LED lighting fixtures have accounted for fully half of all Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approvals in Taiwan, reports the Taiwan branch of the safety certification organization, comparing with the average 30% ratio worldwide, according to a report on Taiwan Economic News.

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Advanced Thermal Devices (ATD) Inc. have recently received the safety certifications offered by UL Taiwan. The government-backed ITRI was awarded the certification for an alternate current LED module, while ATD was awarded for an LED streetlight.

Taiwan LED chip maker Epistar is reportedly to launch AC-LED products in Q209, the company says it expects to be “the first company in the world to ship AC-LED chips.

Recently, Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) introduced two patented LED innovative technologies-AC LED and LED healthcare lighting, which will help Taiwan hone the competitive edge of its LED industry via generating royalty income. Semiconductor devices, as computer chips and LEDs have been designed to work at low current ever since day one due to inherent characteristics, but call for direct-current (DC) transformers to be powered by household AC (alternating current).

It’s reported that the global LED output is expected to grow by only 5 percent next year, given the impact of the global economic downturn. While Taiwan, which accounts for 20 percent of the world’s LED output, is projected to fare slightly better with a 7 percent increase, according to an analyst with the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK) under the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).

It’s reported that Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), with its One-Chip AC LED technology, has been selected a winner of the 2008 R&D 100 Awards competition sponsored by the U.S.-based R&D Magazine.  

It’s reported that Tekcore Co. wants to become one of Taiwan’s top three manufacturers of LED epitaxy wafers and chips by 2010.

Recently, J.H. Chang, manager of Technology Center for Service Industries under the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), backed by an official contract to lay a solid foundation under the "intelligent LED mood lighting sector" in Taiwan within four years, organized approximately 13 Taiwan-based manufacturers from all segments of the LED-lighting industry to form an alliance.

It’s reported that Taiwan’s government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has teamed up with scores of LED makers to form an R&D alliance, in a bid to integrate industry resources to develop applications for AC LED technology.