Toshiba 2005 Annual Report Download - page 24

24 Toshiba Corporation 130th Anniversary
With Semiconductor business at its core, the driving
force of Toshiba Group’s growth, Electronic Devices
Segment will create new markets through innova-
tions that advance the emergence of ubiquitous
connectivity and that deliver world-leading elemen-
tal technologies. In fiscal year 2004, Electronic
Devices Segment increased sales by ¥23.6 billion
against the previous term, though year-on-year
operating income declined by ¥24.5 billion.
Semiconductor Company
Results for the term under review: The Semiconductor
market was buoyant on a booming world economy, with
strong stimuli provided by the Athens Olympic Games
and the U.S. presidential election. Growth in demand for
digital consumer products spurred sales of System LSIs,
mainly for mobile equipment, and Discrete Devices, while
NAND Flash Memories also experienced steadily rising
demand. As a result, Semiconductor business saw higher
income than for the year-earlier period. Semiconductor
business is a Toshiba Group core business that will drive
the Group’s overall growth in coming years.
Semiconductor operations rest on three main pillars:
Discrete Devices, System LSIs, and Memories. Together
these form a comprehensive, well-balanced business.
Discrete Device business delivers a wide range of products
that consistently win the number one share and some
10% of the global market. The main focus is on the high
growth markets of East Asia—China, Taiwan, and Korea—
and on using deep-rooted technological capabilities to
maintain competitive advantage. Increased market share
resulted from emphasizing new generations of Power
Devices and Optical Devices. CMOS sensors and Analog
Devices helped to push up profit in the System LSI business,
where the main strategic targets are digital consumer
products and mobile equipment. In October 2004, a new
300mm wafer fab went into operation at Oita Operations.
Progress in the solutions business will be accelerated, with
the SoC business at its core. The goal is to lead the way in
supplying the world market with SoC products that bring
the industry’s most advanced process technologies to
general purpose LSI. The key markets will be Broadband
Devices and Image Processors for the high growth areas
of digital consumer products, mobile equipment, and
SED, the next generation Flat Panel Display
An achievement of R&D efforts during fiscal 2004, the SED
(Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display) is a thin display
that produces images by directing electron beams against a
phosphor-coated screen—a process similar to that of the
familiar cathode ray tube. The technology was jointly developed
with Canon Inc. SED offers the stellar combination of high
brightness and resolution, excellent color tone and contrast,
and superb reproduction of moving images. All this and low
power consumption. The target date for commercialization
of SED TV is within fiscal year 2005.
The world’s smallest fuel cell power supply system
An achievement of R&D efforts during fiscal 2004,
this fuel cell is only the size of a thumb at 22 x 56mm,
making it the world’s smallest fuel cell to produce all
the power necessary for powering mobile equipment.
The latest prototype can power a portable audio
player for as long as 20 hours. In February 2005, the
Guinness Book certified Toshiba’s fuel cell as the
world’s smallest.
USB Memory
USB memory is clearly a fast growing business. Toshiba
is a major presence in the memory card business,
which dominates demand in the NAND market, and
offers a wide lineup of cards. In fiscal year 2005, sales
of NAND Flash memory are expected to be three times
more than in the previous year.