Samsung Electronics Friday said global demand for memory chips will improve in the second quarter and expects global shipments of personal computers to rise by a low-single percentage from the preceding quarter.

Innovation is taking a hit these days, with some people even blaming it for the financial market crash. But while most companies are trying to cut costs by eliminating staff and shutting down operations, some are finding new ways to innovate and grow by predicting—and quickly readying themselves for—emerging markets.

South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics launched a joint venture with a sister company on Thursday to produce light-emitting diodes (LEDs) used mainly in TVs and other displays.

Japan has reported its first annual trade deficit in 28 years, with exports in the year to March down 16% from the previous year.

A number of exhibitors showed off LED tube lamps that can be installed in existing fluorescent lamp sockets at the LED/OLED Lighting Technology Expo, which took place in Tokyo from April 15 to 17, 2009.

Japan's Nikkei average rose 0.6% on Wednesday, lifted by exporters on a weaker yen. Pioneer was untraded due to a glut of buy orders after sources claimed the electronics maker is considering applying for state funds. Elpida Memory soared nearly 17% after a local paper said it may seek around 50 billion yen (US$507 million) in public money to shore up its capital.

Tesco, ranked No. 3 in the world behind Wal-Mart and France's Carrefour, shrugged off the global recession to unveil the highest profits ever recorded. However, the British supermarket giant was forced to concede that it finds doing business in the US not so easy.

Hynix Semiconductor Wednesday said it will sell 70 million shares via a rights offering. The Korean chipmaker's main creditor Korea Exchange Bank said earlier this month that the creditors have reached agreement to allow the chipmaker to raise around 700 billion won (US$519 million) through a rights offering.

Indian mobile operators added a record 15.64 million customers in March, helped by the expansion of networks to smaller towns and rural areas, data from the telecoms regulator showed.

All of Wal-Mart's solar projects will generate enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 2,600 homes and avoid 22,500 metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions each year — tantamount to taking about 4,000 cars off the road. The company is considering other sites for solar arrays.

Equipment supplier EV Group said that strong equipment orders in the last quarter have led to plans to increase production capacity with an extra working shift, starting near the end of April. New orders have exceeded the equipment suppliers forecasts, with demand coming from 3D IC through-silicon via (TSV) and nanoimprint lithography markets.

Infineon Technologies AG has announced a collaboration with Nokia. Infineon will supply its XMM 2130 EDGE platform to Nokia, enabling the mobile device manufacturer to bring a new breed of internet capable devices to the market.