LED lighting systems are beginning to take on a new light – as the leading agent in the move to make businesses, stores and government facilities more automated than ever before. This so-called smart lighting is the harbinger of a new way of thinking that marries energy efficiency with sensitivity to the needs of a building’s occupants.

LED makers have been announcing their progress of Mini LED before reaching the final goal, Micro LED. Manufacturers in Taiwan and China started to ship Mini LED products from the second half of 2018. Nichia, the Japanese LED giant, also reported that it has completed the development process of Mini LED and is ready to mass produce related products that will be released by the end of the year.

At Samsung Electronics’ QLED & Advanced Displays Summit in Los Angeles, California, the company showcased its current progress of the integration of QLED display, 8K ecosystem, Micro LED technology and HDR. 

At Brussels’ Zaventem Airport, a 30,000 pixel video and kinetic sculpture runs above travelers on their way the baggage reclaim hall. The installation was jointly set up by ArKaos, a real-time video processing company, and a visual designer Koert Vermeulun of creative agency ACTLD. 

London Science Museum selected White Light, a British event technology operator to manage the lighting installation in one of its gallery, Making the Modern World. SGM’s R-2 Rail lights were chosen by White Light to transform the museum gallery at night while maintaining the daylight look of the museum. 

Human Centric Lighting addresses the influences of light on the human body and is used to develop innovative lighting technologies for diminishing the negative effects of artificial lights and enhancing the wellbeing of people. Aside from the human body, scientists have also studies the impacts of artificial lights on wild animals. By looking into the ecological effects of different light through different spectrums, a research has been able to develop an approach to cut down their adverse effects on wildlife.

Committed to proposing positive impacts on the environment by developing energy saving technology in lighting products, EarthTronics announced to introduce its energy-efficient 1-watt S14 and 5-watt T10 LEDs to its vintage filament line.

LED driver producer, ERP Power LLC (ERP), reported its development of the world’s smallest programmable drivers with Computer Controlled Dimming™ technology. 

Signify launched the Philips MyCare LED bulb which adopts its Interlaced Optics technology to enhance eye comfort. The patented technology used in the new lamps was inspired by the pattern of sunflower seeds, with the micro Interlaced Optics imprinted onto lamps. The design can diffuse and reflect light as well as decrease glare by up to 35%. 

The market has put a spotlight on Micro LED technology since Apple acquired LuxVue. Manufacturers of the industry have collaborated to boost the momentum of Micro LED as the technology becomes more and more popular in 2017 and 2018. Besides Apple and Sony, Samsung and Foxconn are also the big names that attract most attention. 

LED chip maker Epistar reported the company’s decision to establish a spin-off to focus on VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) and GaN on Si components production. This spin-off will be named Epistar Semiconductor. M.J. Chou, the current president of Epistar, will become the president of the new subsidiary.

Hyundai Mobis revealed its new achievement in developing new materials for making lamps which can defeat the fog problem. The new materials application also helped to reduce the weight of its lamp products by 20% for one lamp.

Osram showcased its latest technology of Human Centric Lighting (HCL) with an eyewear device at Boston TechJam.

The Swedish LED lighting supplier for greenhouse and controlled plant growth environment, Heliospectra AB, reported that Medical 420, a Macedonia based medicinal cannabis cultivation facility placed a new order to Heliospectra AB to increase the capacities for the growing medical market.

Nichia Corporation (“Nichia”) and Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC, Lowe’s Companies, Inc. and L G Sourcing, Inc. have reached a settlement in the cases titled Nichia Corporation v. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-00613-JRG (filed in the Eastern Districts of Texas); Nichia Corporation v. Lowe’s Companies, Inc. et al., Case No. 5:16-cv-00142-MOC-DSC (filed in the Western District of North Carolina); and Nichia Corporation v. Lowe’s Home Centers, LLC et al., Case No. 2:16-cv-01455-JRG (filed in the Eastern Districts of Texas), mutually agreeing to dismissal of the lawsuits. While the terms of the agreement are confidential, both parties are pleased with the result. Nichia’s suits against VIZIO(1)(2)(3) and Feit(4)(5) in the Central District of California remain ongoing.

Micro LED, which is considered the next generation technology, has advantages of high brightness, reliability, short response time and wide viewing angle. The technology development of Micro LED and its applications have been attracting attentions from researchers and professionals worldwide. According to LEDinside, the market value of Micro LED will reach US$2.891 billion by 2025.

Mini LED as an enhanced version of conventional LED backlight has been considered as a transitional technology between conventional LED and Micro LED. According to the estimation of LEDinside, the revenue of Mini LED products is expected to reach US$689 million by 2022. Before the second half of 2018 started, many LED companies have reported their progress and shipping schedule of Mini LED products including applications of automotive lighting and mobile devices.

The application of IoT (Internet of Things) has been expanded to a greater level to construct “smart city” for safety and energy saving purposes. Public lighting, as part of the infrastructure of cities, is included in the smart city projects in Switzerland and the U.S.

The competition in the LED market has intensified in the recent years as brand companies continue to undercut each other to gain market shares. The reshuffling of the market has become more frequent not only in the downstream sections of the LED lighting supply chain but also in the mid-stream and upstream sections.

According to the latest report from LEDinside, a division of the market research firm TrendForce, 2018 Chinese LED Chip and Package Industry Market Report, Chinese LED package market scale is USD 10 billion in 2017, representing an increase of 12% YoY. In light of LEDinside, the major growth momentum of large increase in Chinese package market is from the following demand markets including general lighting, automotive lighting, digital display and emerging niche markets which all see good performance.

Absen LED installed a 167 square meter (1796.5 sqft) LED video wall at Longgang Operation Centre (LOC) in Shenzhen as an equipment of the “Smart City” project to display instant information of the city. 

The U.S. based company, ONCE®, which provides animal-centric lighting systems for agriculture applications, has reported its acquisition of a German company iLOX® and its Polish subsidiary which develops lighting solutions for livestock facilities. Sharing the focus on improving the welfare of animals, the two companies expect to integrate their resources to create innovate lighting technology for agriculture. 

Seoul Semiconductor, a Korea based LED maker, has announced that its innovated LED technology “SunLike” is applied to home lighting products and will be launched in Q3. 

Foxconn Technology Group and its subsidiary Innolux will buy stakes in Vizio, the U.S. based television brand as the group’s strategy to expand market in North America. 

Innolux illustrated that by the end of this year, the company expected to launch Mini LED public information display (PID) and large size TV application was estimated to release in 2Q19. As for automotive products, due to the time consuming verification process, were scheduled in 2020.

Researchers from KAIST published their research on developing a one-step method to transfer thousands of thin-film blue vertical micro LEDs (thickness < 2 μm) on a transparent plastic substrate. 

LEDVANCE hosted a press conference on June 10th during GILE under its GILE slogan “The Standard Redefined.” The new CEO of LEDVANCE, Jacob C. Tarn Ph.D., with his management team revealed the company strategy “LEDVANCE 2.0”.

Micro LED is considered to be the next generation display technology with its excellent performance in contrast, low energy consumption, quick response time and wide viewing angle. In January 2018, Samsung released the first Micro LED modular TV, “The Wall,” and other leading companies like Apple and Sony have also been investing in the technology development to push the application for end-market. If the obstacles of mass transfer technology and after process repairing could be overcome, it is forecasted that in five years Micro LED will be in the market. According to the estimation by LEDinside, the revenue of Micro LED and Mini LED will reach US$1.38 billion by 2022.

According to the latest report from LEDinside, a division of the market research firm TrendForce, 2018 Chinese LED Chip and Package Industry Market Report, Chinese LED package market scale is RMB 65.9 billion in 2017 and it is expected to reach RMB 76.8 billion in 2021, according to LEDinside. Major growth momentum include lighting, digital display, automotive lighting and architectural / landscape lighting.

With technology implement, hospitality industry keeps seeking for upgraded services to create exclusive experiences for the guests. The Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC®) provides a platform for experts in both hospitality and technology to connect and cooperate. This year at HITEC, Samsung showcases several products including digital displays and wearable devices to enhance the management and service quality.