Visual Photonics Epitaxy Co Ltd (VPEC), Taiwanese pure-play epiwafer foundry, is planning to ramp its capacity by 40-60% in 2010.

Genius Electronics Optical Co., Ltd. recently won a contract to supply over 1,000 LED streetlights to several local governments in southern China, marking its first success in tapping mainland China`s LED streetlight market after entering into alliance with Philips Lumileds.

The two highest entry barriers of the LED industry – in-house production capacity of LED chips and vertical integration – are critical factors in determining whether a company can successfully secure its leading position in the LED industry, said Ben Fan, chairman of Neo-Neon.

AU Optronics Corp, the world's No.3 liquid crystal display maker, said it is working on a tie-up with a local LED chip designer to ensure its strength in the fast-growing LED-lit LCD TV market. AU Optronics said it was working on concrete details with Global Mixed-mode Technology Inc.. AU said a tie-up could pave the way for it to strengthen its cost competitiveness if it could secure a new generation of power-saving LED chips from GMT.

Kim Lighting, the premiere manufacturer of architectural outdoor lighting, is proud to announce its new performance standard in LED parking structure lighting with PGL7 LED.

Currently, new LED markets such as for LED light bulbs, which are replacing incandescent lamps, and the backlight units of notebook PCs and LCD TVs are rapidly expanding. Recently, Sharp Corp has announced that it released two types of white LEDs (nine products) for lighting equipment. One of the two types is an LED used in the backlight units of Sharp's LCD TVs.

DYMAX Corporation launched their new BlueWave® LED Prime UVA high-intensity spot-curing system and a new line of compatible adhesives at the recent Assembly Technology Expo (ATExpo) in Chicago. The unit offers many advantages over conventional spot-curing systems including no consumable bulbs to change, no warm-up, cool cures, and constant intensity up to 50,000 hours.

Taiwan-based LED supplier Epistar Corp. and United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) have formed an LED chip joint venture based in Mainland China.

Featuring ultra high power EdiStar emitter, the circular EDIS module integrates thermal, electrical, mechanical and optical aspects to deliver a total LED lighting solution. Depending on the application, EDIS module is available in 50W and 100W, with three CCT options at Cool White, Neutral White and Warm White for each. The ultra-high power 100W EdiStar emitters offer 7,000lm, equivalent to the brightness of 400W mercury lamp with less energy consumption as much as 70%.

Neo-Neon Holdings Ltd. is stepping up presences in mainland China, which is touted as the world`s biggest market for LED lighting, in hope of influencing the mainland`s drafting of industrial standards for the new lighting technology.

RAB Lighting is proud to introduce the LPACK; an innovative, affordable and functional LED Wallpack. Available in both warm and cool light, the LPACK has a high-output, 10 watt LED light engine that delivers 70% of its initial lumens at 50,000 hours and produces a light output comparable to 35 watt high-pressure sodium wallpacks. The LPACK reduces energy costs by as much as 30% when compared to equivalent high-pressure sodium, metal halide or incandescent fixtures.

Once Innovations, a Minnesota based research, development and manufacturing company with a firm focus on LED technologies announced today its intent to formally challenge newly finalized ENERGY STAR Eligibility Criteria for Integral LED Lamps.

Sunovia® Energy Technologies, Inc. today announced the successful installation of their EvoLuciaTM -brand LED lighting fixtures at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota.

Siemens has obtained official permission to keep the Siemens Superstar – Munich’s latest landmark and the world’s biggest revolving Christmas star – illuminated until January 6, 2010. The Christmas season lasts until Epiphany. And the star is now going to be lit up throughout the entire period. Originally, the work of art on the A9 highway leading into Munich was to be visible only until New Year’s Eve.

Fairchild Semiconductor’s Global Power ResourceSM Centers (GPRCs), located in Shenzhen, Shanghai and Taipei, have further enhanced their reputation as a valuable resource for system design engineers around the world by announcing the development of a number of innovative, energy-efficient solutions. These solutions target a wide range of applications and markets including the rapidly emerging LED, netbook and PC power segments.

UPEC Electronics Corp., one of the leading LED packaging & application products manufacturer, is proud to announce that it received an award by ranked 60th among Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Asia Pacific. Being recognized as a leading company in scale and growth is the motive force to UEPC to make progress. (Credit: Upec)

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors’ MultiLED black surface LEDs (LRTB GFTG) were used in the display wall in Tian An Men Square in Beijing. They were selected for the uniform display results and high color fidelity across the entire viewing angle. The black surface of the LED offers very good contrast both at night and in the day time, and from a distance.

As the United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP15 – continues into its second week, Philips is to show world leaders gathering in Copenhagen just how innovation in lighting technologies can help mayors and municipal leaders significantly improve energy efficiency in their cities.

Rubicon Technology, Inc., a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, RFIC, Semiconductor, and Optical industries, today released additional details related to the Company's two year capacity expansion plan which was outlined on its third quarter earnings conference call last month.

According to Taiwanese official resources, in light of the upcoming sales boom in the LED industry, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is going to push for formation of an LED R&D alliance to assist Taiwanese LED manufacturers to obtain cross-licenses from patent possessors in the U.S., Japan and Europe to reduce patent infringement risks in the future.

Cyberlux Corporation, a leading provider of LED lighting solutions, announced today that the company has formally entered into a supplier agreement with Spectrum Brands to deliver six products for its Rayovac trade name, two of which are for immediate delivery for orders that Spectrum Brands has procured. Cyberlux will supply Rayovac with existing Cyberlux LED lighting products, as well as LED products exclusively designed for the Rayovac brand itself.

Brand Neue Corp. ("Brand Neue" or the "Company") today announced the execution of an agreement (the "Agreement") to become the exclusive distributor of Luma Vue, Inc. ("Luma Vue") advanced LED lighting products and lighting systems in Canada.

Market researchers forecast a threefold increase up to almost 13 billion Euros by 2012 for light emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic LEDs (OLEDs). These technologies offer a particularly small size, a long lifetime and top levels of energy-efficiency, thus opening up new applications and new markets.

In order to help school’s reconstruction from the destruction of Typhoon Moraco and provide students a better environment for learning, Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. donated more than 15,000, valued 60 million NTD, LED lighting fixtures including indoor and outdoor applications to public schools in Pintung, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Nantou and Taitung County in Taiwan.In order to help school’s reconstruction from the destruction of Typhoon Moraco and provide students a better environment for learning, Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd.

Hi-Score Corporation announced the completion of the company's re-organization and acquisition of Green LED Solutions by its wholly owned subsidiary Green LED Technology. According to the acquisition agreement, Green LED Solutions is now merged with Green LED Technology, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hi Score Corp. This re-organization and acquisition will have the result of combining all rights and ownership of the current and pending contracts to the company.

Shuen Der Industry Co., Ltd. (SDI ), a Taiwanese supplier of LED lead frames for automotives and consumer electronics, has invested NT$80 million (US$2.46 million at US$1: NT$32.5) to expand output of the products.

Recently, BenQ has announced a couple of 16:9 LCD monitors that feature LED backlighting, the 21.5-inch V2210 and the 24-inch V2410 in Japan. Both new displays have a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, a 5ms response time, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, 250 cd/m2 brightness, the Senseye image enhancement technology, plus DVI and HDMI outputs. BenQ has not yet reveal any prices but said that the V2210 will hit (Japanese) stores on December 25th, and the V2410 will follow on the 30th.

In the recently started ‘So-Light’ project eleven German companies and research institutes work closely together on Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs). The goal is to reach a leading position in the fast growing worldwide OLED market. The 14.7 Million Euro project is also financially supported by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research).

A new report on the life-cycle energy usage of energy-efficient lighting by Cree, Inc. shows that LED lighting products are now more efficient than traditional lighting products when compared across the high-volume applications of recessed downlighting and display spotlighting. Evaluating light fixtures and applications, the white paper’s energy comparisons demonstrate that LEDs offer clear advantages in terms of energy costs and environmental impact over traditional lighting such as incandescent, halogen and compact fluorescent bulbs.

Linear Technology Corporation announces the LT3492, a 2.1MHz DC/DC converter designed to operate as a three-channel constant current LED driver. Each of the LT3492’s three channels can drive up to ten 300mA LEDs in series, enabling it to drive up to 30 x 300mA LEDs at efficiencies up to 96%. All three channels are operated by an independent True Color PWM™ signal, enabling each to be dimmed independently to ratios as high as 3,000:1.