The output of Taiwan's light emitting diode (LED) streetlight manufacturing sector is expected to reach as much as NT$34 billion (US$1.15 billion) by 2018, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Tuesday.

Elemental LED, a San Francisco Bay Area-based LED lighting company, recently released light wood and dark wood finish options on its popular dimmable LED puck light. The under cabinet lighting fixture is now available in 5 finish options: brushed aluminum, copper, black, light wood and dark wood.

Sony plans to reduce its workforce by an estimated 10,000 jobs, or about 6% of its global staff, as part of new Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai's restructuring plan, people familiar with the matter said Monday.

While Lextar Electronics Corp. estimates its production will run at full capacity by end of the second quarter at the earliest and Genesis Photonics Inc. has been inundated with orders this month, Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. and Epistar Inc. say their capacity utilization rates are ramping up towards 100%.

Lextar Electronics Corp., an LED subsidiary of LCD maker AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), will target Europe, North America and Japan with the LED bulbs it recently rolled out as direct replacements for 40W and 75W incandescent bulbs.

Korean panel makers launched new LED TVs in 2012, which stimulated the demand and in turn increased LED companies' utilization rates. As a result, LED makers' revenues rebounded by 15%-20% compared to January.

Samsung Electronics has said it expects its profit for the first three months of 2012 to almost double as its smartphone sales continue to grow. While Samsung's phone unit has prospered, other divisions, including memory chip manufacturing, have been going through a tough time.

In terms of LED PC monitor sales during Q4 2011, LG continued to be in the top spot with a 31 per cent market share. Samsung replaced Acer in second place, while AOC maintained its position at the fourth spot

LED Engin is to reveal details of an LED that dims like a halogen bulb, reddening as its output drops, at Light+Building in Frankfurt

Barclays Capital finds that light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturing and materials patents will soon run out, potentially draining value from material/chip/package suppliers and turning LEDs into commodities.

Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are also rapidly gaining in popularity in the marketplace. In the next few years, fall in prices coupled with technology developments will further drive demand for OLED displays. Advantages of OLED displays include ability to operate at low voltages often in the range of 5 to 20 V, and lightweight monolithic form factor.

Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd., Taiwan's biggest LED packager by volume and revenue, will boost LED lighting sales to account for 15% of its annual revenue this year, up from 9% last year in reflection of its bright perspective of LED market. (April 2)

Sony announced today that it is shaking up its management structure in an effort to avoid yet another year of losses.

The Sony Bravia KDL-46HX820 is a 46-inch LED/LCD TV that offers an attractive, thin profile, design complemented by an overlay of sturdy Gorilla Glass.

Approved by Chinese State Council, the provisional imported tax rates of four tax items including liquid crystal display boards and camera eyepieces will be adjusted beginning from April 1, 2012, announced by the Ministry of Finance on March 22, 2012.

China has previously placed a 3-percent tax on imported LCD panels of 32 inches or more (excluding backlight modules) in size in order to spur development in the country's booming television manufacturing sector, which is heavily reliant on LCD panel imports.

OLED technology has provided a way to create thinner, more efficient, and brighter displays and lighting panels, starting a revolution in display technology. OLEDs, standing for Organic Light Emitting Diodes, produce their own light and are thin and flexible, unlike their older LED siblings.

Samsung Electronics, Nokia and HTC are all rolling handsets with AMOLED displays,accelerating the penetration of AMOLED applications in the handset market, with sales for such phones to grow exponentially in 2012.

Proving that energy-saving products don't easily make a good business, Royal Philips Electronics today reported that third quarter profits in its LED-reliant lighting division tumbled by nearly 50 percent.

Last year Jason Matlof, a partner at Battery Ventures, claimed that 2011 could be the year of the solid state lighting crossover -- when incandescents give way to LEDs. Matlof, like many VCs is an optimistic sort. And while Matlof might be off on the exact year, he's probably accurate with regard to the decade.

OLED

Corning has announced that the company's board of directors is expected to elect David L Morse as executive vice president and chief technology officer at its meeting on April 26, 2012. His appointment will be effective May 1, at which time he will also become a member of Corning's management committee.

"The contract is expected to rise to US$11 billion by the end of this year as Apple is planning to release a smaller iPad, probably with a 7.85-inch screen, and to sell more of its MacBook Air PCs using Samsung's faster SSD storage," said a Samsung official.

The US government last year announced a US$10 million award, dubbed the "L Prize," for any manufacturer that could create a "green" but affordable light bulb.

Philips Electronics is optimistic about LED lighting sales as the technology gains popularity worldwide.

Microsemi Corporation, a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced a new, revolutionary non-dissipative LED backlight driver for LCD TV applications.

Nualight, an Ireland-based specialist in LED lighting for food retail, has been selected by Sainsbury's, a UK-based supermarket chain, to be its partner for a significant LED lighting program in refrigerated cases across all new and refurbished stores.

Having previously differenciated their LCD and Plasma TV lines by virtue of size; Panasonic have annouced that they will be producing larger screen LED TVs for the first time.

The chairman of South Korean electronics giant Samsung is being sued by his brother over a multi-million dollar inheritance of company shares.

Durham-based Cree Inc., a maker of LED lighting products, announced Monday that it's participating in a series of energy efficiency renovations in U.S. diplomatic offices or residences in Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Madrid and Lisbon.