Tokyo--Toshiba Corporation today announced that it would establish an Analog IC Technology Development Center at its Kitakyushu Operations in Kyushu, the westernmost of Japan’s main islands.

The new Center will bring together analog operations currently scattered across the Kitakyushu site and analog technology development groups located in Yokohama and Kawasaki. The concentration of analog process and product engineers in Kitakyushu will improve communication and collaboration, and Toshiba expects to see shorter time-to-market for products able to meet diversifying market needs. Kitakyushu Operations is Toshiba’s hub facility for the development and manufacture of analog ICs. Toshiba anticipates that its sales of analog ICs will rise from 110 billion yen in fiscal year 2001 to 180 billion yen in FY2004. The center will play a central role in supporting this sales expansion.

The digitization of electronics products, such as TVs, is promoting advances in SoC, and the important role of analog ICs that interface input and output data in SoC. As demand for SoC increases, Toshiba is reinforcing its solutions business by developing enhanced capabilities in large-scale integration and analog ICs and raising product competitiveness.

The construction of new development center will start in November 2002 and be completed in May 2003. The relocation of engineers from Yokohama and Kawasaki is slated for the same date, immediately after completion of construction.

The new Center will also house Kitakyushu Operations’ optical devices development operation.

Outline of Technology Development Center for Analog LSIs

• Center Name: Analog IC Technology Development Center
  
• Start of construction: November 2002
  
• Start of operation: May 2003
  
• Building area: approximately 2,400m²
  
• Total floor space: approximately 7,200m²
  

Outline of Kitakyushu Operations

• Establishment: 1920
  
• Employees: 1,351
  
• Business areas: development and manufacturing of analog ICs