04/03, 11:15am
Japan Display starts business
Screen technology alliance Japan Display has formally launched operations as of the start of April. The teamwork between Hitachi, Sony, Toshiba, and the government's Innovation Network Corporation of Japan is divided and will have several divisions, some of which are behind the scenes while others will focus on specific markets. It will have separate sections for automotive and mobile devices, such as phones and tablets, along with wider research and production teams.
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02/07, 4:15pm
Three Japanese to merge chip-making business
Three large Japanese electronics makers are involved in talks on merging assets to build computer chips. Renesas, Fujitsu and Panasonic will at first spin off their separate chip design and development divisions to create a joint company, according to Japan's Nikkei newspaper (login required). The three are doing so in order to better compete in the industry for devices and vehicles.
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11/15, 8:45am
Japan Display unites to make phone, PC displays
Hitachi, Innovation Network Corporation of Japan, Sony, and Toshiba on Tuesday formalized a deal to create a united display maker. Called Japan Display, it will consolidate the production of small- to medium-sized displays, such as those on smartphones, tablets, and computers. The coalition will take 70 percent of its funding from the government-backed Innovation Network while the three private firms will each have an equal share of the rest.
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11/01, 6:30pm
Move will boost phone and tablet display capacity
Earlier this year, Toshiba, Sony and Hitachi agreed to spin off their small- and mid-sized display making operations to Innovation Network Corp, a Japan-based investment fund. Today, Nikkei has reported [subscription required] that the fund is planning to buy Panasonic's LCD manufacturing factory in the Chiba Prefecture in Japan for 20 billion yen ($255.5 million). The company anticipates investing another 100 billion yen ($1.28 billion) to convert the plant, which makes larger TV LCD panels, to produce LCD panels for smartphones and tablets.
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