The Taiwan International Lighting Show is one of my favourite shows. The reason is because the show participants always find new ways to combine lighting with interior design. This year, the show's focus is on LEDs, of course, and many firms have shown their creativity by displaying various types of LED lighting.Jan Cheng Lighting decorative LED lightingPhoto: Jackie Chang, Digitimes, March 2013LED lighting are no longer just for industrial purposes. It can be used for growing plants, decorating houses, and saving energy. The brightness efficiency has been increasing significantly over the years due to continuous effort from the firms.Epsitar LED lighting for growing plantsPhoto: Jackie Chang, Digitimes, March 2013One of the most interesting things that caught my eyes was the candle lamps. Firms such as Epistar, Everlight, and Edison Opto showcased candle lamps combined with designs such as chandeliers and table lamps. In 2012, the LED candle lamp penetration rate in the LED lighting market was less than 5%, but Epistar believes the penetration rate is likely to reach close to 10% in 2013.Epistar LED candle lampsPhoto: Jackie Chang, Digitimes, March 2013Lextar showcased many types of LED ceiling lamps including tube, panel and down lighting. Aeon Lighting had an interesting display of putting a LED light bulb in boiling water to show that the product can withstand high temperature. Aeon Lighting also showcased LED light bulbs with various colours and shapes. Everlight displayed four LED street lamps in front of its booth, showing its strength in outdoor lighting, while Delta Electronics displayed many LED light bulbs from 8-10W.Everlight LED street lampsPhoto: Jackie Chang, Digitimes, March 2013Aeon Lighting LED lighting in boiling waterPhoto: Jackie Chang, Digitimes, March 2013My favourite booth was the Edison Opto booth. Half of the booth was a café, and it looked like a real café. Buyers were able to sit down and observe the different use of LED lighting. The café had a counter and two chalkboards with menus on them. The lighting was carefully designed to make you feel like you were in a Starbucks somewhere.Edison Opto cafe Photo: Jackie Chang, Digitimes, March 2013This year's show had no surprises but firms did show that they put a lot of creativity into combining LED lighting with interior design and different applications. As for improvements in brightness efficiency, It is hard to determine with the naked eye, I have to say.

Mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, will spur an almost 30% increase in overall DRAM bit demand in 2013, according to Digitimes Research.Desktop PCs and notebooks remain the dominant consumer of DRAM, but growth in bit demand for the segment will slow to 2.9% in 2013 as compared to a larger 7.3% increase in 2012, said Nobunaga Chai, analyst for semiconductors at Digitimes Research. In contrast, DRAM demand for non-PC applications particularly smartphones and tablets will enjoy significant growth.Mobile DRAM demand is forecast to register a 72.9% jump in 2013, buoyed by the expanding markets for smartphones and tablets, Chai indicated. Chai also observed the increasing usage of mobile DRAM in these hot products.Mobile DRAM demand for smartphones will climb to 774 million gigabits (Gb) in 2013, up 83% from the 2012 level, Chai pointed out. Meanwhile, demand coming from the tablet sector is set to rise 73.1% during the same period, Chai said.Average DRAM content in smartphones will expand to 0.9-gigabyte (GB) in 2013 from 0.7GB in 2012, while that in tablets is set to reach 1.3GB in 2013 compared to 1.1GB in 2012, Chai predicted.Chai projected that the overall DRAM market, which consists of mobile DRAM and server-use DRAM products, will consume 3.733 billion Gb in 2013, a 29.7% increase. The niche DRAM segment - the category that mobile DRAM belongs to - will account for 40% of the total in 2013 compared to 33% in 2012, according to Chai.*Consisting of mobile DRAM, specialty DRAM and graphics RAM**Consisting of DRAM parts for desktops, notebooks and netbooksSource: Digitimes Research, March 2013

As Google has been aggressively conducting public tests for its Glass recently, I can't help but wonder what kind of business opportunities this piece of elegant work can bring. In addition to the IT market, demand from TV show and anime fans may be a good consumption group that Google can consider targeting.From Google's introduction clips, it seems that the Glass is already able to support functions including photo capturing, video recording, road navigation and text messaging, as well as displaying the time, flight information and data that can be found over the Internet.With all these functions, wearing the Glass is like carrying a smartphone on your head, and it will not be a surprise if Google decides to add app support to the device.As an anime and TV show fan, it has always been a dream to be able to carry a product "from the future". In Dragon Ball Z, a well-known anime masterpiece, there is a device called the Scouter that looks like a monocle and is able to detect people's "power level." Glass's industrial design has a good resemblance to such a device and is likely to attract fans into purchasing one.On top of that, if Google ever allows Glass to support apps, it will be a guarantee that some companies (most likely Japan-based) will design apps to allow the device to feature similar capabilities as the Scouter to satisfy these fans, while earning cash.Since there are a lot TV shows and anime that have devices that look like Glass, the business opportunities will not only go to Google, but also related app developers.

China-based panel makers BOE, Tianma Micro-electronics and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) are showing increasing signs of improved technology and are likely to start producing more high-end panel products in 2013.The panel makers currently use a-Si TFT technology to produce Ultra HD (3840 by 2160) TV panels but are looking into using IGZO technology in 2013 instead. The makers are also aiming to release 400ppi smartphone panels during the year.BOE and Tianma are also looking to mass produce LTPS TFT LCD panels followed by AMOLED panels in 2014. Additionally, Tianma is developing SFT wide-angle display technology while CSOT is also pursuing HVA technology for use in TV panel applications.The panel makers are also expanding their production capacity, and are continuing to receive funding from the China government, indicating that China is increasing its role as a major player in the panel industry, according to Digitimes Research.

Taipei, Taiwan, March 26, 2013 - The global LED lighting market will be worth US$25.4 billion in 2013, representing 54% growth on the 2012 figure of US$16.5, while the LED lighting penetration rate will also rise to 18.6%, according to a new DIGITIMES Research Special Report titled "Global high-brightness LED market forecast."The report describes how the luminous efficacy of LEDs continues to rise, with manufacturers likely to be well ahead of the US Department of Energy's (DoE) development targets of 129 lm/W for warm white light LEDs and 164 lm/W for cold white light LEDs.LED lighting product prices are likely to drop by 20-25% in 2013, as LED component performance/price ratios rise from 2012's 500 lm/US$ to 1,000 lm/US$ in 2013.Looking further ahead to 2015, the US DoE targets are for LED component costs to drop 37% from 2013 levels, while 60W-equivalent LED bulb costs are to drop by 38% from 2013 levels by 2015. LED lighting prices would then be at a price point even more acceptable to general consumers.Lighting policy in many countries is also critical to the development of LED lighting, and this effect has been most marked in the Asia region. For example, Japan now has the highest LED lighting market penetration rate of any region, with the rate set to rise to 73.8% by 2015; South Korea's Korea Association for Photonics Industry Development (KAPID) projects that the country's LED lighting industry will have an output value of US$7.8 billion by 2015, 5.6 times the figure for 2012; while China's LED lighting market is growing by 30% per year, which will give the country nearly one third of total global output value for LED lighting in 2015.All of these factors will drive major growth in the LED lighting market, which will beat even the significant gains forecast over the last one to two years. "In addition to the rise of LED TV applications, LED lighting will begin to replace conventional lighting technology in the market. LED lighting will take 38.6% of the global lighting market by 2015," predicts Jessie Lin, author of the report. DIGITIMES Research in fact projects that the global LED lighting market will be worth US$44.2 billion by 2015.The DIGITIMES Research provides region-by-region analysis of the LED lighting market, including major players and prospects for each region. The report covers the US, Europe, China and Japan, with insights into government policy, corporate mergers, unique regional factors and other key aspects of market development.For more information about the report, visit Digitimes Research.Source: Digitimes Research, March 2013About DIGITIMES ResearchDIGITIMES Research is the research arm of DIGITIMES Inc., Taiwan's leading high-tech media outlet. Operating as an independent business unit, DIGITIMES Research focuses on quantitatively monitoring key high-tech industries, while also guiding clients toward suitable new businesses. DIGITIMES Research provides market intelligence and analysis to more than 1000 corporate customers worldwide. Research and consulting services cover a full range of industries, including information and communications technology (ICT), flat panel display (FPD), LEDs, semiconductor design and manufacturing.Contact: Michael McManus (Michael.mcmanus@digitimes.com)

While the debate and the mystery regarding a possible bailout of China's solar giant Suntech is still going on, the latest news is that the founder and the CEO of Suntech reportedly face legal actions from the China government! According to reports from China Daily, The Australian, and the Sydney Morning Herald, the founder, Shi Zhengrong, and CEO, David King, have been prevented from leaving China. But Shi is an Australian citizen. Therefore, according to the report from the Sydney Morning Herald, a spokesperson from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Australian government said Shi has not been barred from leaving China.China Daily added that earlier media reports have claimed the Suntech founder has been doing suspicious transactions such as having Suntech procure solar materials from a polysilicon firm under his name.The reports about the travel ban come after Suntech's announcements regarding its China-based subsidiary, Wuxi Suntech, entering into insolvency and restructuring due to a petition filed by eight China-based banks. The local court in Wuxi, China, where Suntech is headquartered, accepted the petition on March 21.Despite the possibility of legal actions against its top executives, the China government is likely to bail out the solar giant. It is too big to fail. Suntech is a solar module maker that partners with solar cell, wafer, and polysilicon firms around the world. The livelihood of many depends on Suntech, not to mention international investors. Suntech is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, but the firm is registered in the Caymen Islands while its assets are in China, said a report from Reuters. In addition, Suntech employs around 200,000 people around the world.Wuxi Guolian, a holding company owned by the Wuxi government, is reportedly THE ONE that is most likely to take over Suntech. However, oddly, Reuters reported that a spokesperson from the government-owned firm said he had no information on any plans regarding a bailout for Suntech. The report continued with the person stating that if there is any news regarding the restructuring of Suntech, it will be released through Wuxi Guolian. So, is there a bailout for the solar giant? Who knows.The relationships between the local businesses and the government in China often take place behind closed doors, or through "back doors." International investors are probably not the top priority for the China government; the local banks are. According to China-based media Xinhua, Suntech owed nine China-based banks up to CNY7.1 billion (US$1.14 billion) as of the end of February. Maybe after the bailout by Wuxi Guolian, Suntech will be able to return to production and gradually pay off its debts. But there is also a possibility that the firm will not get the bailout and collapse, possibly causing unemployment and social unrest in China. But, on the bright side, if the China government refuses to bail out Suntech, it might gain a bargaining chip to ask Europe to abolish its anti-dumping and anti-subsidy investigation against China-based firms. So who knows? The fate of Suntech may change the fate of a lot of people.

Due to rising prices of NAND flash in the third quarter of 2012, Japan-based semiconductor firm Toshiba has reported fourth-quarter 2012 revenues of its semiconductor business unit grew by 10.5% on quarter, reaching JPY231.6 billion (US$2.4 billion). The firm has seen revenue growth for two consecutive quarters. Toshiba also reported fourth-quarter operating profits of JPY20 billion, showing an on-quarter growth compared to JPY12 billion in the third quarter.Japan's second largest semiconductor firm Renesas Electronics saw fourth-quarter semiconductor revenues decrease by 13.7% on quarter because revenues from its three major product lines, MCUs, analog and power devices, and SoC solutions all showed sequential decreases compared to the third quarter. Renesas reported fourth-quarter revenues of only JPY177.2 billion and the overall net operating loss grew to JPY7.9 billion from JPY5.7 billion in the third quarter.Sony, the third largest semiconductor firm in Japan, divides its semiconductor business into in-house use and outside sales. The fourth-quarter revenues from outside sales reached JPY90 billion, representing a sequential increase of 19%. The firm has reported revenue growth for two consecutive quarters and continues to stay in profit.Renesas is likely to report net loss for the third consecutive year in the 2012 Japan fiscal year (from April 2012 to March 2013), Digitimes Research believes. The firm focuses on small volume production of diversified MCUs to suit the specific need of each customer, and hence the profitability is relatively small compared to other semiconductor products such as NAND flash that can be massively produced.Toshiba is expected to continue being the largest semiconductor firm in Japan. The firm plans to begin the volume production of NAND flash using the 15-18nm technology in 2013 and develop 3D NAND flash technologies. Sony will focus on expanding the capacity of CMOS image sensors.

The Japan government continues to promote the use of renewable energy and lower the percentage of electricity generated from nuclear power. In July 2012, the government announced a full buy-back scheme which successfully stimulated solar installations. Installations in the fourth quarter of 2012 alone reached over 1GW and the total 2012 installations showed an on-year increase of about 200%. A new feed-in-tariff (FIT) will become effective in April 2013. Under the new scheme, the FIT for solar PV systems under 10kW is lowered to JPY38/kWh (US$0.40/kWh) and the FIT for systems above 10kW is lowered to JPY37.8/kWh. Ahead of the cuts, the Japan market has been experiencing a surge of installations.Digitimes Research predicts the total solar installations in Japan to reach 3.2-3.5GW in 2013.Due to geographical limitations and high population density, the Japan market mainly focuses on residential solar PV systems. The government has also simplified procedures by allowing online applications for small-size solar PV systems under 50kW. Japan has also been promoting large-size solar PV system projects by expanding subsidies, which has attracted many investors, and the market share in fourth-quarter 2012 of large-size solar PV systems was comparable to residential systems. However, large-size installations have many construction restrictions, and therefore demand has not been as high as rooftop systems and the market has been reaching saturation. Many firms still focus on the residential segment in Japan.The Japan market offers many opportunities for solar firms as other markets are currently engaged in a trade war. Japan-made solar products do not have stronger quality or efficiency compared to brands from other countries, and at the same time China-made products have been gaining market support. Hence, it remains to be seen whether local firms will benefit from the government subsidies.

While a majority of the total touch panel shipments is still taken up by the mobile phone sector at present, those shipped to other applications are on the rise. Fabless firm FTDI Chip has introduced a graphic controller that integrates display, audio and touch functions for any product with an information-oriented human-machine interface, from e-book readers, white goods control panels to medical devices, public transport systems, and beyond.Headquartered in Glasgow, FTDI Chip was established as a developer of USB interface ICs. The launch of its EVE (embedded video engine) family demonstrates the firm's ability to diversify into new markets and products.The current touch-enabled display systems usually require a whole heap of silicon with a multitude of different chips, each having a relatively high pin count, said Dave Sroka, global product director at FTDI. This impacts on the overall bill of materials, mandates a large area of board real estate, and results in extensive power requirements.Sroka indicated that the initial offering in its EVE family, the FT800, is targeted at cost-effective QVGA and WQVGA TFT display panels. The object-orientated approach of FTDI's graphics controller eliminates the expense of traditional frame buffer memory as it renders images in a line-by-line basis with 1/16th of a pixel resolution.The FT800 is an SoC combining display, audio and touch functionality, providing an optimized solution that reduces power, board area and BOM costs, Sroka noted. Engineers are able to easily create their desired graphic user interfaces (GUIs) for a range of interactive display systems, such as an 8-bit microcontroller based processor for a GUI with smartphone-like graphics, Sroka said.In a space-saving 48LD QFN package, the FT800 is capable of providing 24-bit (true colour) support on an 18-bit interface. The chip comes preloaded with a useful set of fonts and sounds on its ROM to further facilitate completion of the development process as quickly and easily as possible, Sroka said.Display systems with touch and audio functionality are breaking into a far greater variety of application environments, Sroka observed. A more integrated design is more needed to reduce the amount of data that must be transferred, and keep the number of chips involved and the board space taken up to minimal levels, Sroka said.In addition, Sroka disclosed that FTDI's R&D center in Singapore and regional branch offices and distributors in other countries in Asia provide technical support to key customers and field engineers. The Asia market now accounts for about 30% of company revenues, Sroka said.Dave Sroka, global product director at FTDI, talks about a new approach to intelligent display designPhoto: Company

Samsung will extend its mobile handset market share lead over its nearest competitor to 11 percentage points in 2013, thanks to the launch of its latest Galaxy S handset, IHS iSuppli said in a new report."Combined with a massive worldwide rollout through almost every operator, the lifestyle focus of the S4 will help drive Samsung's market share sharply in 2013," said Ian Fogg, director for mobile and telecommunications research at IHS, in the report.The Samsung Galaxy S4 introduced last month has not yet hit market shelves, but IHS already provided an optimistic outlook for Samsung's handset market share lead in 2013.According to Samsung, the S4 will roll out with 327 mobile operators around the world in 155 countries starting at the end of April. The model features a larger, 5-inch full HD AMOLED display, and also demonstrates major upgrades in the sensors and application processor compared to the S3. IHS iSuppli: Top-5 handset vendors in 2012 (ranking by unit shipments) Rank Company 2011 2012 1 Samsung 24% 29% 2 Nokia 30% 24% 3 Apple 7% 10% 4 ZTE 6% 6% 5 LG 6% 4% Source: IHS iSuppli, compiled by Digitimes, March 2013