ALPHA-RLH (Route des Lasers & des Hyperfréquences) is a newly formed technology cluster specializing in photonics, lasers, microwave and digital technologies. It is the result of a merger between two French competitiveness clusters, Route des Lasers and Elopsys.

Holiday lighting is expected to add 750-800 megawatts (MW) to the level of electricity used by New Yorkers this season, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) reports.

Brighton and Hove Council in UK is set to save more than GBP 200,000 (US $ 251,720) a year and slash its energy and carbon footprint by introducing new LED street lighting.

Chinese equipment manufacturer Jiangsu Huasheng Tianlong Photoelectric sealed a large monocrystalline silicon growth furnace order from equipment manufacturer SuperBrain valuing RMB 186 million (US $29.95 million).

AIXTRON, one of the world’s leading providers of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced today that Grand Chip Investment GmbH (GCI) declared today that the voluntary public takeover offer for the acquisition of all shares, including all shares represented by ADSs, of AIXTRON SE (AIXTRON) by GCI published on July 29, 2016 has lapsed due to the non-fulfillment of an offer condition.

Chinese LED manufacturer Lianovation filed a suit against Hanen Digital Interconnect Culture (Hanen Digital) for not returning earnest money after the two organizations canceled an acquisition deal, reported Chinese-language media Sinai.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ initiative, to promote local manufacturing of LED bulbs fell flat when suppliers could not keep up with the large volume of demands, reported The Quint.

The chances of Chinese investor Grand Chip Investment (GCI) acquiring Aixtron are looking rather slim, following U.S. President Barack Obama recent order that bans the business transaction, reported Bloomberg.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced it is close to concluding Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA) talks in Geneva, Switzerland, which would reduce tariffs for eco-friendly products including LED lights, bikes, and recycled paper products.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science published the Fiscal Year 2017 Phase I, Release 2 Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on November 28, 2016, for the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Under DE-FOA-0001619, whose complete listing of technical topics was released on October 31, DOE seeks applicants for grants directed toward FY17 Phase I, Release 2 projects. Topics for this funding opportunity can be found at //science.energy.gov/sbir/funding-opportunities and include LED and OLED lighting (see topic 10b).

Facing a severe operation crisis Korean conglomerate Samsung Electronic is considering to take the advice of hedge fund management firm Elliott Management Corporation to spin-off into two independent legal entities, The Seoul Economic Daily cited sources familiar with the matter.

China’s LED lighting market value will surpass RMB 500 billion (US $72.45 billion) by 2016, said Ling Wu, the Secretary General of China’s International Solid State Alliance (ISA).

Surging investments made by Chinese firms in EU high-tech industries is fueling conflict between Beijing, Berlin and Brussels, reported The Politico.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s abrupt demonization policies launched on Nov. 8, 2016 and its ripple effect has left a dent for LED manufacturers relying heavily on cash transactions, reported The Hindu.

Technavio analysts forecast the global automotive adaptive front lighting system market to grow at a CAGR of almost 13% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

How many times has the lighting industry come together to discuss, criticize even try to find a solution for the poor quality, non-compliant products entering the UK market un-checked, creating confusion and unfair competition?

The II-VI Infrared Division of II-VI Incorporated, a company specializing in laser optics, announced that Dr. Ahmad Magad, Group Managing Director of the II-VI Infrared Optics Manufacturing Operations in Asia, was awarded the 2016 Walter L. Hurd Executive Medal by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO). Dr. Ahmad Magad will receive the award on Nov. 21, 2016 at the 22nd Asia Pacific Quality Conference in Rotorua, New Zealand.

Aixtron and Grand Chip Investment defy CFIUS objections to cancel the deal over U.S. national security concerns, and are appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the case in the next 15-days. The German Economic Ministry halted the acquisition business transaction, shortly after U.S. government representatives presented evidence suggesting Aixtron’s might pose a national security threat, which a Wall Street Journal reported mainly involves GaN epiwafer growing technology, a material that could be made to use improve military equipment such as radar.

Even though the decorative lighting industry performance was average in 2016, the industry remained upbeat about its market outlook next year, according to statistics compiled by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

New technology revolutions and industry evolutions are creating opportunities, developments in China and internationally are undergoing metamorphosis that are reshaping industry developments, said Jianlin Cao, a former Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

Nichia explained the legal course of actions it took throughout 2016 were not aimed at particular manufacturers, but was part of their general intellectual property protection policy.

Taiwanese LED chip manufacturers that successfully transitioned from blue LEDs to red LEDs have set new revenue records from their budding AlInGaN LED business.

The slowdown in LED backlight market including smartphone displays continued to trend on into 2016 that even top player in the industry Nichia is looking beyond this particular market sector in its 2017 roadmap.

The Connected Lighting Alliance (TCLA), the primary advocate of wireless lighting connectivity, announced that is has accomplished its goal of converging the lighting industry in support of the use of open protocols for wireless lighting solutions.

Japanese manufacturers in the Tohoku region went about business as usual, despite a 7.4 magnitude quake at a depth of 10 kilometers that struck off the shores of Fukushima earlier this morning, reported TechNews.

Growing number of Chinese smartphone makers are raising investments in OLED panels, including BOE Technology Group and six other major local players have constructed new factories and invested in total more than 2 trillion Japanese Yen (US $9 billion), reported Nikkei Asian Review.

Xiaolan, a small town with a population of 157,000 residents located in Guangdong Province in Southern China has seen its LED industry market value balloon in a short span of 8-years, reported Zhongshan Daily.

Taiwanese IC driver manufacturer Macroblock has successfully developed LED drivers for small pitch displays, and is eyeing driver solutions for an innovative display technology next year, reported China Post.

NIPSCO announced plans to convert existing street lights to LED)technology through its LED Street Light Program. NIPSCO-owned street lights will be changed at no additional cost to participating communities. This program is the first of its kind in Indiana.

Latest developments in Germany this week are making a Chinese investor takeover of Osram, and the outlook of the approval of IDG Capital consortium’s acquisition of LEDVANCE appear rather dim. Germany’s biggest labor union has become one of the latest advocates against a Chinese merger of Osram, as it seeks to keep factory jobs and others in the country.