- Strengthen R&D to Stimulate Innovation
Since its founding, Toshiba Group has been working to solve social issues through its business activities. Toshiba will strengthen R&D aimed at stimulating innovation that will achieve carbon neutrality and realize a circular economy while maximizing its potential to the full by leveraging its strengths in technology and diverse development capabilities and combining the power of data with our core business areas of energy, infrastructure and devices.
FY2023 Key Achievements
- Completed demonstration operation of a highly durable, environmentally friendly CO2 solvent at a commercial CO2 capture plant in Saga City
～Start of sales of CO2 capture plants using the new solvent～ - Bekaert and Toshiba sign a partnership agreement on MEA technology for PEM electrolyzers to accelerate the advance towards green hydrogen production at scale
- Successfully calculated and linked CO2 data in Phase 2 of the “CO2 Data Linkage in a Virtual Supply Chain” demonstration experiment organized by the Green x Digital Consortium (Secretariat: JEITA)
- Toshiba Launches Open Testbed for Demonstrating Advances in Energy Conservation and Security at Innovation Palette
R&D Strategy
Under its Basic Commitment, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future,” Toshiba Group will—supported by our proven technology—create products, solutions, and services to achieve carbon neutrality and a circular economy as well as safe and secure social infrastructure. We will create and develop strong core physical technologies while making the most of the technological diversity that is Toshiba Group’s strength, and work to appropriately motivate and develop the technical talent that is the source of our technological capabilities. In addition, based on the concept of “software-defined,” we will continue to create value for our customers by driving digitization (e.g., DE (Digital Evolution), DX (Digital Transformation), and QX (Quantum Transformation)) and building a connected data society through new products, solutions, and services.
Toshiba Group R&D Structure
Toshiba Group’s R&D structure comprises Toshiba’s R&D divisions along with the R&D divisions and design and technology-related divisions at its key Group companies, with R&D carried out through efficient delegation of functions between these respective divisions. Toshiba’s R&D division is working to deepen the Company’s underlying technologies from a medium- to long-term perspective, and is engaged in research targeting new business domains as well as innovative and cutting-edge R&D.
The R&D divisions and design and technology-related divisions at our key Group companies support the underlying technologies of their respective business domains, develop new products and differentiated technologies in line with business plans, and engage in efforts to commercialize and mass-produce products that can meet the demands of customers. Through this intra-division close-cooperation, we are able to deliver new products to the market.
In order to accelerate the realization of carbon neutrality and a circular economy (hereinafter referred to as “CN/CE”) through digitization, which is one of our Group Management Policies, we have opened a new technology location, the “Regenerative Innovation Centre,” in Dusseldorf, Germany.
As a core technology location in Europe that emphasizes the development of CN/CE-related technologies and their implementation in society, this new technology location will promote the development of cutting-edge technologies, social verification of Toshiba Group technologies, standardization activities, and more together with its partners. Through these initiatives, we aim to participate in the European community, deepen our relationships with our partners, and contribute to the realization of CN/CE in the European region and the global community by working to solve social issues related to CN/CE from a multifaceted perspective that considers aspects such as science, engineering, economics, and society. We are planning activities in the following technical fields: the “Device Field” for batteries and semiconductors; the “Energy Field” for renewable energy, hydrogen, and energy management; the “Carbon Negative Field” for collection, transport, storage, and utilization related to CO2 removal; and the “Digital Platform Field for utilization of energy and CO2 data.
Corporate's R&D organizations
R&D Expenses
Toshiba has defined strengthening R&D to stimulate innovation as one of its material issues.
The ratio of R&D expenses to sales in Toshiba Group stands at approximately 5%.
Ratio of R&D expenses to sales
| FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5％ | 4.7％ | 4.9％ | 4.6％ | 4.7％ | 4.9％ |
| FY2018 | FY2019 | FY2020 | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5％ | 4.7％ | 4.9％ | 4.6％ | 4.7％ | 4.9％ |
Breakdown of R&D expenses (FY2023)
Examples of R&D that contribute to solving social issues
Completed demonstration operation of a highly durable, environmentally friendly CO2 solvent at a commercial CO2 capture plant in Saga City
～Start of sales of CO2 capture plants using the new solvent～
Corresponding social issue: Response to climate change
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has completed the development of a high-performance CO2 solvent for use in CO2 capture plants. This development was conducted jointly with Saga City from March 2023 until March 2024. Since positive test results were obtained from this demonstration operation, the Company will commercialize the new TS-X™ solvent and promote sales of CO2 capture plants.
Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation has operated the commercial CO2 capture plant*1 that it delivered to the Saga City incineration plant in 2016 for a total of over 8,000 hours using the new solvent. As the system operates for extended periods, there is a need to reduce the maintenance and operating costs of the CO2 capture plant by improving solvent performance. During the demonstration test, the Company compared the degradation rate of the solvent and the amount of amine emitted into the atmosphere, and confirmed that the degradation rate of the new solvent was reduced to one-third that of the conventional solvent, and that the amount of amine emissions were reduced to about one-tenth.
The Company has also conducted performance tests of the new solvent at its pilot plant and confirmed that the solvent can reduce the energy required for recovery, especially in areas where the CO2 concentration in the exhaust gas is low (e.g., natural gas-fired power generation), compared to the current solvent.
With the goal of achieving carbon neutrality, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation will support the social implementation of CCUS*2 through the development of CO2 capture technology.
Photo of the CO2 capture plant at Saga City’s incineration plant
(Photo courtesy of Saga City, March 2021)
- Delivered as a demonstration test system for the carbon dioxide capture plant for Saga City’s biomass energy utilization project. (Japanese)
- CCUS (Carbon dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Storage): Technology to capture and recover, utilize, and store CO2 emitted from thermal power plants, factories, etc.
Bekaert and Toshiba sign a partnership agreement on MEA technology for PEM electrolyzers to accelerate the advance towards green hydrogen production at scale
Corresponding social issue: Response to climate change
Bekaert and Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation (“Toshiba”), have entered into a global partnership which includes a strategic cooperation agreement, and a manufacturing technology license for Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA), a key component for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, that will help to accelerate the advance towards green hydrogen production.
PEM electrolyzers use electricity to split water into its component elements of oxygen and hydrogen. When the electricity is from a renewable energy source, the hydrogen is produced without any greenhouse gas emissions. The catalyst in PEM anode electrodes uses iridium, one of the scarcest traded metals. Consequently, solutions that reduce iridium content present a significant break-through towards the scale adoption of these technologies.
Under the agreement, Bekaert’s leading expertise in Porous Transport Layers (PTL), a key component in the MEA of water electrolyzers, will be coupled with Toshiba’s innovative iridium-saving technology for MEA, which will enable a 90% reduction in iridium usage in the production of PEM electrolyzers. This reduction in iridium will enable a more stable supply of MEA and support the scale expansion of green hydrogen production.
Image of the Toshiba MEA
Successfully calculated and linked CO2 data in Phase 2 of the “CO2 Data Linkage in a Virtual Supply Chain” demonstration experiment organized by the Green x Digital Consortium (Secretariat: JEITA)
Corresponding social issue: Response to climate change
Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba Digital Solutions Corporation participated in Phase 2 of the “CO2 Data Linkage in a Virtual Supply Chain” demonstration experiment hosted by the Green x Digital Consortium, which is under the secretariat of the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), and succeeded in calculating and linking CO2 data.
In this demonstration experiment, CO2 data*1 was calculated, sent, received, and visualized in a virtual supply chain based on the CO2 data calculation method formulated by the Consortium’s Visualization Working Group as well as the “CO2 Visualization Framework” and the “Technical Specifications for Data Linkage.”*2 These technologies will be improved in cooperation with the WBCSD Partnership for Carbon Transparency (PACT),*3 an international initiative, while ensuring international interoperability.
In the future, Toshiba Corporation and Toshiba Digital Solutions Corporation will use the knowledge obtained in this demonstration experiment as the basis for developing solutions that support the manufacturing industry, which is working to respond to climate change and environmental issues, and aim to provide a supply chain network environment that enables user companies to efficiently make use of CO2 data distribution and a utilization service that demonstrates the benefits to companies that provide data.
- CO2 data:
Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG emissions) converted to carbon dioxide (kg-CO2 eq) in the manner defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). - https://www.gxdc.jp/pdf/CO2_VisualizationFrameworkEdition_1.0.pdf (Japanese) (PDF)
- https://www.carbon-transparency.com/
Toshiba Launches Open Testbed for Demonstrating Advances in Energy Conservation and Security at Innovation Palette
Corresponding social issue: Response to climate change, Cyber Resilience
To achieve carbon neutrality and realize safe security services, Toshiba launched an energy-saving demonstration and a security demonstration in the office area of our new R&D facility named Innovation Palette, which opened in January 2024. The energy-saving demonstration involves estimating the flow of people as well as controlling lighting and air conditioning to optimize energy use and ensure comfort, while the security demonstration involves linking video analysis AI, robots, and building equipment. In the energy-saving demonstration, we will use the operational digital twin*1 to simultaneously achieve comfort and reduce energy use by optimizing lighting and air conditioning. In addition to Toshiba Corporation’s own equipment, the demonstration can flexibly verify services using equipment from other companies. In addition, the security demonstration has achieved both security automation as well as safety and security by simultaneously monitoring a large number of video feeds using video analysis AI and patrolling a wide area by integrating security robots into building facilities. This new R&D facility will be used not only as a place for researchers to work but as a place for co-creation with customers and partners, thereby contributing to achieving carbon neutrality and addressing social issues.
- the operational digital twin
Technology that uses sensor technology and AI to reproduce real-world events virtually in real time and simulate the past, present, and future. The operational digital twin can reflect the results of simulations based on live data acquired from actual equipment on site in a timely manner for on-site operation and control.