Macroblock launches a new 16-bit PWM LED driver with 8-bit digital dot correction, MBI5040. To provide uniformed LED brightness and accurate LED color for high-end LED display panels, “matched LEDs” are insufficient, and dot correction of each LED pixel becomes necessary. However, it is costly and complex to process dot correction through controllers for the increasing loading of the controllers and the limited control of LED pixels.

UPEC Electronics Corp. introduced their new product – CP150 series, which used Aluminum oxide to replace for original LTCC package materials. Utilizing UPEC’s superior ceramic packing technology for high power LED, CP150 is packed with the smallest size and still can keep excellent thermal conductivity and higher CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion). Furthermore, the heat dissipation of high power LED will no longer be an issue for CP150 series and the lifetime can reach 50,000 hours.

With LED backlights more and more used in LCD TVs, Taiwanese LED makers, including Epistar Corp., Formosa Epitaxy Inc. and Tekcore Co., Ltd., have seen a flood of orders in recent months, according to Taiwan Economic News.

NeoPac Opto launches NeoPac Universal Platform (NUP) and Standard Solid-State Light Sources for accelerating adoption of LEDs for illumination applications

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) recently funded LED lighting maker Liquidleds Lighting Corp. NT$26 million (US$764,700) through its venture capital fund VTFA and has acquired 11% stake in the LED provider. The investment is considered as part of its plan to develop strong presence in green technology field. Liquidleds was co-founded in 2005 by a former iD SoftCapital Group executive. The company reportedly has introduced the first AC LED bulb in the industry.  In LED filed, TSMC has invested in epitaxy-wafer maker BridgeLux of the U.S.

The top three global LED vendors, Nichia, Osram and Lumileds/Philips, are threatened by the fast growing Korean and Taiwanese companies, as competition in the global LED market becomes tougher, according to a market research firm.

UPEC Electronic Corp., well known for innovative ways of combining design and LED technology, announced an enhanced version of Fish Lamp. LED technology is now regarded as the lighting solution of the future. Its unique characteristics, such as low energy consumption and extreme long-life, make the use of this technology attractive in terms of practical lighting, decoration and the special application as well.  

Taiwan’s first Automotive Optic Design Center (AODC) has recently been inaugurated by the Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC) of Taiwan, with the aim of vertically integrating the island’s automotive-lighting industry. ARTC president Joe Huang (second from left) signed IAH and DLS technical-transfer and consulting agreements with private companies.

Epistar Inc., the No.1 LED chipmaker in Taiwan, is reportedly to be acquiring Huga Optech Inc., the island`s second biggest LED provider, to ease its straining capacity, and is near the end of the acquisition.

Epistar Corp, Taiwan’s largest LED provider, is now in talks with Chinese lighting manufacturers and local governments about some investment projects said the comany.

LEDinside has recently visited Huang Kouhsin, former president of United Epitaxy Company and current president of Excellence Opto and High Power Opto, and Huang Fang-Yue, wife of president Huang and also the general manager of Excellence Opto, to get some knowledge about the current situation and future development of Excellence Opto group.

Base on NeoPac Universal Platform for solid state lighting, NeoPac built high brightness (4,400 lumen) , high CRI (~90) LEDs light module for stage spotlight application.

Macroblock announced its newly-developed 8-channel and 4-channel constant current LED drivers –MBI1828 and MBI1824, for the application of LCD monitor and high brightness LEDs. Since LED contains no mercury and provides highly directional light source, it is suitable for backlighting applications to provide high brightness. By high voltage process technology, MBI1828 and MBI1824 are designed to light up cascaded LEDs in single channel with high luminance.

Macroblock, a leading manufacturer of LED driver, today released its annual results of fiscal year 2008 and the first quarter results of 2009. The gross profit margin in the first quarter of 2009 outperformed that of the same period of last year. In addition, Macroblock also assessed the business environment and outlined the business strategy at the investor conference held by Gre Tai Securities Market (the GTSM) at Grand Formosa Regent Taipei on April 29, 2009.

GlacialTech Inc. is launching a new range of environmentally friendly Green LED spotlights. The GL-SP15 Series comes in various models, ranging from an Infra red sensor driven light, to a CCD camera option. Both products will consume no more than 21W of power and will replace traditional Halogen lamps which usually consume in excess of 150W per lamp. The lifespan of these LED lamps is 35,000hrs, whereas the halogen spotlight lasts for 3,000hrs only. The predicted savings rate is 86% when compared with Halogen spotlights.

With the efficiency improvement and technology advancement, the application field of LED has gradually been expanded from the backlight and signal light segments to the Lighting-Class field. To solve the problem of light and heat, the LED manufacturers have put forward their own solutions covering the chip making, packaging and even the light fixture sections by offering products of various specifications.

Taiwan would standardize light-emitting-diode (LED) products with China to tap into the global market against the intense competition from Japan, South Korea, Germany and the US, Taiwan Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said last Friday. As part of Taiwan government’s “Bridge-Building” Plan, Taiwan would talk with China in June to reach an agreement on the standardization of LEDs and a certification system, establishing a platform for cross-strait industrial cooperation.

Taiwan has plans to replace all of the traffic lights on the island, with the total number to be approximately 700,000, with energy-saving LED lights by 2011, said the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on Thursday, as a part of the government's ambitious green energy industries development project to be implemented by 2015.

The Cabinet of Taiwan announced yesterday (April 23) that it will invest NT$ 45 billion ($1.3 billion) to expand and upgrade the island's green industries including solar and wind energy, with the aim to help reduce the island’s fuel consumption and carbon footprint. Windfarms in Kuanyin town of Taiwan

Mainland China and Taiwan have reached an agreement on the items in which China is to be permitted to invest in Taiwan. New-town development and sewerage construction of the 12 i-Taiwan projects and manufacturing and service businesses are included in the list, as a part of the "cross-Taiwan Strait bridging program," according to Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN).

In response to the latest industry chromaticity standard for solid-state lighting, Edison Opto has introduced the SSL bin groups in accordance to the 8 ranges defined by ANSI C78.377. In this rapid industry, the quality and efficiency of LED applications upgrade from time to time.To qualified and unified all products of LED lightings, many industry standards, including ENERGY STAR, has adopted the ANSI C78.377 bin group guideline to help consumers defined it.  

Taiwan`s biggest LED packager Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. and Genesis Photonics Inc., one of the nation’s major LED makers, are venturing into China’s LED streetlight market which is estimated to have a annual demand of over 1 million units.

Semisilicon Technology Corp. apply the single wire technology IC combine with RGB LED to be Non-external IC RGB LED. User can control RGB LED by single wire technology directly to display full color. Simple, construct easy, pretty and cost down. Such LED patented from many country already. Suitable use on LED sign board, winding light strip etc..

Bloom of worldwide lightweight and ultra-thin laptops market is boosting use of LED backlights in netbook PCs and CULV-based notebook PCs, from which Taiwanese LED industry is benefiting significantly, according to industry sources.

After Taiwan’s major computer provider Acer recently heightening the proportion of LED-backlit Notebooks, Asus, another major maker in the industry, announced that it would also boost the proportion of its LED-backlit Notebooks, and estimates to use LCD panels with LED backlight in all Notebook computer products by the end of 2009, including high-end ultra-thin Notebook, middle- and low-end Notebooks.

Taiwan government has got plan to invest in the new energy industry and to develop it into another industry with annual output value exceeding NT$1 trillion, according to the Flagship Plan For The New Energy Industry which is scheduled to be launched by the Cabinet on April 23. Photovoltaic and LED lighting will be stressed as two mainstays in the industry.

Taiwan government is planning to invest NT$50 billion (US$1.48 billion) to the adoption of devices powered by renewable energy and green industries, including LED, as part of its NT$500 billion public construction program, reported the Chinese-language Economic Daily News yesterday, citing Minister of the Public Construction Commission Fan Liang-shiow.

LED TV market features infinite imagination space but is immature yet, LEDinside estimates the market penetration rate of LED TV to be 2% in 2009 and 11% in 2012

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.

Aiming at the global LED streetlight market, Delta Electronics Inc. of Taiwan has set to strive for contract production orders this year with efforts of all its 27 overseas sales outlets scattering in mainland China, Japan and Europe.