Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院), with its one-chip AC LED (alternating current light-emitting diode) technology, has been selected as a winner of this year’s R&D 100 Awards sponsored by US-based R&D Magazine.
Receiving the award on behalf of ITRI at a gala awards banquet in Chicago on Thursday evening, Jon Hsu (徐紹中), deputy general-director of ITRI’s Electronics and Optoelectronics Research Laboratories, said that the technology innovation was the result of efforts put forward by an ITRI research unit over the past four years.
Taiwan is the world leader in LED production in terms of volume, while Japan is taking the lead in production value, Hsu said.
ITRI has recognized the importance of technology innovation in order to develop LED products of higher value.
An LED is a semiconductor device that emits light under a direct current (DC) power source of the right polarity and voltage. Currently, LEDs can only be directly powered in an AC environment with AC-DC converter sub-assemblies.
Hsu said that the ITRI research unit started the project to develop an AC LED module four years ago and that after numerous experiments achieved a breakthrough and developed much smaller and more energy-efficient AC LED models. Compared to DC LEDs, AC LEDs can reduce energy consumption by 15 percent to 30 percent.
Recognizing the great commercial potential of the one-chip AC LED, ITRI has applied for national as well as international patents, with 70 patents already granted, Hsu said.
Hsu said that the institute has formed an alliance with 19 electronics and optoelectronics manufacturers in Taiwan, including Epistar Corp (晶元光電), Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技), Tyntek Corp (鼎元光電) and Forward Electronics Co (福華電子), to apply the technology to the development of commercial products.
With patent protection, ITRI said it was confident that Taiwan would remain a world leader in one-chip AC LED technology, with production value expected to reach NT$7.4 billion in two years, Hsu said.
R&D Magazine initiated the R&D 100 Awards competition in 1963 by selecting 100 research teams of technological products or processes expected to enhance efficiency and the quality of life.
This year’s winners include Massachusetts Institute of Technology, National Energy Technology Laboratory of the US, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, NASA Glenn Research Center, Langley Research Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, as well as universities and corporations around the world.
Semiconductor business between Taiwan and the US is a “win-win” model for both sides given the high level of complementarity, the government said yesterday responding to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. Home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Taiwan is a key link in the global technology supply chain for companies such as Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp. Trump said on Monday he plans to impose tariffs on imported chips, pharmaceuticals and steel in an effort to get the producers to make them in the US. “Taiwan and the US semiconductor and other technology industries
SMALL AND EFFICIENT: The Chinese AI app’s initial success has spurred worries in the US that its tech giants’ massive AI spending needs re-evaluation, a market strategist said Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) start-up DeepSeek’s (深度求索) eponymous AI assistant rocketed to the top of Apple Inc’s iPhone download charts, stirring doubts in Silicon Valley about the strength of the US’ technological dominance. The app’s underlying AI model is widely seen as competitive with OpenAI and Meta Platforms Inc’s latest. Its claim that it cost much less to train and develop triggered share moves across Asia’s supply chain. Chinese tech firms linked to DeepSeek, such as Iflytek Co (科大訊飛), surged yesterday, while chipmaking tool makers like Advantest Corp slumped on the potential threat to demand for Nvidia Corp’s AI accelerators. US stock
The US Federal Reserve is expected to announce a pause in rate cuts on Wednesday, as policymakers look to continue tackling inflation under close and vocal scrutiny from US President Donald Trump. The Fed cut its key lending rate by a full percentage point in the final four months of last year and indicated it would move more cautiously going forward amid an uptick in inflation away from its long-term target of 2 percent. “I think they will do nothing, and I think they should do nothing,” Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis former president Jim Bullard said. “I think the
‘LASER-FOCUSED’: Trump pledged tariffs on specific sectors, including semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, steel, copper and aluminum, and perhaps even cars US President Donald Trump said he wants to enact across-the-board tariffs that are “much bigger” than 2.5 percent, the latest in a string of signals that he is preparing widespread levies to reshape US supply chains. “I have it in my mind what it’s going to be but I won’t be setting it yet, but it’ll be enough to protect our country,” Trump told reporters on Monday night. Asked about a report that incoming US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent favored starting with a global rate of 2.5 percent, Trump said he did not think Bessent supported that and would not
RSS