Indian LED light manufacturers might be benefiting from a new government initiatives to promote the usage of energy saving bulbs, which the government projects will reach INR 200 billion (US $3.27 billion) by 2020, according to a report by Business Standard.

Agartala has completed the first phase of its 35,000 streetlight retrofit project last Thursday, according to a report of The Free Press Journal.

Epistar’s acquisition of TSMC SSL has been confirmed this week. In a joint press release the two companies reveal Epistar will acquire a 94% share in TSMC SSL. There are also a lot of new LED applications at CES 2015 this year. Japanese electronic giant Sony is entering the competition with its audio speaker LED lights and LED display, while auto makers Mercedes-Benz and BMW dazzle the crowd with their advanced lighting solutions. Another Japanese manufacturer Panasonic is working on acquiring larger market shares in the ASEAN region, according to Malaysian newspaper The Star.

Changshu city located in Jiangsu Province, China, has exported a total of 16,063 kilograms of LED phosphor powder valuing US $12.02 million last year, according to statistics compiled by the Changshu Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau.

Last week LEDinside reported Epistar’s intention of acquiring TSMC SSL, a LED lighting subsidiary of leading Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC, the two companies have released a joint press release Friday (Taipei Time) confirming the deal.

Following listing on the Taiwan bourse on Dec. 19, 2014, leading sapphire manufacturer Phecda Technology announced its ambition of becoming one of the world’s top three Patterned Sapphire Substrate (PSS) supplier, according to a report by China Times.

Domestic users in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) can contribute to 33 million units saving annually if they adopt the use of LEDs, according to a report from The Hindu.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday announced “Prakash Path – way to light” campaign to call for a national energy conservation revolution, according to reports from several Indian news agencies.

The rapidly changing landscape of lighting in the U.S., largely due to the widespread acceptance of light-emitting diode (LED) technology, has opened a universe of new possibilities regarding LED replacement lamps.

Not to be left behind rivals such as BMW and Audi, Mercedes-Benz has given its prototype automatic driving car a signaling and indicator system comprised of LEDs.

Police in Maine, U.S. have caught three men attempting to profit from smuggling a truck load of cheap state subsidized energy efficient bulbs to Chicago, according to an AP report.

The BMW M4 Concept Iconic Lights model, with exterior paintwork in Cool White metallic, features a new interpretation of the typical BMW twin round headlights. On the move, the laser technology can be identified by the fine blue strips inside the lights. Meanwhile, the rear light clusters of the BMW M4 Concept Iconic Lights model are based on OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes), which produce light from wafer-thin semiconducting layers of organic material. For the first time, both the tail lights and rear direction indicators feature OLED technology. 

With the microelectronic techniques and improvement on LED displays, fine pitch LED displays become a more popular solution for replacing indoor displays, such as commercial digital signage in the mall, meeting room, ballroom, TV studio, broadcast room, central control room, and even consumer TV. However, six challenges of fine pitch LED displays still haunt display manufacturers including lower ghosting, dim line at first scan line, uneven brightness, color shift, gradient dim line and cross effect caused by LED failure. These phenomena are obvious when displaying images with more grayscales at low brightness condition.

Police in Huizhou Municipal, Guangdong Province, China have applied for the official detainment of former NVC Lighting Chairman Changjiang Wu recently, according to a latest report from Chinese-language media East Money.com.

LEDs reduced U.S. CO2 emissions by an estimated 12 million tons in 2013, produce the greatest amount of light for the energy used, and have the longest lifetime of any lighting source available. In recognition of the significant benefit to society created by the initial development and commercialization of LED technologies 20 years ago, five pioneers will receive the $500,000 Draper Prize for Engineering.

According to a recently published smart lighting report from IHS Technology, increasing emphasis on reducing commissioning costs is promoting the use of more distributed lighting control architectures with fixture-level control. 

Strawberries taste better when they are illuminated in the autumn with LED grow lights, vitamin C content also increased as well, according to a Dutch research institute.

Sony Corporation is unveiling its new product lineup scheduled for release in 2015 at the "2015 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)" held in Las Vegas, Nevada beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015.

Taiwanese LED manufacturer Lextar reported incremental revenue growth in December 2014, according to a latest United Daily News (UDN) report.

Chinese LED manufacturer Leyard’s estimated net profits had shoot up 90% to 110% in 2014 to RMB 152 million to RMB 162 million (US $24.45 million to US $26.06 million), according to a Chinese-language Panorama Network report.

Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai’s (BMC) plan to upgrade LED streetlights in India capital Mumbai ran into trouble as former mayor Sunil Prabhu and the opposition parties questioned the tender procedure, according to a report of The Indian Express.

Qualcomm Incorporated today announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Atheros, Inc., and LIFX, a leader in smart lighting, have collaborated to deliver a turnkey Wi-Fi® based smart lighting platform that can accelerate the development of connected lighting.

In the past years, lighting has solidified its position as cornerstone of the smart home. With Philips hue, OSRAM Lightify and GE Link, consumers experience increasing freedom of choice.

Stack Lighting, the technology leader behind the world's first responsive lighting solutions, has joined the growing family of products, apps and services in the 'Works with Nest' developer program organized by Nest Labs, Inc. to help drive the conscious home.

Philips’s latest UHD TV uses laser technology to achieve wider range of colors, according to an engadget.com report.

Syfy, the media destination for imagination-based entertainment, and Philips, the global leader in lighting, today announced the world’s first-ever immersive lighting experience for an entire season of original series programming. With 12 Monkeys, a drama based on the iconic 1995 Universal Pictures film, the pairing of the Syfy Sync second screen app with the Philips Hue connected lighting system brings a new dimension to immersive TV. 

Scotiabank and Delviro Energy have teamed up to help improve 13 community rinks across Ontario, upgrading their lighting with energy efficient LED lights.

Japanese conglomerate Panasonic has been a very active player in the Asian lighting market in 2014, having ventured into the Indian market and signing onto a World Heritage Site program with the Indonesian government in late December that year.

Vishay Intertechnology, one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components, today acquired all of the remaining outstanding shares of Taiwan based Capella Microsystems Inc. (GreTai Securities Market: 3582) for approximately NT$668.2 million or US$21.0 million, pursuant to the terms of its previously announced merger agreement with Capella. Capella is a fabless IC design company specializing in optoelectronic products.

LG Display, the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, will showcase the latest advances in the industry, including its global leadership in OLED technology, during CES 2015 in Las Vegas from January 6 to 9.