Just as LED manufacturers are struggling in face of the declining profit in the lighting sector and the contraction of the backlight market, OLED emerges as the latest threat to their survival. Elevated by its potential to become one of Apple’s core technologies, OLED has expanded rapidly into various display and niche applications. While the LED industry expects even more challenging times ahead, new opportunities also appear on the horizon. Micro LED, which has been incorporated into Apple and Sony’s product roadmaps, are poised to become a commercially viable display technology that can be mass produced for everyday applications.

Chinese manufacturers technology have advanced in the past year to result in large GaN price fluctuations, and have entered III-V EPI-wafer synthesizing industry to build a comprehensive IoT and telecommunication supply chain in the upstream sector.

LG Innotek announced that the company mass-produces high power LED packages (3535 Gen4 series) for the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics stadium.

LEDVANCE announced that SYLVANIA smart lights can now be easily controlled via voice directly with the OSRAM LIGHTIFY® Gateway and Alexa-enabled devices including the hands-free voice controlled speaker Amazon Echo, helping make the Smart Home a reality for the general public. In addition to being able to control your lighting, Amazon Echo connects to Alexa to play music, provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more—instantly.

BeON Home, creator of the first home protection system that provides preventative security, safety and emergency lighting, released a key fob accessory to make home protection activation even simpler and more intuitive. Drawing on the company's extensive design experience, the new BeON key fob allows users of all ages to instantly activate the BeON system without the need for a smart phone or tablet.

Opple Lighting successfully closed its first IPO and raised RMB 864 million (US $130.26 million) after issuing 58 million shares, the company stated.

OLED displays might not be found on all iPhone 8 that is rumored to be launched in September 2017, according to a Barron’s blog article.

Lenovo demonstrated prototype tablets and smartphones housing flexible displays at Lenovo Tech World in June 2016, but its latest online video shows the company might launch other new products at the upcoming IFA in the next few weeks.

Changelight announced its revenue soared 107.14% to RMB 458.34 million (US $69.08 million) in second half of 2016, but its net profits tumbled, reported China Securities.

With judgment dated August 16, 2016 (docket number X ZR 96/14), the German Federal Court of Justice decided that the German part of Nichia’s patent EP 936 682 (DE 697 02 929), i.e. the “YAG patent” is valid. As a consequence, the Federal Court of Justice lifted entirely the first instance judgment of the German Federal Patent Court from 2014 (docket number 2 Ni 11/12) which had found Nichia’s YAG patent invalid and dismissed in total the nullity action initiated by Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. (“Everlight”).

Kyulux, an advanced materials startup company that is commercializing the next generation of OLED display and lighting technology known as TADF (Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence), announced today that it has secured a license to  Harvard University's  Molecular Space Shuttle deep learning system for the discovery of materials for display and lighting applications. The Molecular Space Shuttle is an artificial intelligence platform designed by Alán Aspuru-Guzik's group at  Harvard's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Cree, a market leader in LED lighting, today announced revenue of US $388 million for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, ended June 26, 2016. This represents a 2% increase compared to revenue of $382 million reported for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, and a 6% increase compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2016. GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter was $11 million, or $0.11 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net loss of $88 million, or $0.83 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. On a non-GAAP basis, net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 was $19 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015 of $21 million, or $0.19 per diluted share.

Global Clean Energy, GCE has signed distribution agreements with EPG Source of Dallas, Texas a leading Smart Energy and LED provider.

Zumtobel illuminates the new constructed Sägerbrücke bridge in Dornbirn by using a customised LED outdoor solution. With SUPERSYSTEM outdoor it was possible to achieve a completely uniform illumination of the entire surface and maximum visual comfort for the bridge and the “Do.Helix” installation crafted by the artist Hubert Lampert. The precise light distribution helps avoid unnecessary light pollution, mean that the lighting solutions represents an extremely energy-efficient choice.

Innovations in Optics introduces the LumiSun-50™ high power, multi-wavelength LED Solar Simulator that meets Class AAA solar simulator requirements of IEC 60904-9 for spectral match, uniformity of irradiance, and temporal stability. Primary applications for the LumiSun-50 are terrestrial photovoltaic testing and PV research.  A discount price is available for academic and research institutes in support of their efforts to improve global sustainability. 

RunLites®, a revolutionary wearable technology solution featuring rechargeable lights, is turning night into light by introducing two new product lines: the RunLites SLING and RunLites Splash in ultra-cool styles and colors.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced it will be supporting the development of OLED technology in Taiwan and will be investing NT $100 billion (about US $3.21 billion) to develop the technology, during a press conference to promote new display technologies in the country’s capital Taipei, stated the ministry.

HC Semitek revenue was impressive for first half of 2016, according to the company’s latest financial statements.

China Electric and Philips Lighting launched a joint International Lighting Design Center in Taipei on Monday, stated Taiwanese LED luminaire manufacturer China Electric.

China Electric, a leading Taiwanese LED luminaire manufacturer and owner of lighting brand TOA, announced it won the bid for three large scale LED streetlight projects in Taiwan this year totaling NT $400 million (US $12.84 million).

 AquiSense Technologies, the world leader in UV-C LED disinfection systems, has been wholly acquired by Nikkiso America in a cash deal. With over a half century of product development, Nikkiso has provided original technologies to a range of industries, including medical, aviation, life sciences, and microelectronics. AquiSense and Nikkiso share a common goal of providing life-saving disinfection products employing UV-C LEDs. Nikkiso is a leading manufacturer of UV-C LEDs, utilizing core technology from Nobel Prize recipients. AquiSense is an award-winning manufacturer of water, air, and surface disinfection systems with UV-C LEDs at the core of each design.

Pixelligent Technologies, the leader in high-index advanced materials for Solid State Lighting and Display applications and producer of PixClear® products, announced that it closed US $10.4 million in new funding. The round was led by The Abell Foundation, The Bunting Family Office, and David Testa, the former Chief Investment Officer of T. Rowe Price. Funds will be used to complete the installation of additional manufacturing capacity, open new offices in Asia, and continue to drive innovation in lighting, display and optical applications.

Intertek, announces the expansion of the Lighting General Coverage Program to include a larger scope of LED products. The expansion gives manufacturers of lighting projects for the hospitality industry a product certification alternative for LED luminaires, resulting in a quicker, more efficient time to market for a wider variety of products. This marks the latest of several LED expansions the company has made, including the 2015 launch of its Class P program, which defines evaluation and testing guidelines for standardized LED driver constructions and ratings.

Outlook: Systematic pursuit of strategic reorientation and restructuring; no concrete forecasts for revenues and earnings For the Zumtobel Group, the 2015/16 financial year was characterized by fundamental strategic reorientation and restructuring. As the technology shift progresses, the Management Board is aiming to align the Group with new and innovative business models. In total, the lighting group generated the highest revenues in its history. Group EBIT, however, was still below expectations in the reporting year.

Cypress Semiconductor introduced an automotive LED driver that enables smaller and more cost-effective headlight systems. The new S6BL112A automotive-grade LED driver is the industry’s first to feature synchronous control, which helps it provide industry-leading conversion efficiency, enabling stable performance in a lighting system. The device is able to drive LEDs at a high 2.1-MHz switching frequency, which enables a compact headlight solution that uses small, inexpensive inductors, reducing physical size and bill-of-materials costs. The LED drivers combine with Cypress’s Traveo™ microcontrollers (MCUs) and power management ICs (PMICs) to provide a best-in-class automotive front-lighting solution.

The story of the development of Principal LED’s latest product release, the Fusion Freedom™, is one of classic American inspiration and innovation.

Top LED chip manufacturer Epistar’s shipment volume rose in second quarter, and the company revenue climbed up on the back of easing price falls, but still faces financial challenges ahead, reported Taiwanese media Money DJ.com.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus might feature a pressure-sensitive home button with haptic feedback, reported Bloomberg.

GE Lighting recently announced it will be closing two traditional lighting production plants in Lexington, Kentucky in U.S. by August 2017, reported Lexington KY News.

Shimla, a city located in Northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, will be replacing about 8,000 conventional streetlights with LEDs, reportedThe Times of India.