Aixtron and Grand Chip Investment defy CFIUS objections to cancel the deal over U.S. national security concerns, and are appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama to approve the case in the next 15-days. The German Economic Ministry halted the acquisition business transaction, shortly after U.S. government representatives presented evidence suggesting Aixtron’s might pose a national security threat, which a Wall Street Journal reported mainly involves GaN epiwafer growing technology, a material that could be made to use improve military equipment such as radar.

Even though the decorative lighting industry performance was average in 2016, the industry remained upbeat about its market outlook next year, according to statistics compiled by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC).

Taiwanese automotive LED module manufacturer Laster Tech will be listed on the local bourse in mid-December 2016, reported Now News.

According to Nature World News, more than 18 million people in Japan suffer from hair loss, a figure about three times that of U.S., which led a Japanese company to come up with an innovative idea to regenerate hair growth: red LED helmets.

Xicato, an established manufacturer and thought leader in intelligent, connected light sources, and EnOcean, the global leader in energy harvesting wireless technology, announced out-of-the-box interoperability between the Xicato Intelligent Module, Generation 4 (XIM Gen4) and the EnOcean 2.4 GHz BLE portfolio of battery-free, energy-harvesting switches. Together with complementary sensors soon to be available from Xicato and others, these products create a simple, cost-effective solution for California Title 24 and other building code requirements. This solution will be demonstrated in the EnOcean booth #40464 at the CES show in Las Vegas on Jan. 5-8, 2017.

Following the expansion of LED chips and packaging industry, pattern sapphire substrate (PSS) manufacturer  Sinopatt Technology successfully scales up production capacity by offering stable technology, improvement in equipment and superior inventory turnover for costs control and operating competence. Currently, Sinopatt is the largest PSS manufacturer in the market. LEDinside interviewed with Kai Kang, President of Sinopatt about the opportunities and challenges in LED and sapphire industries.

New technology revolutions and industry evolutions are creating opportunities, developments in China and internationally are undergoing metamorphosis that are reshaping industry developments, said Jianlin Cao, a former Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).

Nichia explained the legal course of actions it took throughout 2016 were not aimed at particular manufacturers, but was part of their general intellectual property protection policy.

Taiwanese LED chip manufacturers that successfully transitioned from blue LEDs to red LEDs have set new revenue records from their budding AlInGaN LED business.

Samsung Electronics is determined to step up its efforts in quantum dot technology by acquiring U.S.-based QD specialist QD Vision, reported The Korea Times.

Osram Lighting Solutions was distinguished with the Global SSL Showcase Top 100 Award by the International Solid State Lighting Alliance (ISA) for its spectacular LED solution in the "Wuhan – Two Rivers and Four Banks" project. The world's largest synchronized LED light show extends across 320 buildings, has a length of 20 km, and covers the banks of the two rivers Jangtse and Han that flow through the city. Osram also received the coveted award last year for its unique lighting solution in the Sistine Chapel.

The October launch of Mr Beams’ NetBright High Performance Security Light continues the company’s streak of 2016 product releases designed with bold innovative features.

The slowdown in LED backlight market including smartphone displays continued to trend on into 2016 that even top player in the industry Nichia is looking beyond this particular market sector in its 2017 roadmap.

Phoseon will showcase the latest UV LED curing solutions for printing applications at the upcoming IMI Europe-Digital Print Europe 2016 event in Amsterdam, Netherlands from November 28 - December 1. Visit the Phoseon exhibit to learn how Phoseon LED technology is a perfect fit for digital inkjet printing applications due to the compact size, ease of integration, and high intensity output achieved through optimized LED thermal management. Users of Phoseon LED curing systems can process a variety of materials (including thin and heat-sensitive substrates) at maximum production speeds with low-input power.

The Connected Lighting Alliance (TCLA), the primary advocate of wireless lighting connectivity, announced that is has accomplished its goal of converging the lighting industry in support of the use of open protocols for wireless lighting solutions.

Japanese manufacturers in the Tohoku region went about business as usual, despite a 7.4 magnitude quake at a depth of 10 kilometers that struck off the shores of Fukushima earlier this morning, reported TechNews.

Growing number of Chinese smartphone makers are raising investments in OLED panels, including BOE Technology Group and six other major local players have constructed new factories and invested in total more than 2 trillion Japanese Yen (US $9 billion), reported Nikkei Asian Review.

Xiaolan, a small town with a population of 157,000 residents located in Guangdong Province in Southern China has seen its LED industry market value balloon in a short span of 8-years, reported Zhongshan Daily.

The 13th China International Forum on Solid State Lighting (SSLCHINA 2016) and 3th International Forum on Wide Bandgap Semiconductors China（IFWS）were held in Beijing International Convention Center from November 15 to 18, 2016. The forums and conferences realized China’s 13th Five- Year Plan by providing strategic highlights of electronic material projects. LEDinside has summarized talks of professionals and experts in each area, including Micro LED, Laser lighting, VCSEL, Li-Fi Communication, smart lighitng and well-being lighting.

With their research on nanomaterials for optoelectronics, scientists from Heidelberg University and the University of St Andrews (Scotland) have succeeded for the first time to demonstrate a strong interaction of light and matter in semiconducting carbon nanotubes. Such strong light-matter coupling is an important step towards realizing new light sources, such as electrically pumped lasers based on organic semiconductors. They would be, amongst other things, important for applications in telecommunications. These results are the outcome of a cooperation between Prof. Dr Jana Zaumseil (Heidelberg) and Prof. Dr Malte Gather (St Andrews), and have been published in “Nature Communications”.

The Necklace of Lights is a string of more than 4,000 lights encircling the 4.82 kilometers (3.4-mile) Lake Merritt waterfront in Oakland, California. The last major re-lamping of the 90-year-old landmark took place in 2006, when 11-watt incandescent bulbs were replaced with 3-watt cold cathode compact fluorescent bulbs. As the cold cathode bulbs aged, replacements became increasingly expensive and hard to find. The City of Oakland needed a solution that would deliver high-quality illumination, energy savings and longevity. Working with local MaxLite distributor San Leandro Electric Supply, the city recently replaced the 4,500 cold cathode bulbs with MaxLite 2.5-watt LED Marquee Lamps.

EVERLIGHT ELECTRONICS, a leading player in the global LED and optoelectronics industry, introduces the ALS-PD50-42C. The new ambient light sensor operates at a 550nm and has a very low signal calculation failure rate and a high current efficiency.  The/An ideal application for this device is heart rate signal detection in wearable electronics for the health and fitness industry. 

UBM Malaysia is organizing Ecobuild Southeast Asia 2017, to be held from 12 to 14 April at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), hosted by Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia. This event will mark the fourth year of partnership with the International Construction Week 2017, positioned as the region’s leading event for sustainable design, construction, energy and the built environment. This year’s theme, “Towards Enhancing Quality & Safety in Construction”, pits perfectly with one of the pillars of the Malaysia Construction Industry Transformation plan till 2020(CITP).

The 22nd edition of the Guangzhou International Lighting Exhibition (GILE), the most influential and comprehensive lighting and LED event in Asia, is set to take place from 9 – 12 June 2017 at the China Import and Export Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China. Based on positive feedback from the industry, the “THINKLIGHT” show concept was a resounding success and will continue to develop at the 2017 show under the theme “The convergent future”. In the LED era, lighting has capabilities that are greater than basic on/off and dimming functions. The totality of lighting has moved beyond the scope of illumination and the industry is witnessing the creation of a future that converges different sectors and elements that revolve around human wellbeing.

The 13th China International Forum on Solid State Lighting (SSLCHINA 2016) and 3th International Forum on Wide Bandgap Semiconductors China（IFWS）were held in Beijing International Convention Center from November 15 to 18, 2016. The forums and conferences realized China’s 13th Five- Year Plan by providing strategic highlights of electronic material projects. LEDinside has summarized talks of professionals and experts in each area, including Micro LED, Laser lighting, VCSEL, Li-Fi Communication, smart lighitng and well-being lighting.

Taiwanese IC driver manufacturer Macroblock has successfully developed LED drivers for small pitch displays, and is eyeing driver solutions for an innovative display technology next year, reported China Post.

German MOCVD manufacturer Aixtron and Chinese investor Grand Chip Investment are determined to complete the acquisition business transaction despite objections raised by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).

U.S. LED manufacturer Cree has filed a lawsuit against another LED competitor MaxBrite over design patent and trademark infringement last week, reported Triangle Business Journal.

Boston Electronics Corporation (BEC), a leader in the distribution and advanced electro-optical products and solutions, announces a new partnership with Nikkiso USA.  This partnership combines Boston Electronics’ presence in the ultraviolet (UV) market with Nikkiso’s advanced ultraviolet light emitting diode products (UV-LED).  Under the new agreement BEC will distribute Nikkiso’s UV-LED products into the North American market.

NIPSCO announced plans to convert existing street lights to LED)technology through its LED Street Light Program. NIPSCO-owned street lights will be changed at no additional cost to participating communities. This program is the first of its kind in Indiana.