Giants "move towards each other"! Multiple strategic partnerships reached in the LED field
The lighting industry has recently seen a surge in strategic partnerships, from government-enterprise cooperation and university-enterprise collaboration to supply chain synergy and cross-industry integration, joining forces to break through barriers.
Signify signs cooperation agreement with Xindu District, Chengdu
Signify announced the formal signing of a cooperation agreement for the Western Smart Lighting Industry Headquarters Base project with the People's Government of Xindu District, Chengdu.This cooperation marks a further deepening of Signify'slayout in the western China market, leveraging intelligent low-carbon light technology to support the construction of high-tech industries in the Chengdu-Chongqing Twin City Economic Circle and promote the development of the lighting industry in the western region towards intelligence, clustering, and high-quality development.
Liu Rui, General Manager of Signify's Engineering Channel in China, stated: "Chengdu is the core engine of economic development in Western China, boasting a superior business environment and strong industrial radiation. We are delighted to partner with the People's Government of Xindu District, Chengdu, to bring Signify's technological accumulation and localized innovation experience in the global smart lighting field to Xindu. We look forward to applying advanced healthy lighting and smart city lighting solutions to more landmark projects in the West through the construction of this headquarters base, bringing a smarter, lower-carbon, and more comfortable light environment experience to the local area."
According to the agreement, both parties will leverage their respective core advantages, base themselves on the existing industrial carrier resources of Xindu District, focus on creating smart lighting scenarios, product experience displays, and regional industry service integration, build an industry ecosystem, and drive the large-scale, high-quality clustered development of the regional lighting industry.
To ensure the efficient implementation of the project, the People's Government of Xindu District, Chengdu, will provide one-stop government services and policy support for the project, continuously offering efficient business environment services, safeguarding the steady development of the project throughout the process. Signify will continue to release its core advantages in global lighting technology R&D, supply chain integration, and ecological synergy, actively collaborating with excellent local enterprise resources to jointly promote the efficient construction and stable operation of the project.
SmartSens and Unisoc Reach Strategic Cooperation
Recently, SmartSens Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (SmartSens) and Unisoc (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Unisoc") officially reached a strategic cooperation. The two parties joined forces to layout the Micro LED high-speed optical interconnection field , carrying out deep collaboration around optical interconnection chip design and system solution implementation, providing domestic core solutions with high bandwidth, low power consumption, high integration, and high reliability for short-distance high-speed interconnection scenarios in AI computing clusters.
As a technologically advanced CMOS Image Sensor (CIS) company, SmartSens has been deeply engaged in the imaging field for over ten years, building a complete product matrix covering security, automotive, smartphones, and machine vision. Guided by its "3+AI" strategy, the company continues to expand into cutting-edge emerging fields such as high-speed optical interconnects and edge AI. Leveraging core technologies accumulated over the long term in the CIS field, including high-speed imaging, heterogeneous integration processes, micro-nano optical design, and high-speed circuit design, SmartSens possesses natural technological synergy advantages in the Micro LED optical interconnect field. By establishing a dedicated business group to promote the R&D of integrated transceiver systems, covering three major modules: TX driver arrays, PD detection arrays, and RX signal processing arrays, it continuously creates low-power, highly integrated high-speed optical interconnect solutions.
Unisoc is a leading domestic full-domain chip design enterprise, focusing on the core strategy of "low-power foundation + natural interaction engine + AI kernel", with profound technical accumulation in AI processors and communication chips. Its products are widely used in scenarios such as smart terminals, automotive electronics, and industrial control, possessing complete capabilities in chip design, large-scale mass production, and industry ecosystem integration.
In this cooperation, Unisoc will output core technologies such as AI computing, high-speed SerDes interfaces, and system-level power optimization, forming deep complementarity with SmartSens' optoelectronic technology, breaking through the full-link technical barriers of "optical interconnect chip - computing power chip - application scenario".
With the explosive growth of AI computing power and data transmission demands, short-distance interconnection scenarios within AI data centers are accelerating the iteration and upgrade from traditional copper cable transmission to high-speed optical interconnect technology. Micro LED CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) adopts a "wide and slow" parallel architecture, replacing traditional few high-speed channels with hundreds of low-speed optical channels, which can reduce the unit transmission energy consumption to 5% of that of copper cable solutions. With the core advantages of wide parallelism and low power consumption, Micro LED has become a key technical path to break through the power consumption and density bottlenecks of traditional technical solutions in short-distance scenarios.
To meet industry upgrades and market demands, SmartSens and Unisoc will jointly develop a new generation of Micro LED CPO optical interconnect solutions. Based on SmartSens' optical sensing and Micro LED array technology, combined with Unisoc's high-speed SerDes technology, it achieves efficient integration of the optical engine and XPU, while balancing low power consumption, high bandwidth, and high reliability. This solution will focus on addressing the pain points of traditional optical interconnects, such as high cost, low integration, and high power consumption, providing a new high-quality domesticated solution for diverse application scenarios such as AI data centers, intelligent assisted driving, and high-end industrial vision.
Nanjing University of the Arts and Unilumin Sign School-Enterprise Cooperation Agreement
Recently, the signing ceremony for the school-enterprise cooperation between Nanjing University of the Arts and Unilumin was held at the university's administrative building. Yu Feng, Secretary of the Party Committee of NUAA, and Liu Jun, Vice President of Unilumin, attended the ceremony and delivered speeches.
In the future, both parties will focus on advancing cooperation in three major areas:
Jointly establish joint innovation laboratories for AIGC performing arts, virtual production, etc., focusing on directions such as "LED+XR" virtual production, and exploring the deep integration of AI and artistic scenarios;
Cooperate to develop LED technology cultural tourism and entertainment projects, supporting the comprehensive implementation of "art-science integration" with interactive teaching models;
Establish a national university student virtual production and technological innovation competition, cultivating top-tier talents with both artistic aesthetics and technical practical skills through project practice, workshops, and other forms.
Both parties unanimously expressed that, taking this signing as a starting point, they will remain true to the original intention of cooperation, refine cooperative measures, improve coordination mechanisms, and let artistic inspiration collide with technological power to spark more innovation, jointly promoting the coordinated development of art and digital intelligence technology.
During the exchange, Yu Feng pointed out that the deep integration of art and technology is reshaping the trajectory of civilizational development. In recent years, the school has deeply implemented the "dual highland" strategy for traditional and modern art, adopting measures such as matrix-style construction of high-end innovation platforms and deepening industry-education collaboration, thereby forging a distinctive path of integrated development in art and technology.
Yu Feng stated that Unilumin Technology is a listed company and the absolute global leader in LED displays, ranking first worldwide in revenue, shipment area, rental market, and XR virtual production. Its Mini/Micro + AI leading technology holds unique competitive advantages in globalization and multi-scenario construction. Unilumin Technology's integrated service pattern of "hardware, software, content, and interaction" highly aligns with the school's artistic heritage, disciplinary characteristics, and talent advantages. This collaboration between the two parties is a strategic choice of complementary strengths and strong alliance, and furthermore, a concrete action to practice innovation-driven development, cultivate new quality productive forces, and empower the high-quality development of the cultural Industry.
Cree LED partners with CDN Lighting
Recently, Cree LED officially announced a brand partnership program with CDN Lighting. This collaboration marks a deeper synergy and innovation between the two parties in the field of high-efficiency energy-saving lighting, jointly promoting the commercial lighting market towards higher quality and higher energy efficiency.
As a professional lighting solution provider, CDN Lighting has long focused on the research and application of commercial lighting products. By integrating Cree LED's leading light source technology, CDN has achieved comprehensive upgrades across multiple core product lines, including the BACH series downlights, LED strip products, and flood lamps. These products are widely used in hotels, offices, retail stores, and other commercial environments, providing users with a lighting experience that combines comfort, reliability, and visual aesthetics.
In this collaboration, CDN Lighting has adopted several LEDs from Cree LED, including the J Series® 2835 LEDs series, known for stable performance and excellent luminous efficacy, and the CMB LEDs series, characterized by high power and high consistency.
The CMB series offers excellent luminous efficacy while ensuring compatibility between LED devices and optics. It not only improves the overall luminous efficacy and long-term reliability of the luminaire, but also achieves significant optimization in color rendering, light color consistency, and system energy efficiency, meeting the growing demand for high-quality lighting in modern commercial spaces. Cree LED technology is applied in various lighting forms: from recessed downlights to flexible LED strips, various products work together in the same spatial scenario to create a warm and high-end indoor light environment.
By joining the Cree LED Brand Partner Program, CDN Lighting not only gains access to stable and reliable high-performance LED technology support, but also further enhances its brand influence in the professional lighting sector. The program aims to bring together high-quality lighting manufacturers worldwide, accelerating the implementation of efficient lighting technologies in various niche markets through technical cooperation and brand synergy.
ABB and Yeelight reach strategic cooperation
On May 25, ABB and Yeelight (hereinafter referred to as "Yeelight") officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Qingdao. Both parties will carry out systematic cooperation in areas such as channel synergy, product development, and technological innovation, and engage in deep collaboration in fields including smart homes, smart systems, and home electrical appliances, jointly promoting the development of smart homes towards a more open, stable, and intelligent direction.
Zou Enchang, Senior Vice President of ABB Electrification China and Head of the Smart Buildings China Business Unit, Jiang Zhaoning, Chairman of Yeelight, and other senior representatives from both sides attended the signing ceremony.
According to the agreement, ABB will collaborate with Yeelight on sales channel networks to continuously enhance the coverage of ABB's home electrical products in the smart home market. Meanwhile, both parties will deepen collaboration in R&D and manufacturing, injecting new momentum of technological innovation and smart manufacturing into the development of the smart home industry.
On one side is ABB, a global giant in electrical automation with over 140 years of technical heritage. For a long time, ABB has been deeply engaged in the fields of electrification and automation. Its home electrical solutions, known for innovative technology, aesthetic design, and reliable quality, have been widely applied in high-end residential, hotel, and other smart building scenarios worldwide. In March 2025, ABB completed the acquisition of Siemens' switch and socket business in China.
On the other side is Yeelight, a key representative brand in China's smart home technology sector. Since its establishment in 2012, Yeelight has been deeply engaged in the fields of smart lighting and IoT. Leveraging long-term technical accumulation and a global layout, it has gradually grown into an important innovative force in China's smart home industry. To date, Yeelight has accumulated 975 patent technologies, with global shipments of smart home products exceeding 90 million units, covering more than 200 countries and regions worldwide, and establishing extensive influence in the fields of smart lighting, whole-home intelligence, and open ecosystems.
This collaboration represents a deep complementarity of two industrial capabilities—ABB possesses profound global expertise in electrical automation and has been deeply engaged in the home electrical field for over a century, while Yeelight has long-term technical accumulation and continuous innovation capabilities in the fields of smart lighting, AI interaction, and IoT ecosystems.
In the past, smart homes were mostly about connecting devices; in the future, the industry will focus more on whether systems can proactively understand user needs and achieve coordinated operation among different devices. Spatial intelligence is also becoming an important direction for industrial competition in the next stage. Against this backdrop, the deep synergy of strong alliances is reshaping the development logic of the smart home industry.