Chinese sapphire maker Aurora announced last week, it would be investing RMB 40 million (US $6.32 million) in a new investment management arm to integrate investments in the sapphire supply chain, according to a report from China Securities Network.

Ayla Networks, whose agile Internet of Things (IoT) platform provides comprehensive connectivity for any kind of product, announced that it has signed its first customer in Europe, Innr Lighting B.V. from the Netherlands. Innr is using the Ayla IoT platform, including Ayla’s Agile Mobile Application Platform (AMAP) technology, to scale its smart home lighting solution across Europe.

Kingston is a city nicknamed as K-Town in Ulster County, New York, U.S. The Common Council approved the city’s borrowing of US$ 2.1 million to install LED streetlights throughout the city. Early on, the council approved borrowing US$ 105,000 for design and engineering work for the project.

Japanese company Spread plans to construct a large fully automated vegetable factory capable of producing 30,000 heads of lettuce per day, according to a recent company statement.

The Government of Uttar Pradesh in India is distributing 200,000 LED bulbs in local city Pilibhit at a discounted price of INR 100 (US $1.54) to encourage residents to swap incandescent bulbs for LEDs, according to an India Times report.

Tata Power announced it has launched a LED tube light initiative in partnership with Osram India and other equipment manufacturers in Indian city Mumbai, reported The Hindu.

GE announced recently the creation of Current, a startup that combines energy hardware with a digital backbone to make power simpler and more efficient for customers.

Game action inside U.S. Bank Stadium is less than a year away, but installation of a high-tech lighting system that will benefit broadcast cameras and spectators has begun.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has developed a near ultra-violet and all-organic light emitting diode (OLED) that can be used as an on-chip photosensor.

Despite technological leaps in modern electronics, the quality of lighting they provide still leaves much room for improvement.

Clinching headlines this week, GE has announced it will be spinning off its new energy businesses including LED, solar energy, electric vehicle and energy storage into a separate entity. The new company will start off with US $1 billion financing and is expected to grow fivefold to US $5 billion in the next five years, according to a Bloomberg report.

China’s exports to 70 countries under its “One Belt, One Road” strategy was up 1.5% to US$ 372 billion from January to June 2015, according to China’s custom data. The country’s imports declined 18.8% to US$ 256 billion, while its trade surplus rose US$ 65 billion compared to last year’s US$ 115.5 billion. Vietnam is China's third largest trade partner, and it has a trade surplus relation with the country.

When GE sold its home appliance division in September 2014 for US $3.3 billion to Swedish company Electrolux, market rumors surfaced that the company might sell its lighting business too. The company denied intentions of selling its century old lighting business at the time. Instead of selling its lighting business, GE announced it would be spinning off its commercial LED lighting business, solar energy, and energy storage devices into a new startup company on Oct. 7, 2015. According to aBloomberg report, the new business is expected to increase annual sales to about US $5 billion from its current start of US $1 billion.

Rural Agri Ventures, a business incubation firm based in Gurgaon, India, that specializes in assisting the agribusiness sector recently announced the launch of an affordable LED product ‘My Way’, according to a report from Indian media The Hindu.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a new report on the comprehensive street lighting restoration currently being undertaken by the City of Detroit, which includes transitioning the existing high-pressure sodium (HPS) sources to LED. Entitled Restoring Detroit's Street Lighting System, the report provides an objective review of the circumstances surrounding the system restoration, the processes undertaken and decisions made, and the results to date.

GE announced Current, powered by GE, a first-of-its kind energy company that integrates GE’s LED, Solar, Energy Storage and Electric Vehicle businesses with its industrial strength Predix platform to identify and deliver the most cost effective, efficient energy solutions required by customers today and in the future. Maryrose Sylvester, who as President and CEO at GE Lighting has led the transformation of one of the company’s most iconic businesses, will lead the new enterprise. Current is backed by GE’s balance sheet and financing expertise, and committed to successfully advancing ecomagination-certified technology solutions, new business models and Predix solutions for the energy sector.

UBS forecasted oversupply situation in the LED industry will continue into 2016, while sliding LED prices will nullify growing shipment volume advantages, according to a Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

A new specification from Zhaga adds to a scaled family of circular LED modules. The Book 11 modules operate with a separate driver, and are independently interchangeable. The Zhaga Consortium has published Book 11, a new specification that describes circular LED modules with a maximum diameter of 35 mm that are suitable for spotlighting and related applications. A Book 11 module requires a separate LED driver

Authorities of Shetland, UK, announced the subartic archipelagos will be spending more than GBP 2 million (US $3.05 million) to upgrade its streetlights to LEDs, reported Shetland news.

China’s Light Industry Internet (CLII) recently published important lighting product export statistics for three markets during the first six months of 2015, showed export growth was highest for the Argentina market, and plunged the most in Saint Lucia. Lighting exports to France showed incremental growth.

San’an Opto announced recently its subsidiary in Fujian Province, China has received RMB 170 million (US $) subsidy from Anxi County Finance Bureau to invest in LED R&D, according to a report from Quamnet.

Bangalore (or also known as Bengaluru), the capital of India's southern Karnataka state will be rolling out a LED residential lighting replacement project by January, according to The Times of India and other Indian media.

Today at the IES Street & Area Lighting Conference, North America’s largest conference dedicated to improving the outdoor lighting business of electric utilities and energy service providers, Acuity Brands, through its subsidiary Acuity Brands Lighting, and Silver Spring Networks announced an agreement to jointly develop an intelligent lighting platform for utilities, cities, and large campus operators which will allow them to upgrade their aging lighting infrastructure and establish a path to additional smart city applications and services.

Taiwanese LED chip manufacturer Yang Hwa Technology owner Shih-Hsiung Chan was detained by police on Sept. 11, 2015 for suspected accounting fraud and market manipulation, according to a report by China Times.

Indian government policies are spurring a nationwide LED streetlight upgrade, but parts of Mangalore, Karnataka remain in the dark leading to higher crime rates, as disputes between government organizations over what lighting to install in the industrial park continue, reported NYOOZ.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a GATEWAY report on the experiences of the City of Portland, OR, in converting its street lighting from high-pressure sodium to LED. Such large-scale conversions are rarely simple matters, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation was an early investigator of LED street lighting and one of the first public agencies to join DOE's Municipal Solid-State Street Lighting Consortium, so learning how the city addressed the challenges it encountered can be especially helpful to other cities that are implementing or considering their own lighting transitions.

Installing LED trailer brake lights could mean the difference between a safe stop and a rear end accident, the Chief Executive of the Australian Trucking Association, Christopher Melham, said today.

Greenled Oy , the leading Finnish manufacturer and supplier of all-inclusive LED lighting solutions, has won the contract to supply street lighting for the City of Helsinki. The request for tenders emphasized energy efficiency, high quality optics and durable design. In the first phase of the Helsinki LED project Greenled is set to deliver 1 700 Sirius outdoor luminaires to enlighten the Finnish capital. Launched in April 2015, Sirius is an innovative Finnish made LED luminaire that combines advanced lighting technology and robust design.

A surge in global demand for Soraa’s full visible spectrum GaN on GaN™ LED lamps and Optical Light Engines has led the company to name George Stringer as Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. Stringer, who most recently served as Vice President of North America Sales and Marketing for the company, will report directly to Jeffery Parker, CEO of Soraa. Stringer will lead the company’s global sales organization with offices in U.S., London and Tokyo.

Waning growth in the sapphire substrate market is beginning to impact certain sapphire manufacturers. LEDinside latest reports show declined LED lighting demands triggered a 30% decline in the sapphire industry, leading to Tera Xtal Technology’s decision to cut 180 jobs.