TDK and Tokyo Institute of Technology Conclude Organizational Alliance Agreement

• To promote advanced joint R&D based on magnetic and magnet technology

Jan. 21, 2015

TDK Corporation announces the conclusion of an organizational alliance agreement with Tokyo Institute of Technology (president: Yoshinao Mishima) and that includes advanced joint research based on magnetic and magnet technology.

Relations between Tokyo Institute of Technology and TDK have a long history extending back to the invention and commercialization of ferrite in 1930. Ferrite, a magnetic material and one of Japan’s most important original inventions, grew out of the research of Dr. Yogoro Kato and Dr. Takeshi Takei at Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Department of Electrochemistry. TDK was founded on December 7, 1935, to engage in the commercialization of ferrite. (The company was initially called Tokyo Denki Kagaku Kogyo after the name of the university department that made the invention. It was a pioneer of university-born venture enterprises in Japan.)

Subsequently, ahead of the rest of the world, ferrite came to be applied in wireless communication equipment and radios in Japan, and later it influenced the evolution of all kinds of electronic devices, such as the deflection yoke cores used in television cathode-ray tubes and transformers to adjust voltage. Nowadays ferrite is used in a wide range of applications, including smartphones, tablets, and, in the automobile field, hybrid and electric vehicles. Ferrite contributes immensely to society as an important electronic component in state-of-the-art electronic equipment.

In recognition of these achievements, in October 2009 the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest academic society relating to electricity and electronics, granted the IEEE Milestone award that recognized historical achievement in the electrical, electronics, and related fields, to Tokyo Institute of Technology and TDK for the “Development of Ferrite Materials and Their Applications.”

On the basis of this organizational alliance agreement, Tokyo Institute of Technology and TDK will explore the unlimited potential for innovation possessed by magnetic and magnet technology through the implementation of multiple joint research with the aim of achieving highly original developments that will lead to next-generation electronics and in turn increased competitiveness for Japan.

About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation is a leading electronics company based in Tokyo, Japan. It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK's portfolio includes electronic components, modules and systems* marketed under the product brands TDK and EPCOS, power supplies, magnetic application products as well as energy devices, flash memory application devices, and others. TDK focuses on demanding markets in the areas of information and communication technology and consumer, automotive and industrial electronics. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal 2014, TDK posted total sales of USD 9.6 billion and employed about 83,000 people worldwide.

• * The product portfolio includes ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors, ferrites, inductors, high-frequency components such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter products and modules, piezo and protection components, and sensors.

Contact for media

Related URL
Office of Industry Liaison, Tokyo Institute of Technology
http://www.sangaku.titech.ac.jp/english/system/coalition.html