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.

Cree appoints Daniel Castillo as President, Lighting, effective Nov. 7, 2016. In this role, Castillo will report to Chuck Swoboda and will lead both the commercial and consumer lighting businesses. Castillo joins Cree from Eaton Corporation, where he was most recently Senior Vice President, Oil, Gas and IEC Assemblies. Prior to his work at Eaton, Castillo held leadership roles in lighting and other electrical product areas at both Cooper Industries and General Electric.

Osram has been very active over the last past months, and recent market rumors have resurfaced about interested Chinese buyers. This time the rumored acquisitor is its Chinese rival San’an Opto, who will mostly be looking into merging Osram Opto, according to LEDinside sources. San’an Opto is rumored to be offering a generous EUR 7.2 billion for the German LED company, but there are also some estimating the German company can fetch a sales price of nearly EUR 8 billion.

Effective Oct. 4, 2016, Osram, a leading global lighting and technology company, has successfully completed the acquisition of Novità Technologies, a U.S. manufacturer of automotive LED modules which are used primarily in tail lights, fog lights and daytime running lights. With this move, Osram will further expand its position in the U.S. automotive LED market. “The successful closing of this transaction is a further step in our strategy to strengthen our leading position in automotive lighting and to expand our LED automotive portfolio for project business,” said Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of the Specialty Lighting business unit. 

Chinese LED chip manufacturer San’an Opto is in talks of acquiring Osram group, German magazine Wirtschaftswoche reported Thursday, without indicating information sources.The acquisition talks are more than just business transacations, but reveal Chinese government's industry policies, analyzed LEDinside.

Osram has gained the services of Thorsten Müller as its new Head of Innovation and Research. The 39-year-old is currently the CEO of the Connected Devices and Solutions division at Bosch and will take up his new position as Head of Corporate Innovation at Osram on December 1, 2016. “Thorsten Müller is an acknowledged expert on the Internet of Things”, said Stefan Kampmann, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of OSRAM Licht AG. “He will provide us with valuable impetus for the ongoing digitization and connectivity in the lighting industry and drive forward our transformation into a high-tech company.”

Sony is known for its technology in displays, TVs, and other consumer electronics, but its latest gadget unveiled recently in Japan is focusing on LED grow light technology, according to reports by Nikkei Technology and other tech media.

Neutrogena launched an economic LED facial mask on Monday that uses red and blue LEDs that can treat acne on people’s faces, reportedEliteDaily.

Leti, an institute of CEA Tech, announced today it has joined the Stanford SystemX Alliance, a network of 100 renowned Stanford University professors and 27 world-class companies, joining forces in a pre-competitive environment to define tomorrow’s research strategies. Leti’s participation bridges the gap between two worlds – academia and industry.

A new $200 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan will finance installation of millions of energy-efficient lights in streets and homes and energy-efficient water pumps in farms across India, leading to energy savings of around 3,800 gigawatt-hours per year, equivalent to the annual output of two 300-megawatt coal-fired power stations. 

Global leading research institute CEA LETI (LETI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Taiwan’s Institute for Information Industry (III) earlier Monday at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei.

More than 300 attendees turned up at LEDforum 2016, large numbers of visitors that signed up for the forum last minute queued patiently in front of the registration desk, a sight event organizers have not seen since 2011, said Roger Chu, director of research at LEDinside.

The six month run of NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Conditions Index (EBCI) scoring 50 or higher has ended with September’s result of 47.1. Dropping below 50 suggests that current conditions are no longer conducive for expansion in the electrical manufacturing sector. Only 24% of respondents reported better conditions in September, versus 33% last month. The share of respondents reporting worse conditions nearly doubled from 17% in August to 29% this month, while the proportion of panel members who noted unchanged conditions showed little movement—47% this time compared to 50% last month.

The Munich-based lighting company Osram has received a major order from BMW Group to convert eight of the car manufacturer's plants in Germany and Austria to modern and energy-saving LED technology. The order is one of the largest for Osram's Lighting Solutions (LS) Business Unit to date. The up to 170,000 luminaires covered by the framework agreement are being installed in several phases through to the end of 2017. "We are delighted to have received this major order. Our innovative LED luminaires will convert the lighting in BMW Group’s plants to cutting-edge technology and bring considerable savings in energy", said Eladia Pulido, CEO of Osram Lighting Solutions.

NET LED Lighting is delighted to announce it is the sole distributor of the LG LED Essentials Low/High Bay range to UK electrical wholesalers. These products expand the range of High Bays available through NET LED and promise to make energy savings simple for businesses with a simple plug-and-play control sensor.

LEDinside team would like to apologize for the lack of updates over the last two days. Taiwan was particularly hard hit by Typhoon Megi over the past two days, and the country declared consecutive days off for workers. Although, we made the announcement through various social media channels, we would like to apologize for the lack of news during this time frame and the inconvinence caused.

Taiwanese LED company Lianovation announced last Friday it will be halting trade on the Chinese bourse as of Monday this week, due to uncertainties in a recent acquisition caused by changes in the capital market, management environment, and company restructure.

A city located in eastern India, Chennai is finanlizing its second phase streetlight extension which will value an estimated INR 1.45 billion (US $200 million) and install 74,000 new LED streetlights in an expanded area.

Udaipur, a city in western Indian state Rajasthan, recently rolled out a massive LED streetlight replacement.

GE has unlocked the wide color gamut potential for mobile phones, tablets, PCs and TVs with its RadiantRed™ Technology, delivering greater overall color and the truest red color possible in LED-backlit LCD displays. The technology offers manufacturers the ability to create the brightest, most colorful LED HD displays available for a wide range of devices, including the next generation of mobile devices and high dynamic range (HDR) TVs.

Feilo Acoustics the lighting arm of INESA announced it will be scaling up investments in smart lighting by forming a joint venture with two other Chinese companies, including a state-owned investment company.

Refond Optoelectronics recently announced its board members approved two proposals including the termination of its subsidiary in Dongyuan city in Guangdong Province, China, and forming a joint venture with foreign investors.

Rising VR, security and small pitch LED display demands has led to severe shortage in AlInGaP LEDs, reported Chinese-language newspaper Commercial Times.

The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) based in North Carolina, U.S. has finished 85% of its streetlight upgrade from sodium-vapor lights to brighter energy-saving LED bulbs, reported Fayobserver.