In addition to our witness of the raid at Light and Building 2018, LEDinside also learnt a low-key move from Epistar, who according to sources had reached out to dozens of exhibitors on-site regarding Epistar’s intellectual property rights.

Leyard and Planar, a solution provider of LED digital displays, announced the intent to acquire eyevis, a manufacturer of visual display solutions.

Pixelligent, a manufacturer of high-index advanced materials, announces $7.6M in new funding to help further drive product commercialization and accelerate global customer adoption.

The oversupply in the LED chip market continues in 2018. The market demand is estimated to recuperate in the second quarter; however, it will still need new technologies such as Mini LED to ease the oversupply, according to Biing-Jye Lee, Chairman of Epistar

Philips Lighting unveiled its new Philips GreenPower LED toplighting with a light spectrum optimized for cut rose cultivation at an event of the Philips Rose Expertise Group. The new GreenPower LED toplighting with cut rose spectrum allows growers to increase light levels year-round without increasing heat. During extensive trials undertaken by research institutes Delphy and Wageningen University, and monitored by experienced rose growers, the new lighting with cut rose spectrum improves the quality of the roses and is 40% more energy efficient compared to high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting.

With today’s technology, every homeowner wants the best appliances, and gadgets. But, in a world where being on-the-go meets being environmentally-friendly, we often have to think about new ways to update our house. Whether it’s finding ways to save water, going green with our lighting, wireless communication, or other issues, today’s smart homes have a lot more to offer than you think.

The sentiment is heating up in the high-end TV market as more rumors about Korean suppliers’ next-generation TVs came out. By the end of 2018, Samsung Electronics will release new-generation Micro LED TVs and the price could be as high as USD 300,000. Also, LG Electronics will start the global distribution of its new OLED TVs featuring its own AI platform DeepThinQ.

Current, powered by GE has announced a new energy efficiency program with Morgan Stanley. The companies are collaborating to evaluate energy savings opportunities across more than 600 Morgan Stanley retail branches with a turnkey LED lighting and digital controls solution that will reduce lighting-related energy consumption by up to 50 percent in some branches, plus improve operational productivity and enhance the customer experience. 

Currently in the industry, on one hand, Apple has been very active in developing Micro LED; on the other, display makers AU Optronics (AUO) and Innolux just announced to roll out Mini LED applications by the end of 2018.

Taiwan LED manufacturers recently announce their first-quarter revenues. The revenues of Epistar and Lextar both declined more than 10% YoY. In 2H18, these two companies will launch new Mini LED products, which might help increase their revenues.

Smart lighting is playing a pivotal role in unlocking the power of the IoT and smart building applications beyond lighting. An intelligent, sensor-laden lighting system can form the central nervous system of a building, enabling smart lighting and other current and future IoT applications.

Cree, Inc. announces that it signed a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-bearing patent license agreement with Nexperia BV, a Dutch company.

UV LED solution provider Phoseon Technology has announced its continued business expansion and growth plan.

Taiwan-based auto lamp modules and components manufacturer Excellence Optoelectronics (EOI) on April 10 announced to go public on the Taiwan Stock Exchange on May 9.

Ultravision International, a manufacturer and distributor of LED displays and LED lighting, has filed a patent infringement complaint at the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), seeking remedial orders barring 37 companies from importing, selling and distributing infringing LED display products in the United States.

Lite-On Reports Steady Growth in LED Related Businesses, While AUO Monthly Panel Shipments Increase.

Taiwanese LED chip packaging company EVERLIGHT Electronics on April 9 announced that it has won a patent infringement lawsuit against Seoul Semiconductor in South Korea.

The Trump administration on April 4, 2018 published a list of 1300 Chinese exports and proposed to apply a 25% tariff on these products. However, the proposal would have limited impact on LED companies in China and Taiwan, according to LEDinside.

LEDVANCE, one of the world's leading general lighting providers for professional users and end consumers, is now 100 percent owned by the leading Chinese LED lighting company MLS. MLS has taken over the full ownership of LEDVANCE by means of a share deal with the strategic investor IDG Capital and the financial investor Yiwu. As part of the deal, IDG Capital and Yiwu will become shareholders of MLS via a joint investment.

Over the past two years, Micro LED, regarded as the new generation display technology, has attracted a lot of attention. Seeing great potential in this new technology, a large number of manufacturers have scrambled for it. According to LEDinside’s latest report "1Q18 Micro LED Next-Generation Display Technology Market Report- 2018 Micro LED and Mini LED Industry Trend", the market value of Micro LED is expected to reach US $2.891 billion in 2025.

The technology companies Osram and Continental have successfully concluded their negotiations on the Osram Continental GmbH joint venture.

LG is reported to have filed applications to the EU for three trademarks related to Micro LED displays. The trademarks are XµLED, SµLED, and XLµLED, Gsmarena.com carried in a report.

The sales of iPhone X turned out to be less than market expectation, so Samsung has lowered the utilization rate of OLED production lines. The tight supply of OLED panels over the past two years has also been eased. According to WitsView, a division of TrendForce, Apple has initiated the trend of OLED panels, and it is estimated that the penetration rate of OLED panel in smartphones will reach 46% by 2021. Mini LED is overwhelmed by OLED’s technology maturity and competitive costs, so it might be hard for Mini LED to grow in the smartphone market in short term.

We have seen at the trade show major lighting brands announce their determination to transition away from LED lighting companies to software-oriented IoT Solution providers. Companies in the lighting industry admitted their profits have been affected by severe price wars in the market and have tried to develop new business opportunities. However, in comparison, LEDVANCE chooses to not only keep but even expand its focus on general lighting as a globally active, full-scale LED lighting company.

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors recently entered into a technology and patent license agreement with X-Celeprint. The agreement covers X-Celeprint’s micro transfer printing technology.

Osram is strengthening its electronic component business with the acquisition of BAG electronics, a Trilux subsidiary. BAG specializes in LED modules and software for innovative LED lighting solutions. The company, based in Arnsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, was previously part of the Trilux Group. Following the takeover, its 380 employees have moved to Osram. At the same time, a strategic five-year supply contract including a minimum sales volume has been agreed, with Osram supplying Trilux with components for use in its lights. BAG generated revenues of around €50 million in 2017.

Students attending Dubai’s Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) need never flick a light switch or search for a tutorial or classroom again. Philips Lighting has equipped the university with state-of the-art connected LED lighting controlled by its Interact Office system. The technology enables faculty staff to control and personalize light settings using a smartphone app, while students can be guided to rooms using lighting-based indoor positioning technology. Such innovations bring to life Philips Lighting’s strategy to deliver new capabilities as value expands from lighting products to software and services.

Telensa, specializing in deployment of connected street lighting and Smart City applications, announced that it has been selected by Whakatane District Council to deploy its PLANet intelligent streetlighting system. The project, part of a New Zealand Transport Agency programme to convert existing road lighting to LED, will involve replacing Whakatane’s 2,500 streetlights with wirelessly managed LEDs. The project is due for completion in June 2018.

Together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, TEMICON and Continental, Osram Opto Semiconductors has been working since October 2017 on the development of extremely compact and low-profile optical components for data visualization or illumination.

Over the past few years, MLS has been attracting more and more global attention. Not only did the LED packaging company top the industry in China, the scale of its electronic manufacturing service (EMS) business ramped up at a speed its competitors failed to catch up. In 2017, the establishment of Global Value Lighting with Lighting Science and the acquisition of LEDVANCE from Osram evinced the ambition of MLS for a vertical integration to approach end markets.