Industry 4.0

2020-10-29

Teijin raises equity stake in Floadia to enhance business capabilities with AI know-how

Teijin Limited announced today that it has raised its equity stake in Floadia Corporation, a Tokyo-based start-up company that develops, consults, licenses and sells non-volatile memory. This type of memory is indispensable in the rapid processing of big data by artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities thanks to its suitability for deployment in edge computing environments and its ability to process information without access to the cloud.

Reflecting its increased shareholding, Teijin has seconded a representative to serve on Floadia’s board of directors and an engineer to work on the company’s advanced technologies and products.

By combining its special capabilities as a materials supplier with Floadia’s non-volatile memory know-how, Teijin aims to strengthen its expertise in products and solutions that use AI for enhanced quality of life in diverse fields. More specifically, the two companies plan to jointly develop AI chips and other products for practical applications, targeting commercial launch by 2025. Teijin also expects to strengthen its materials business, including technologies and safety management for autonomous driving, and solutions addressing for demographic change and increased health consciousness.

Teijin has been developing mobility solutions to address demands in aging societies. Established in 2011 to develop and license semiconductor intellectual property, Floadia has been developing low-cost non-volatile memory that significantly reduces the power consumption and raises the heat resistance of electronic and semiconductor devices. Floadia is also developing semiconductor devices that enable power-saving AI arithmetic processing.

Products for daily life are being digitized for greater usefulness and sustainability. Examples include automobiles designed to be more connected, autonomous, shared and electric (CASE), mobility as a service (MaaS) solutions that augment consumer-owned cars, and smart homes that offer extra safety, reliability and comfort. At the same time, markets for the internet of things (IoT) and AI are expanding briskly.

Teijin is contributing to the realization of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as creating value for enhanced quality of life under a long-term vision of being a company that supports the society of the future.

Teijin is seeking to add value in a wider range of areas beyond its cultivated tough and lightweight high-performance materials capabilities, with AI-related technology becoming increasingly indispensable. Teijin rates Floadia’s semiconductor devices highly as they do not require cloud access in order to carry out AI arithmetic processing.