Nanostructure Science and Technology - World Technology ...

Appendix D. Site Reports—Japan 311
– e.g., at IMR, Tohoku University, JSPS funds “Nanostructurally
Controlled Spin Depending Quantum Effects and New Electronics
and Magnetics”; total 5-year budget 1996-2001, $3.8 million
B. Industry
Hitachi Central R&D Lab., Tokyo (T. Ikeda)
Annual sales Hitachi are about $70 billion/year; R&D spending as
percent of total sales is on the order of 10%. There are seven corporate
laboratories with 3,000 personnel. Nanotechnology takes a significant
percentage of precompetitive research at Hitachi, perhaps as much as
$280 million per year.
NEC Fundamental Research Laboratories, Tsukuba (J. Sone)
Annual sales are about $40 billion/year; R&D is 10% of total sales;
Precompetitive research (Central group) spends about 1% (or $30 million
per year); Nanotechnology-related precompetitive research is 50% of that
(or $15 million/year); it also receives partial support from government (for
example, 20% of funding for devices)
Toshiba Research Center
Annual sales are $52 billion/year; R&D expenditures as a percentage of
total sales are comparable to other Japanese corporations; nanotechnologyrelated
precompetitive research is about $20 million/year.
Nihon Shinku Gijutsu (ULVAC)
Vacuum Metallurgical Co., part of a conglomerate of 35 companies, had
at the time of the WTEC visit ~$4 million in particles sales per year for
electronics, optics, and arts; it planned to expand that investment to
~ $10 million/year within three years. A major focus of ULVAC is
marketing.
Other companies with large nanotechnology research programs are
NTT, Fujitsu, Sony, and Fuji Photo Film Co.