Philips, the global leader in lighting and Cisco, the worldwide leader in IT, today announce a global strategic alliance that will create new value in energy savings, building efficiency and employee productivity, made possible by the Internet of Things (IoT) in modern offices. This alliance brings together Philips’ LED based connected lighting system with Cisco’s IT network to address a global office market estimated to be worth EUR 1 billion¹.

"LED lighting solutions save power and therefore reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and they're not only environmentally-friendly but also economic. In most situations, costs for upgrading to LED lighting are paid back rapidly due to lower electricity costs," stated Dr. Eladia Pulido, CEO of the Osram Lighting Solutions business unit. Dr. Pulido took part in the podium discussion concerning "Energy Efficiency – The Game Changer" during the UN climate conference COP21 in Paris. Christophe Richon, Strategic Marketing Osram Lighting Solutions, also held a talk as part of the accompanying technical forum of the ADEME (French agency for environment and energy management) about "LED Streetlighting Solutions – An easy Switch for Cities".

Osram announced by raising the share of semiconductor sales from the global general lighting market could help it reduce the total cost of producing chips for LEDs at its new factory to be opened in Malaysia, reported Bloomberg.

The East Coast Railway (ECoR) in India has implemented the central government sponsored Domestic Efficient Lighting Program (DELP) in areas under its jurisdiction, reported The Times of India.

Seoul Semiconductor announced that it has prevailed in a series of patent invalidation actions against Japanese lens maker Enplas also concluded royalty-bearing licenses regarding LED technology with North American television makers, which demonstrates the strength of Seoul’s LED technology and intellectual property program.

In October, GE launched Current, a startup focusing on bringing to market a holistic energy-as-a-service offering absent from the industry today. Former IBM Watson executive John Gordon just became Current’s first chief digital officer.

EcoSense®, a fast-growing LED technology company, announced today that it has acquired the assets of Journée Lighting.  Journée Lighting is a privately owned, CA-based lighting company that specializes in the design and development of specification grade lighting.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in conjuntion with the Canadaian government have recalled about 25,000 TCP PAR38 LED lamps over electrical shock hazards.

Epistar has come a long way from its foundation in 1996 to become one of the largest players in Taiwan’s LED industry, mergers and acquisitions played a significant role in the process of building up the company. The company Chairman B.J. Lee shared some insights on the company’s business strategies at the 2015 Pan Wen Yuan Prize Award Ceremony on Monday, which took place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taipei.

Nobel physics laureate Shuji Nakamura recently said importance of Ultraviolet LEDs will grow as the next generation LED technology can also help prevent the spread of deadly diseases, and possibly eradicate them, according to a Korea Times report.

Rumors of Apple’s intention to trade existing LCD display technology for the lighter and thinner OLED screens has been circulating awhile on the market, a recent report from Japanese newspaper Nikkan has named Japan Display as the latest contender for Apple’s iPhone 8 OLED panel orders.

Stand next to a traditional incandescent bulb and a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb, and you will feel the difference as much as see it. Both produce the same amount of light, yet the incandescent bulb is too hot to touch. All that excess heat is wasted energy.

At COP21 in Paris today, Philips Lighting released a paper highlighting the unprecedented energy savings potential of a global transition to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting. 

Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting and the City of San Jose officially announced a project to pilot 50 Philips SmartPoles, which bring together energy efficient LED lighting and fully integrated 4G LTE wireless technology by Ericsson. This pilot was initiated through the City’s Demonstration Partnership Policy, which was established to support the City’s Economic Development Strategy and City operations. The pilot partnership will also help test backbone technology needed to power San Jose’s smart city transformation so that it can save energy, have brighter streets at night, and respond to the changing needs of its residents.

Ameresco, a leading energy efficiency and renewable energy company, and the Newport News Public Schools (NNPS) announced today they are partnering on a comprehensive $14.8 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) to improve buildings and increase operational efficiency. The infrastructure upgrades are expected to deliver greater energy efficiency and operational cost savings, enhance comfort for building occupants, reduce greenhouse gasses and emissions, and demonstrate the Schools’ ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship.

The LED backlight industry might still experience an exceptionally cool season in 2016, but breakthroughs are expected in the tube light replacement market, said Epistar Chairman B.J.Lee at the 2015 Pan Wen Yuan Prize Award Ceremony at the Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel in Taipei, Taiwan earlier today.

World leaders gathered in Paris last week for the 21st UN climate conference, known as COP21. At the meeting, U.S. Energy Secretary Dr. Ernest Moniz highlighted several solutions to reduce carbon emissions, including launching a Climate Energy Ministerial initiative to encourage the adoption of LED bulbs worldwide.

At COP21 heads of some of the planet's biggest brands - Unilever, Google, IKEA, Philips and Marks & Spencer - along with policymakers from around the world, shared their core commitments to decarbonizing. Collectively they send a clear message that  business is expecting a long-term goal from the global climate talks in Paris next week, in order to make longer-term low carbon investment decisions.

A small startup company Off Grid Electric is aiming to transform the solar market in Africa, where three out of four households are living without electricity, and make energy affordable in the power hungry continent.

LEDinside projections of the LED market outlook in 2016 are published below for UVC LED market, and other niche market applications.India LED bulb prices might be marked down INR 20 further. A couple of business deals to follow recently, Tridonic sells its signage business to AgiLight, while Philips adds Ledra to its lineup of LED bulb patent licensees.

Through production expansion projects, and headhunting Taiwanese competitors best talents, Chinese panel makers are putting leading Taiwanese display makers Innolux and AUO under immense pressure, reported Chinese-media TechNews.

Nathalie Jardin, the 31-year- old lighting designer who has been working at Bataclan for almost four years, was one of the 89 people killed in the terrorist attacks at Bataclan in Paris on Friday night, Nov. 13, 2015, reported Live Design.

HC Semitek subsidiary in Suzhou’s, high power epiwafer LED chip and commercialization project received RMB 6 million (US $940,000) subsidy out of a total grant of RMB 10 million.

Indonesian capital Jakarta is spending Rp 1.2 trillion (US $86,736) on LED streetlight upgrades, reported Coconuts Jakarta.

LED streetlights will become mandatory in New Delhi in the near future, as the city plans to replace existing traditional light sources with LEDs to reduce energy consumption, The India Times cited Power Minister Satyender Jain saying.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has published an Apple patent application for integrating displays into woven fabrics, reported 9to5Mac.

Philips, the global leader in lighting and India’s leading lighting company, has won  two major separate LED solar street lighting contracts for UPNEDA (Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency) and MANIREDA (Manipur Renewable Energy Development Agency). The tender process involved meeting the exacting requirements of both UPNEDA and MANIREDA with a strong focus on energy conversion based on new and renewable energy sources.

Remtec, the leading manufacturer of ceramic substrates, packages and submounts using PCTF (Plated Copper on Thick Film) metallization, has been acquired by LTI (www.legacytechnologies.com), a major player in the field of precision glass-to-metal seals and glass-to-metal hermetic packages.

Noesis, the tech-enabled lending marketplace for financing energy-saving commercial building improvements, worked together with Enviro-Lite Solutions, a leading Texas-based LED lighting company, to get approval on a significant municipality project. The two companies partnered to help Donna, TX migrate its outdated lighting infrastructure to more energy-efficient LEDs, which is expected to generate US $140,000 in savings in the first year.  

GT Advanced Technology’s exit bankruptcy details were filed in court this week, according to an Apple Insider report based on summary made by The Wall Street Journal earlier this week.