Taiwan LED players are looking to grab a portion of the 1.4 million LED streetlamp business that the China government plans to install by the end of 2009, according to market sources.
Besides the 1.4 million LED streetlamps for 2009, the China government also plans to install another 2.5 million LED streetlamps by 2010, while the Taiwan government has also allocated a NT$130 million budget for replacing traditional mercury streetlamps with LED streetlamps in 2009, the sources noted.
Currently the main sources of LED chips for China players are Cree, Semiled, and Epistar, the sources noted, adding that second-tier Taiwan players are also vying for the market.
Formosa Epitaxy has announced a plan to establish a subsidiary in Shandong province, China, with facilities for R&D, testing, and production of new lighting materials. Opto Tech, which is collaborating with China retailers, has received orders for LED streetlamps from China and will start shipping in the second half of 2009, the sources said.
A conference on cooperation between Taiwan and China for the LED lighting industry will be held in Taipei from June 9-10, 2009. Representatives from China will visit Taiwan\’s major LED players such as chipmakers Epistar and Formosa, and packaging house Lite-On Technology, the sources said.