Today, our world is defined by interconnected challenges including decarbonisation, energy security, data protection and sustainable mobility, to name only a few. Our collective success in creating a world free from these challenges will be defined by how well we work together to create responsive solutions to complex problems.  

Partnership is a driving force behind Toshiba’s global business. Over the past 150 years, our strategic and purposeful collaborations have driven meaningful technological progress and delivered lasting benefits to communities around the world.

Toshiba collaborates with diverse partners globally to power progress. Its work with partners across Europe, the Middle East and Africa demonstrate how this collaborative approach succeeds in practice, delivering innovation where it matters most. Toshiba’s commitment to collaboration is grounded in a simple truth: innovation only succeeds when it brings people together to solve real-world problems.

By listening carefully to evolving needs across industries, Toshiba is combining research excellence and technological expertise to create positive outcomes through technologies that are smarter, more secure, and more sustainable.  

Smart: Working together to modernise energy infrastructure

Energy infrastructure around the world is becoming more complex. As part of building a smarter and more sustainable future, society must first transform the underlying systems to make them capable of handling more advanced technologies.

With the technical expertise to innovate and a clear sense of responsibility to society, Toshiba is advancing smart technologies that help people and communities thrive. That is where partners such as Smart DCC come in. Together, Toshiba and Smart DCC, operating the secure national communications network for smart metering across Great Britain, are working to install a secure telecommunications network in the UK capable of connecting smart meters to energy suppliers. These smart meters will help consumers understand their energy usage more clearly and make better, more sustainable decisions.

Yet the scale is unprecedented: smart metering is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever undertaken, with millions of households and devices across Britain needing adaptation to connect seamlessly and securely.

“We’re not just installing meters, we’re also creating a smart, secure, two-way digital nervous system across Great Britain,” explains Karin Meurk-Harvey, Chief Commercial Officer at Smart DCC.

Toshiba provides the communications hub that allows the necessary flow of power and data to take place securely. Reflecting on the partnership, Thomas Cunliffe, General Manager of the M2M Solutions Division at Toshiba Europe says:

“The work we’ve undertaken with Smart DCC is more than exciting. It showcases the kind of large-scale impact we can make when that trust between partners exists. Together, we’ve been able to accelerate network innovation across Britain and pave the way for a more sustainable future.”

Toshiba’s advanced technology is also behind the rapid advancements taking place in other industries. In Cleveland Clinic’s Abu Dhabi’s Cancer Institute, for example, heavy ion therapy treatment is being used to more accurately target cancer cells, improving treatment and minimising the potential side effects for patients. It’s an exciting development that represents the next frontier in oncology.

As Dr Fady Geara, Division Chair of Radiation Oncology within Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Cancer Institute explains: “It’s not about technology, it’s about changing lives.”

It is these people-led outcomes, rather than the technologies themselves, which are at the heart of why Toshiba innovates.

Secure: Preparing today for tomorrow’s security challenges

The continued development of quantum technologies puts sensitive data under threat like never before, as quantum computers are set to render current public key encryption methods insecure. Organisations and enterprises within highly trust-sensitive industries, such as financial services, the public sector, critical infrastructure, and healthcare, are under particular threat from “store now, decrypt later” attacks. This is where sensitive data is collected today and stored by bad actors for decryption when quantum computers become available.

To respond to this threat, Orange Business, a France‑based company and a leading network and digital integrator is taking action to fortify their communications now to ensure they remain secure well into the future.

“Our customers want to know if their data is going to remain safe when quantum computers will be ready at scale,” explains Benjamin Vigouroux, Global Vice President of Digital Infrastructure at Orange Business. “We launched one of the first quantum-safe networks in the world with Toshiba and we’re very excited about that.”

This hybrid solution combines Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC), for defence in depth. The service is now commercially available in the greater Paris area.

Dr Andrew Shields, Vice President and Head of the Quantum Technology Division at Toshiba Europe, explains how Toshiba worked with Orange Business to make sure data security is resilient both today, and in a post-quantum future:

“We’ve created a quantum-safe communication platform that makes existing data-carrying networks safe from attack by quantum computers, without any compromise to performance. By working with Orange Business, we have created a solution to respond to today’s most pressing security concerns. Together, we have built reliability into their networks and helped to deliver business continuity for their customers.”

In a post-quantum era, the industries of all shapes and sizes, such as financial institutions, healthcare or defence organisations, will need to transition to maintain encryption standards. Toshiba’s partnership with Orange Business has demonstrated that a solution is not only possible, but ready to be deployed today.

Sustainable: Advancing clean transportation with battery innovation

Today, Toshiba technology is being used widely across the sustainable energy industry – from steam turbines powering renewable energy in Kenya, to a market-leading rechargeable battery technology powering electric buses, trains and next-generation mobility solutions.

Volker Schumann, Vice President of Battery Division at Toshiba Electronics Europe explains: “Our collective futures will be built by pioneers who are proactively making changes to improve the sustainability of the systems underlying our modern world.”

One group making such changes is the team behind Toshiba rechargeable lithium-ion battery “SCiB™”. These rapid-charging, long-life Lithium Titanium Oxide (LTO) batteries are being used to electrify commercial, industrial, and marine fleets.

Sander Sijssens, Project Fleet Expert, Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium explains their commercial impact: “In port logistics, the rapid charging capabilities of these batteries gives us a significant commercial advantage. This means our fleet spends less time docked and more time working, which directly boosts our efficiency and maximises our vessel availability.”

But while keeping the vessels moving is important for the business, it is the sustainability implications of the new power method which make the biggest impact.

Peter Degroote, who is Nautical Operations Manager at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges says: “We’re not just moving ships, together with Toshiba we’re powering the energy of the future and we’re actively moving towards a Net-Zero world.”  

By understanding the current needs of partners around the world, Toshiba is helping to engineer resilient and stable technologies which actively deliver a more sustainable future.

Customer-centric thinking as our guiding principle

Toshiba’s research and engineering excellence and 150-year heritage in advanced technology creates our foundation. However, we understand that solutions rarely begin in isolation. They begin when we truly understand the problems our customers are facing, work to identify the capability gaps which exist, and align our expertise with the correct technology to make meaningful solutions.

From smart infrastructure to data security and sustainable energy and mobility, today’s biggest challenges are being tackled by our partnerships across EMEA. These projects show how impactful advanced technologies can be when we respond thoughtfully and decisively to market needs.