TDK Wins the Porter Prize 2026 for its TMR sensor technology

TDK Corporation (TSE:6762) announces that its Magnetic Sensors Business Group, which is responsible for the development and design of TMR sensors, has recently received the Porter Prize 2026 from the School of International Corporate Strategy (Hitotsubashi ICS) at Hitotsubashi University Business School.

The Porter Prize was established in July 2001 to honor companies that have achieved and sustained high profitability in their respective industries by driving innovation in products, processes, and management, and by implementing distinctive strategies based on such innovation. The prize, named after Michael E. Porter, Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, is awarded to Japanese companies and business divisions that have achieved success in competition through distinctive strategies.

TDK’s Magnetic Sensors Business Group received the Porter Prize 2026 for a variety of achievements evaluated, including:

• Innovative solutions: TDK magnetic sensors are compact, consume little power, and offer high accuracy, while also demonstrating high reliability even under harsh environmental conditions. In addition, the Group provides high-value-added solutions that combine sensors with dedicated ICs and software, rather than offering sensors alone.
• Distinctive strategies: the Group focuses on differentiating its magnetic sensors in mission-critical fields, including automotive, industrial machinery, robotics, and smartphones, while avoiding competition in the low-priced general-purpose products market.
• Effective management: the Group has effectively leveraged technologies and human resources cultivated through its HDD magnetic head business, as well as peripheral technologies acquired through M&A, to establish a stable supply system in a short period of time.

“It is a great honor to receive the prestigious Porter Prize. Our high-performance TMR magnetic sensors, which apply the magnetic technologies that form the roots of TDK, have undergone repeated Transformation through cross-company collaboration and are now used globally by customers requiring high-end reliability – from manufacturers of smartphones to xEVs to humanoid robots. Encouraged by this award, TDK will continue to pursue technological innovation contributing to development of the AI ecosystem on which we are focused,” said Noboru Saito, President & CEO, TDK Corporation.

With 90 years of expertise in magnetic materials, TDK has developed its proprietary TMR magnetic sensors with the highest level of precision, efficiency, and sensitivity. Now incorporated into consumer, industrial, and automotive products worldwide, TMR sensors provide highly accurate position and angle sensing with ultra-low power consumption. TDK’s Magnetic Sensors Business has grown significantly through transformation of its technologies, talent, and resources, as well as through solutions that integrate hardware, ASICs, and software. TDK continues to accelerate its efforts to develop high-value-added products while working to address social issues and achieve sustainable growth.

Glossary

• TMR: tunnel magnetoresistance