Hitachi Metals, Ltd. (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereinafter, "Hitachi Metals") has joined the "IBM Research Frontiers Institute," a research consortium founded by IBM Corporation (Head office: New York, U.S.A.; hereinafter, "IBM" ^*1).

IBM Research Frontiers Institute is an open research consortium founded by IBM in 2016 with the goal of introducing world-changing innovation. The Institute engages in a wide range of state-of-the-art research themes, including revolutionary computing technologies such as quantum computers, neuromorphic devices ^*2, and bio devices.

Focusing on areas such as societal infrastructure, the automotive industry, and electronics, as well as the development of environment-friendly products, Hitachi Metals is engaged in business areas that contribute to sustainable development through the use of advanced materials. In keeping with our FY2018 Medium-term Management Plan, we will push forward with "R&D innovation" by aggressively incorporating open innovation to fulfill our goal of becoming a "true development-oriented company." As part of these efforts, we will be opening the Corporate Research Lab in April 2017 with a focus on mid- to long-term advanced materials R&D that contribute to sustainable growth and benefit society.

Hitachi Metals has joined the IBM Research Frontiers Institute as a Founder, and we envision that the research into different methods of material development that this will afford—methods such as neuromorphic technologies that leverage cognitive technologies, as well as Materials Informatics ^*3—will bring dramatic advancements to our advanced materials R&D.

Moving forward, Hitachi Metals is committed to the progress of our future society by driving our R&D of advanced materials based on a mid- to long-term perspective with an eye on societal trends as well as on advancements made in science and technology.

• *1 IBM is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation and is registered worldwide.
• *2 Semiconductor devices that mimic the signal processing processes that occur in the human nervous system.
• *3 A scientific method for solving a wide range of challenges in the areas of matter and material sciences by leveraging computer science and the vast amount of diverse data on the physical and chemical properties of matter and materials.

For inquiries from the press:
Corporate Communications, Hitachi Metals, Ltd.
hmcc.sa@hitachi-metals.com

• Hitachi Metals Joins IBM Research Consortium（PDF: 84KB ）