Introducing AI into Electricity Load Forecasting: Deep Learning Optimizes Power Plants’ Operation

In 2017, Toshiba Corporate R&D Center’s system engineering laboratory won the top prize in the 1st Electricity Load Forecasting Technology Contest organized by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO). The contest covered nine days in early September, considered a season where demand was hard to predict. Contestants received electricity load data up to the day before the period and…

Exploring Cyber-Physical Systems with Toshiba’s Corporate Digitization CTO Hiroshi Yamamoto

Throughout time, from the first cave dwellers to space exploration and beyond, humankind has sought to improve life through the relentless pursuit of innovation. That has certainly been the case in Toshiba’s 140-year history, as we have produced traditional physical products (elevators, light bulbs, turbines and more), and then evolved into such digitally- or cyber-oriented products such as computers, software…

What’s Happening on the Front Lines of Weather Radar Technology

Summers in Japan have always been hot, but recently it feels like the dial has broken, the temperature rises and rises every year. And it’s not just the heat. There’s also what are called “guerrilla rainstorms,” which come on suddenly and force citygoers to duck into nearby buildings. These sudden attacks of rain, a form of extreme weather, are a…

The ABCs of Semiconductor Development – a Lesson from a Toshiba Engineer –

“I’ve loved playing with parts from broken PCs and appliances ever since I was a child. You could say that semiconductors were my toys. I enjoyed finding electronic devices and taking them apart to see what was inside. Of course, I couldn’t tell what semiconductors were used for just by looking, so I did my best to look them up…

The Future of Robotics

As data becomes one of key ingredients to shape global economies, digitalization is gaining momentum in the industrial world. The adoption of technologies including robotics and artificial intelligence is moving companies up the manufacturing value chain, shifting human capital to other platforms for more efficient outputs. Toshiba has a long history in robot development. In the 1820s, Hisashige Tanaka—one of…

Exploring the Secrets of Engineering and Maestro through Motion Capture

“I think I’ve become pretty good, but there’s always someone better. I want to see how high I can go.” At the National Skills Competition held in Japan, young people working in all kinds of skilled jobs measure their capabilities against one another. Aged 23 or younger, they all have one thing in common: to be the very best at…