Dialight announced the debut of its new ultra-durable 480V Passive Power Supply, offering higher energy efficiency to outperform conventional switch mode power supply (SMPS) technology in high-voltage applications. The new 480V Passive Power Supply debuts on the 18,000-lumen package and will become the standard power supply used on every new Dialight fixture designed for high-voltage applications.

Beleaguered Sharp will be shedding 10% of its workforce, and inject 200 billion Japanese Yen (US $1.66 billion) in a global restructure plan, reported Reuters and several other Japanese media including Nikkei.

HC Semitek reported exponential revenue growth during 2014 fiscal year, reported Chinese-media Sina.

Aldermen of Manchester city in New Hampshire, U.S. have chosen Siemens traditional LED streetlights over Philips smart streetlights, reported local media the New Hampshire Union Leader.

A Japanese startup company no new folk studio has launched an interactive LED shoe that enables dancers, and artists to design lighting patterns from their unique dance moves.

The one-light-for-all principle is outdated at a time when we are all living and working longer. Today 30-50% of people in work are over 45 years old1 and Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, says office lighting needs a serious rethink at a policy level. In Europe, the minimum lighting requirements for writing, typing, reading and data-processing in offices is 500 lux2, but Philips has gathered research to show that this is not considered sufficient3 by almost a third of today’s global workforce.

Lunera® Lighting, a leader in lighting innovations accelerating the transformation to advanced LED technology, is pleased to announce it has selected Industry Data Exchange Association (IDEA) Industry Data Warehouse (IDW) as its electronic data synchronization platform. Electronic data transfer makes it easier for Lunera to quickly connect with its own salesforce and customers for more effective business-to-business e-commerce.

Sengled, makers of intelligent lighting products that integrate consumer electronics with LED bulbs, today announced that the company is partnering with Republic Records to demonstrate how a reinvented light bulb can bring music to life – and light. Sengled's smart LED bulb with a built-in JBL speaker makes it simple to integrate music into everyday life – without all the clutter of wires, power cords and remote controls. Sengled and Republic Records will team up at the SXSW conference to show music lovers how it works between live shows from popular bands.

Cree’s patent lawsuit against Feit Electronics and Unity Opto has sounded a warning bell for the Chinese LED industry, according to a ledsw.com report.

Representatives from Everlight and Edison Opto have recently rebutted an earlier Digitimes report claiming the two companies were in acquisition talks.

Acuity Brands, one of the world's leading providers of LED lighting solutions for both indoor and outdoor applications, today announces a strategic partnership with Sensity Systems​, a pioneer in light sensory networks. Acuity Brands and Sensity plan to create a joint solution that further transforms energy-efficient LED lighting into a smart, connected platform for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

Soraa, the world leader in GaN on GaN™ LED technology, announced today that Ann Reo has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Product Development. With over 20 years of LED product development and lighting design experience, Ann has the unique ability to solve challenges with solutions that others don’t see.

Cree has expanded its $1.5 million commitment to provide LED lighting for new Habitat for Humanity homes built in the United States. Building on the company’s 2010 pledge to provide Cree® LED downlights, Cree is now offering Habitat for Humanity affiliates the New Cree LED Bulb, making whole-home LED lighting possible for Habitat homeowners.

In the ongoing Foshan Lighting deceptive financial lighting case, another 519 plaintiffs are now demanding compensation, reported Chinese media Sinai.

Samsung Electronics will be scaling up investments in LED chip business this year, specifically in silicon substrate based LED technology, according to a Money DJ report.

A chair member of listed Chinese LED manufacturer Zhejiang Yankon Group (Yankon) has recently resigned, stated the company in a recent press release.

Following the launch of the sapphire covered Apple Watch, Tawanese sapphire makers share value have soared over the last week. As the LED industry enters a peak season, sapphire industry shares value have reached new record high, reported Apple Daily.

Artificial night time light from sources such as street lamps affects the growth and flowering of plants and even the number of insects that depend on those plants for food, a study published today confirms.

Applied Ventures, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials and a leading corporate venture firm, announced today that it has participated in a Series B financing round for RayVio Corporation, an advanced UV LED solutions company developing proprietary semiconductor-based technology for manufacturing solid state ultraviolet (SSUV) LED products and applications. RayVio's patented technology is intended to enable large-scale adoption of UV LEDs for the industrial, digital health and consumer sectors, with a variety of applications to benefit society.

As more wearable devices flood the market, some manufacturers are now tapping into the pet attire and accessories market.

CRAIC Technologies, a leading innovator of UV-visible-NIR microanalysis solutions, is proud to announce the addition of circular polarization spectroscopy capabilities to CRAIC microspectrophotometers.  This unique feature is offered as packages that allow the user to measure the circular polarization spectra in either transmission or reflectance modes.  T he ability to measure circular polarization microspectra™ represents a powerful new tool for both materials science and biological research. 

HC Semitek projected it will be incurring heavy losses from January 1 to March 31, according to a Chinese media Securities Time report.

Lattice Power CEO Min Wang has vehemently denied a Reuters report suggesting the company was on its way of acquiring Philips Lumileds.

Chinese startup Lattice Power has emerged as an unexpected bidder in the auction of Philips lighting component business, reported Reuters.

Nitride Solutions a developer and manufacturer of advanced nitride substrates for LEDs, lasers, and power electronics—announced today that it has successfully closed US $3 million in new funding as Hansol Chemical, Greenpoint Global Mittelstand Fund, and Silicon Pastures Angel Investment Network joined the company’s investor group. Funds will be used to expand production of the company’s aluminum nitride substrate offerings, as well as to accelerate market introduction of its high-performance thermal management coatings.

LED Source, North America’s leading LED lighting solutions provider, has made a name for itself as an industry leader by providing products and solutions that represent the latest in LED technology. Celebrating a decade in business, the company Entrepreneur Magazine rated as one of the top new franchises on its 2015 New Franchise list is now leveraging multiple partnerships with leading lighting companies like Philips and Ketra to expand its contributions to commercial LED lighting.

Leading Taiwanese LED maker Epistar announced recently that the company had acquired German manufacturer ALLOS unique GaN-on-Si technology. ALLOS has licensed the related patent to Epistar, and the two companies have concluded the initial phase of its technology transfer project. For further information please see original press release below.

Nichia has announced its product lineup for 2015 will include ELEDS, its first flip chip LEDs by the end of 2015. The new chip will be much smaller than existing products on the market. The company will also be launching new UV LED, red phosphor and laser diode based products. LEDinside projects Chinese sapphire industry will pick up as Apple Watch hits the markets. The price tag for the gold Watch Edition is a bank breaking $10,000. Sharp refutes claims last week that it will be withdrawing from the solar industry, or LED residential lighting market. TrendForce PV specialist observes the company will continue solar operations, but is transiting into an integrated energy solution provider. Philips lighting component business, which comprises of Philips Lumileds and automotive lighting might be sold to private equity consortium CVC and KKR. Osram will be increasingly focused on service and maintenance business in the near future as it overhauls its traditional lighting business.

According to a TrendForce photovoltaic analyst’s understanding, financially struggling Sharp might not be withdrawing from the solar business after all.

Private equity firms CVC and KKR have offered the highest bid for acquiring Philips lighting components business, a Reuters report cited three sources familiar with the matter saying.