October 18, 2011…Market research firm, Strategies Unlimited released its latest report about the LED market, which says that revenues for high-brightness LEDs grew by an impressive 108% to $11.2 billion in 2010. The company says that the growth was propelled by applications in TV backlight units. However, expanding supply and a slowdown in overall TV demand in 2011 led to a drastic drop in LED prices, leading to a revised estimate of $12.3 billion in LED revenues for 2011, the company notes. The company projects that revenue for high brightness LEDs will peak in 2014 at $16.2B and then fall to $15.3 B in 2015. Strategies Unlimited (SU) says that the dip in revenues will be temporary, as lighting will take over as the engine for growth after 2015.

SU notes that LED prices have plummeted 20-40%, except for some specialized applications, such as headlamps. The company predicts that weaker companies or new entrants without much experience, like many from China who entered in during 2010, will retreat from the market. SU asserts that as LEDs become more like commodities, only strong companies with deep pockets will survive the fluctuations, much like DRAM suppliers. LIGHTimes SecondPage members login for more. Guests can view membership details.