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LEDs are a dominant lighting technology, having replaced most competing light sources in many applications. This revolution, which has led to so much progress in the performance and design of lighting in cars, can be attributed largely to Nichia’s pioneering innovations. For example, Nichia commercialized the very first high luminous blue LEDs in 1993 and officially produced the first ever white LEDs in 1996.
Founded in 1956 by Nobuo Ogawa, Nichia has remained family-led with current President, Hiroyoshi Ogawa (Nobuo’s grandson), now guiding its successful growth. You can read an exclusive DVN interview with him in the following pages of this report. The company’s long- standing leadership ensures continuity and strategic focus on innovation and development. Indeed, Nichia has remained prudent, focusing on its core businesses while steadily advancing new technologies.
Nichia operates six factories in Japan’s Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Clearly, the company has considered the logistics involved in manufacturing and distributing compact electronic components from these locations, ensuring efficiency in both production and transportation whilst taking steps to mitigate against natural disasters. To reduce costs and increase operational efficiency, Nichia integrates its phosphor production and a significant portion of its Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) machine production in-house.
The company’s primary research and development center is also in Tokushima, with additional R&D facilities in Yokohama and Nagano. Additionally, there is a newly opened Nichia Automotive Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany. By the end of 2023, Nichia employed 9,353 people globally (which includes sales offices around the world).
Originally focused on chemical products, Nichia’s early work on phosphors for fluorescent lamps laid the foundation for its future LED innovations. Today, Nichia produces a range of materials, including cathode substances, phosphors, and fine chemicals. However, its primary focus is now optoelectronics, particularly LEDs, laser diodes, and optical semiconductor devices.
For LEDs, Nichia believes most of the improvements in energy efficiency have been achieved, with current levels at 200 lm/W compared to a theoretical maximum of 270 lm/W. The company now focuses on improving light quality, specifically the spectrum, for interior lighting applications.
Nichia has found recent success with its μPLS Micro Pixelated Light Source, a technology enabling advances in high-definition adaptive driving beam (ADB) systems. The company entered the microLED automotive market just recently, quickly making significant strides. It became the first to market in 2023, equipping a Porsche Cayenne with over 16,000 microLEDs, in collaboration with Infineon, enhancing both resolution and cost efficiency.
In contrast, whilst the use of lasers in general lighting is declining, Nichia is exploring several other automotive applications where laser technology is performing well and further success can be attained, such as heads-up displays (HUDs) or other advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) applications. The company plans to expand its range of RGB lasers to support these applications.