Xicato announces it is now shipping XIM Gen4, its 4th generation intelligent module that integrates Bluetooth Low Energy wireless communication, beacon capability and fully featured light control with the industry's tightest specification light source.

Indian government’s energy efficiency program is in place for Bengaluru. LED tube lights will be distributed at subsidized prices, reported Times of India.

Chinese LED manufacturers have been very active in international acquisitions in recent years. One of the most successful representatives in the LED lighting industry this year has been Forest Lighting (MLS) and a consortium of Chinese investors acquired Osram’s general lighting business LEDVANCE. Other Chinese investors also showed interest in absorbing the company recently, with market rumors about San’an Opto’s acquisition of Osram spreading like wildfire recently.

Lextar Electronics, the vertically integrated LED maker in Taiwan, is setting the trend with human-centric lighting, a combination of LED lighting fixtures with a control system that can simulate day and night to change the color temperature of the light. At the same time, the company also launched “Solar White”, its latest LED light quality upgrade technology capable of generating an LED light source similar to natural sunlight. Lextar will attend the Hong Kong International Lighting Fair (Autumn Edition) from 27-30 October 2016, where it will once again publicly display its concept of human-centric lighting in the form its ALLUXIA flat panel lights.  ALLUXIA has won the German Design Award and the Red Dot design award 2016.

Sharp might be shutting down its LED display plant in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan in 2017, as part of its restructuring efforts implemented by parent company Foxconn, sources familiar with the matter told Japan Times recently.

On Oct. 18, 2016, Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a patent infringement lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against HTC NIPPON, a Japanese affiliate of Taiwanese HTC (“HTC”), and Kanematsu Communications, a distributor of HTC NIPPON, seeking an injunction and compensation for damages.

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced a state-of-the-art connected LED lighting system to be unveiled on the Big River Crossing as the finale of its grand opening celebration on October 22, 2016.

Micro-LEDs, why do we love you so much, when commercialization will take another five to ten years? Despite the long incubation period ahead before micro-LED screens can reach mass production stage, Facebook’s VR subsidiary Oculus announced it absorbed Irish micro-LED company InfiniLED. The strategy seems eerily familiar with the one launched by Apple years back in 2013, when it took Luxvue under its wing, so Oculus and its parent company Facebook are potentially eyeing micro-LEDs for its next generation VR headsets.

Grenoble-based research institute CEA LETI (LETI) recently shared with LEDinside how it is transforming nanowire technology first designed for transistors into making ultra-bright LEDs.

Chinese investors are not the only ones showing interest in purchasing Siemen’s 17% stake in Osram, according to a latest report from German business magazine Manager Magazin.

Philips Lighting reports sales at EUR 1.7 billion, continued profitability increase led by gross margin improvement; solid cash flow

Philips Lighting, a global leader in lighting, announced that it had signed up its 700th member for its EnabLED Licensing Program for LED luminaires and retrofit bulbs and that 100 new members have joined in the last nine months. The program, which gives companies a license and support to use its patented innovations, saw a 36% growth in member companies from Asia in the same period. 

Samsung Electronics scrapped its flagship Galaxy Note 7 after a series of explosion incidents caused by faulty batteries that has dented its brand reputation. Industry insiders estimate the Korean electronic conglemorate might raise DRAM, AMOLED and other component prices to compensate losses incurred from the Note 7 incidents.

Canadian city Kelowna located inthe south of Canada’s British Columbia province launched a pilot LED streetlight project that could help the city save millions of dollars and cut costs, reported CBC News.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, announced consolidated revenue of US $321 million from continuing operations, and $50 million from discontinued operations, for a combined revenue of $371 million for its first quarter of fiscal 2017. This represents a 13% decrease compared to combined revenue of $425 million ($381 million from continuing operations and $44 million from discontinued operations) for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and a 4% decrease compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Combined GAAP net income for the first quarter of fiscal 2017 was $0.6 million, or $0.00 per diluted share, compared to combined GAAP net loss of $24 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, for the first quarter of fiscal 2016.

Germany’s Deputy Economy Minister Matthias Maching submitted a proposal comprising of six key points to government officials to review investment at the EU level on Monday, Reuters cited local newspaper Welt am Sonntag reporting.

The U.S. Department of Energy's CALiPER program has released a new Snapshot report on outdoor area lighting that covers area/roadway luminaires, parking garage luminaires, and canopy luminaires. Outdoor area lighting is a major contributor to nationwide energy use, and the market segment has been an important player in the transition to solid-state lighting.

Since its launch earlier this year, Aura Light’s lighting rental scheme has seen a significant take-up by large companies wanting to spread the cost of their investment.

San’an Opto said that the company has engaged in preliminary discussions with Osram upon a potential acquisition or partnership. However, the two parties only met once to discuss related issues so far.

Everlight filed a declaratory judgment action against Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) for invalidity and non-infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 5,998,925 and 7,531,960 in the U.S. District Court for Eastern District of Michigan in 2012. These two patents are directed to YAG phosphor being used in LEDs and phosphor concentration. The court confirmed that all asserted claims of Nichia’s patents were invalid. Aside from the U.S. court ruling, Everlight has receive favorable rulings in Japan and Taiwan that Nichia’s patents are invalid.

Royal Philips NV is in discussion to sell its lighting-components division, Lumileds to American private equity firm, Apollo Global Management LLC, reported Bloomberg Technology.

Osram Opto’s advanced optical designs and light contrast technology might one day be applied in next gen LED manufacturing, said Byron Liang the German lighting giant’s Marketing Manager of VIS LED department in its China branch.

On September 29, 2016, Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) filed a request for a preliminary injunction in Germany at the Düsseldorf District Court against Mouser Electronics Inc. (“Mouser”), alleging that the white LED product “334-15/X1C5-1QSA” manufactured by Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Everlight”) and distributed by Mouser in Germany infringes Nichia’s YAG patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929).

Cree confirmed that the company has laid off approximately 2.5% of its employees at its Durham headquarters, reported the Journal Times. The company reported that local job cuts and an unspecified number of jobs that were eliminated out of “response to current business conditions.”

Microelectronics from Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) is a key technology for automated and connected driving. As leading chip provider for driver assistance systems, Infineon continues its innovation path and has acquired 100 percent of Innoluce BV, a fabless semiconductor company headquartered in Nijmegen. Based on the know-how of Innoluce, Infineon will develop chip components for high-performance lidar systems. Both companies agreed on confidentiality on the terms.

X-Celeprint, a XTRION owned company, is working with potential partners to adopt its elastomer stamp micro-assembly technology for commercialization, the company CTO Christopher Bower told LEDinside during LEDforum 2016, which took place in late September in Taiwan.

San’an Opto clarified rumors that it was in acquisition talks with Osram on Monday.

The International Energy Agency might try replicating India’s LED bulb policy in Indonesia to lower costs of the efficient lighting technology, reported The Hindu.

In June 2016 NICHIA commenced a lawsuit claiming that certain white LED-containing products sold by B&Q plc, the largest DIY company in the UK, and sourced from third-party Asian manufacturers infringed Nichia's European “YAG” patents.

Chinese LED lighting company Yaming Lighting appointed Ayhan Siriner as the new general manager for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as part of its regional deployment strategy.