Like with many things in life, you can never ride the same Santa sleigh twice. Every holiday season the elves roaming labs and corridors at GE Global Research (GRC) trick out Santa’s ride with their latest technology. The need for their skills has never been more urgent than this December, with the planet’s human population above 7 billion and rocketing higher. How Santa pleaded with the elves to make him fly faster, smoother and increase his range!

Taiwan based LED package manufacturer Everlight had successful lighting revenue growth in 2013 due to gradually maturing LED lighting applications. Although, 4Q is typically a slack season for the LED industry, the company’s revenue this quarter were 30 percent higher than 4Q last year making up 25 percent of the company’s overall revenue, similar to the revenue proportion from backlighting. Everlight’s lighting revenue is anticipated to surpass backlighting for the first time, due to market growth in 2014 LED lighting.

Chinese LED chip manufacturer Elec-Tech has been seeking partnership with Taiwan-based manufacturers. Regarding forming partnerships with Chinese LED die manufacturers, Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI) is open to discussion, as long as it benefits the industry, company, and stockholders,  said GPI Chairman David Chung.

Apple has filed for a new patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office entitled “Quantum dot-enhanced display having diachronic filter” for enhancement of color accuracy in displays. This patent shows the company’s eagerness in researching next-generation screen technology to keep their products on the cutting edge.

Urban Matter Inc. has just completed installing noise interactive LED lights on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway pedestrian pathway. The lights are lit up by the New York City Department of Transportation and the Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership switched on the lights, a new public art installation located underneath the expressway, according to an Inhabitant report.

Osram Sylvania’s sixth annual SYLVANIA Socket Survey finds that 65 percent of Americans plan to switch to more energy-efficient lighting technologies, as a result of federally mandated legislation that is increasing efficiency standards. Yet, 30 percent of consumers say that they plan to buy a lot of less efficient traditional incandescent light bulbs where still available and will continue using them. 

Texas Instruments presents engineers with 12 handy engineer design tips this Christmas. Their Facebook profile offers some insights into designing power systems, wireless power charging, IC, and other designs. TI staff also gets creative with a humorous blog entry that investigates Santa’s sleigh technology.

Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC) lead frames have high thermal resistance, Ultraviolet (UV) resistance, high electric voltage conductivity, and resistance to yellowing. They offer a new choice for LED package manufactures that are continuously looking for new ways to lower costs.

LED manufacturer Lextar’s Suzhou factory has begun die manufacturing on top of existing package and wire bonding production. The Suzhou factory will introduce an estimated 16 MOCVD to produce 60,000 2 inch dies a month. Adding on the current production capacity of the company’s Taiwanese factory, 160,000 in total will be produce monthly, total production capacity increase of around 37.5 percent. The new production capacity has already entered into a trial phase and is estimated to officially begin 2Q14.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has published the findings of a new study utilizing a highly accelerated life-test method (called the “hammer test”) intended to produce failures in SSL luminaires in a reasonable test period, with the goal of providing insight into potential failure modes. EntitledHammer Testing Findings for Solid-State Lighting Luminaires, the report was prepared by RTI International for DOE’s LED Systems Reliability Consortium.

Philips LED Lighting Campus in Chengdu that has been closely watched by the industry was opened today, in the western campus of the Chengdu High-tech Industrial Development Zone (Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan Province). On the same day, Philips also unveiled its world-class Lighting Application Center that is located within the facility. 

Christmas lighting specialist Piggotts has been chosen by Covent Garden Limited to create the Christmas illuminations across the market square and surrounding streets.

In order to reduce its carbon footprint, the historical Hotel Adlon Kempinski chose GE Lighting's retrofit LED lamps to replace its current inefficient halogen lighting in its 382 suites and guest rooms.

OSRAM SYLVANIA is demonstrating how innovative SYLVANIA and Traxon lighting solutions can benefit healthcare providers, patients and families in a next-generation inpatient care environment called “Patient Room 2020.” In collaboration with NXT Health, a non-profit open innovation platform for designing new healthcare experiences, OSRAM SYLVANIA and Traxon Technologies worked to supply a variety of LED lighting technologies and controls solutions to equip Patient Room 2020 with precise, customizable and energy-efficient lighting.

LIFX created a Wi-Fi enabled, multi-color, energy efficient LED light bulb that you can control with a smartphone. LIFX gives you a completely one-of-a-kind experience with your lights, up to 16+ million color options at your fingertips. 

Lucibel closed its €15 million (US $20.5 milllion) financing operation, started in March 2013, with an additional contribution of €9 million in bonds, convertible into shares, subscribed by Bpifrance, Aster Capital and CM CIC Capital Innovation.

San’an has completed a 30 percent transition from 2 inch to 4 inch sapphire substrate, and strives to reach 70 percent and above by next year, said  the company’s Chairman Secretary Li Xuetan.

Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) announced it has acquired a building in the Chengdu Hi-Tech Zone from UTAC Chengdu Ltd. Earlier this year, TI announced its investments in these operations could total up to US $1.69 billion over the next 15 years, further demonstrating its long-term investment strategy in this important region.

Apple has continued filing patents that enable flexible displays, but this time with a twist of sapphire. The U.S. consumer electronics giant has added to its range of patents a “killer invention” that enables flexible wraparound displays in potential future iPhone and other devices, according to a recent report by Apple Patently. 

According to a recent report from Navigant Research, worldwide revenue from occupancy sensors, photosensors, and lighting network control gear will grow from US$ 1.1 billion annually in 2013 to nearly US$ 2.7 billion by 2020.

Ten cities in Indian state Tamil Nadu including Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Coimbatore, Tuticorin, Erode, Salem, Tirupur, Vellore, Madurai and Tirunelveli will replace 200,000 40W fluorescent tube lights with LEDs, according to a report by Hindu Times. 

With the start of the Illuminade walking route, Amsterdam Light Festival 2013/2014 is now complete. Enjoy the many light artworks along this special walking route in the historic Plantagebuurt.

Lighting Science announced that founder and Chief Technology Officer Fred Maxik has been awarded his 100th patent by the United States Patent & Trademark Office. This milestone marks a prestigious career of LED innovation including patents for the first biologically-corrected lighting which is the genesis of the recently launched, ground-breaking Good Night™ LED lamp and the Awake & Alert™ LED lamp.

The LIGHTFAIR® International (LFI®) 2014 Conference brings together top lighting and design experts to create the largest Conference in LFI’s 25-year history. The Conference continues as a centerpiece of the world’s largest annual architectural and commercial lighting trade show and conference, which will take place in Las Vegas June 1-5, 2014 (Trade Show: June 3-5; Conference: June 1-5).

Acuity Brands, Inc. introduces technologically advanced Mongoose® LED Roadway and Area Lighting luminaires from Holophane® . The new LED luminaires significantly reduce energy and maintenance costs while providing a bright white light for improved visibility. The fixtures, named a 2013 IES Progress Report Selection, reduce energy expenses and CO2 emissions by up to 60 percent, and maintenance costs by more than 50 percent for new and retrofit applications.

Highlights this week: Philips releases a strangely flat LED bulb this week that resembles a horseshoe. The bulb without a heat sink is expected to help the manufacturer cut production costs. Also this week, Texas Instrument gives a comprehensive overview of the effects of the incandescent phase out in 2014, while LEDinside analysts give an in depth analysis of LED industry market trends next year at a seminar in Shenzhen China this week. In the OLED sector, Samsung shows its ambition in OLED technology by merging its OLED and LCD division, with Hon Hai (Foxconn technology) close behind with its announcement of mass producing OLED panels in 2015. For more please see below:

Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Genesis Photonics Inc. (GPI) has begun its vertical integration strategy in 2013, and will be moving from chip manufacturing to packaging and module production. The company’s new Kunshan factory will be focused in the areas of LED packaging and module production, said the company Chairman David Chung. GPI’s current flip chip monthly production capacity for LED chip packaging is about 4KK.

Taiwanese LED package manufacturer Tyntek has ended investment in LED upstream chip manufacturer Alpha Plus Epi Inc (Alpha Plus Epi) with an estimated recognized loss of NT $1 billion (US $33.4 million) for 2013. The company however does not plan to completely back out of the LED chip market. Instead, the company is shifting focus from the Taiwan market to China. Tyntek through a joint venture with Fujian Electronics & Information established Fujian Prima Optoelectronics in 2010. This new epitaxy factory is projected to begin mass production in 2H14.

Prasad Dhond, Marketing Manager of Lighting Power Products at Texas Instruments (TI) gives a comprehensive overview of the effects of the incandescent bulb phase out in 2014. Below is his recent blog entry:

New research by two John Hopkins University students showed older Apple Mac’s cameras, iSight, can be hacked to covertly monitor users.