5 and 10 years? During an interview, Peter Scott, the President and CEO of the LIA, would like to share with us his insights concerning the future of the lighting industry. 

Starting from 2012, LEDinside, a division of TrendForce began to track global LED light bulb retail average selling prices (ASP). According to historical data, LED light bulb price dropped steadily year by year. The ASP's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40W-equivalent (equiv.) LED light bulbs fell by 18% from 2012 to 2016. During the same time period, the global average price of 60W-equiv. LED light bulbs decreased by a CAGR of 24%.   Starting from 2017, in order to more accurately reflect all the regional LED light bulb ASPs worldwide, LEDinside upgraded the global LED light bulb retail price database system. The latest data showed, in Jan. 2017, global ASP of 40W-equiv. LED light bulbs was US $6.9. Worldwide ASP of 60W-equiv. LED light bulbs reached US $8.4.

It is reported by Reuters on 30th of Jan that a spokesman of lighting manufacturer Osram announced the company has been approved by the German government to sell its Lamps unit to an association of Chinese bidders for 400 million euros (USD 425 million).

Noribachi, a leading US-based technology company with a focus on digital lighting, unveiled its latest products and technologies aboard the iconic battleship USS Iowa in the Port of Los Angeles last week.