Major Taiwan-based LED firms have all reported on-year declines in January sales, including: epitaxial wafer and chip makers Epistar, Opto Tech and Tyntek; packaging service providers Everlight Electronics, Unity Opto Technology and Harvatek; and vertically-integrated maker Lextar Electronics.

The Beijing Intellectual Property Court has ruled Taiwan-based LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics' subsidiary in China and its distributors have infringed Nichia's YAG patent, according to the Japan-based firm.

Rapid expansion of AR/VR applications has spurred demand for microdisplay devices, now adopting three major display technologies LCoS, HTPS and AMOLED, but inorganic micro LED technology can rival the current mainstream technologies in mocrodisplay application over the long term, according to industry...

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics is conservative about the LED manufacturing industry in 2019, as chip oversupply and prcing competition will continue, according to company chairman Robert Yeh.

China- and Taiwan-based LED firms generally saw prices drop due to weak demand and oversupply in 2018, and in 2019 they are facing probably the biggest challenge in 10 years, as oversupply continues amid uncertainties shrouding the global economy, including the US-China trade war, according to industry...

Some LED makers have benefited from new business opportunities from decorative RGB LED light bars gaming SSD modules and mini LED-backlighting for gaming monitors, with Everlight Electronics and Lite-On Technology being initial suppliers for the former segment, according to industry sources.

EMS provider Lite-On Technology has reported its smart LED streetlamp shipments doubled in 2018 on year, accounting for 10% of total LED streetlamp shipments.

Taiwan-based LED firms have been improving their production efficiency by upgrading manufacturing lines with more smart automation equipment in a bid to maintain competitiveness against China's fast expanding makers, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics is exhibiting a mini LED automotive taillight module and infrared (IR) LED modules at the NEPCON Japan 2019 taking place in Tokyo during January 16-18, according to the company.

Some China-based LED epitaxial wafer and chip makers have resumed capacity expansion since the start 2019, according to industry sources.

LED automotive lighting module maker Laster Tech has reported consolidated revenues of NT$427.1 million (US$13.9 million) for December, rising 4.76% sequentially but slipping 15.64% on year.

EMS provider Lite-On Technology has won 7- to 8-year contracts to supply Europe carmakers automotive lenses used in ADAS through their tier-one supply chain partners, with shipments to begin in fourth-quarter 2019, according to company CEO Warren Chen.

LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar has scaled down production due to low order visibility, as its December 2018 sales hit a new low since January 2013.

LED chip suppliers in Taiwan and China are expected to gear up efforts to land micro LED chip orders from Samsung Electronics after the Korea IT giant unveiled its latest modular micro LED display products at a pre-CES 2019 event earlie this week, according to industry sources.

Vertically-integrated LED maker Lextar Electronics has reported consolidated revenues of NT$715.2 million (US$23.2 million) for December, decreasing 13.12% sequentially and 17.32% on year.

Samsung Electronics has introduced its latest modular micro LED display technology, showcasing during its pre-CES event designs that included a 75-inch display, a 219-inch "The Wall," as well as other various sizes, shapes and configurations for a next-generation modular micro LED display.

With China-US trade tensions expected to continue heating up in 2019, the Taiwan government has worked out measures for five major industries to help them cushion the impacts.

EMS provider Lite-On Technology has disclosed it has initially shipped over 3,000 AI-enabled smart LED streetlamps to Southeast Asia.

Sintronic Technology expects its new product lines - display and electronics materials, and polycrystalline sapphire - to start boosting its revenues in 2019, following two years of efforts to diversify its offerings.

While sales of conventional automobiles in China, US and Europe have slowed down, the new energy car market in China is growing fast, providing business opportunities for LED automotive lighting makers, according to industry sources.

Mini LED backlighting and 8K LCD TVs are expected to significantly hike utilization of production capacities for LED epitaxial wafers and chips in 2019, according to industry sources.

Harvatek is poised to start volume production of mini LED backlighting units (BLUs) and fine-pitch displays in second-quarter 2019 and expects their revenues as a percentage of total sales to rise from below 5% in 2018 to 15% in 2019, according to the company.

Demand for mini LED chips used in LCD backlighting and fine-pitch displays is expected to grow fast in 2019, according to industry sources.

While a number of technologies, including LCoS, laser projection, AMOLED, are considered suitable for producing display products for AR (augmented reality) glasses that should be light and can be worn for a long time, the feasibility is high for micro LED to become the mainstream technology for AR...

Global average retail prices for LED light bulbs equivalent to 60W and 40W incandescent bulbs in November stood at US$7.27 and US$6.18 per unit, respectively, slipping 1.4% and 0.6% sequentially, according to LEDinside.