Sustainability
Contribution to Society
Social
MegaChips is committed to supporting young researchers who take responsibility for the future by providing an environment that immerses them in research.
As part of our social contribution activities, we donate to universities. Additionally, we are dedicated to fostering female participation in engineering to address the current male dominance in the electronics field.
Furthermore, we have collaborated with domestic and overseas universities, striving to create new innovations. We will contribute to solving social problems by working together with these universities, aiming for sustainable growth in the mid- to long-term.
Educational Support
When asked “What are the best things in life?” Shindo answers, “Keep challenging yourself”. He believes that real happiness is “Sticking to what you want to do”, so “If you find something you really want to do, do it so you have no regrets” (From the extra edition of founder’s history, interview with Shindo).
Support of Youth with Enthusiasm for Leading Future Generations
The seeds of new technologies emerge from the next generation.
With fierce technological competition around the world, nurturing and enhancing the human resources who will lead next-generation innovation is a critical social issue. The declining birthrate is getting worse every year, and a decrease in the number of children interested in science in Japan is leading to a deterioration in competitiveness of the national industry.
MegaChips makes donations to universities for education management, invests in personnel development, actively assists female science majors financially, and contributes to improving the competitiveness of Japan’s industry.
Support for graduate schools and research students
- We donate to universities to support young researchers in the electronics field, offering opportunities and improving study environments so that they can focus on the research and development of advanced technologies.
- Internships abroad (scheduled in the summer of 2024)
・We will conduct internships at overseas affiliate companies, targeting global-oriented students for the discovery of global human resources.
・The length of the internship will be about 1 to 2 weeks, and all travel expenses will be paid for by the company. - Support for female students in STEM fields attending university or graduate school through MegaChips’ grant-type scholarship
While it is said that there are few women in STEM fields in Japan, MegaChips is supporting the female students who struggle to accomplish their dreams. We help them by providing scholarships so they can pursue science and engineering courses at domestic universities and graduate schools, allowing them to devote themselves to studying.
Support for students going to junior high school and high school (Grant-type scholarship from the Shindo Memorial Foundation established by the founder of MegaChips)
We support and offer scholarships to the students in single-parent families in Osaka Prefecture who have outstanding academic results and good behavior for the purpose of developing future human resources and contributing to the society.
We provide grant-type scholarships to those who go to junior high school and high school with no repayment obligation so they can devote themselves to studying.
Joint Project with Universities
We pursue the creation of new social value through joint research with universities. We develop human resources in the global fields while contributing to solve social and regional issues.
MegaChips collaborates with domestic and foreign universities, taking on the challenge of creating new innovations that contribute to solving worldwide social problems.
In the industrial equipment field, IoT has been utilized in various areas including logistics, manufacturing automation, and electricity smart grids. IoT is also expected to contribute to the revolutionization of the industry market.
In addition, AI technology is rapidly becoming widespread, as seen with its incorporation into robots and autonomous driving. As technology develops, it will continue to be adopted in various broad applications within a wide range of industries including manufacturing, distribution, medical, agriculture, and vehicles, with the expectation of bringing about change in society.
Not only will we continue in-house development, but we will also continue to challenge ourselves by creating innovation through collaborations with domestic and foreign universities as a comprehensive initiative to create new values.
Santa Clara University (SCU)
We have launched a joint project in the field of robotics with the SCU Robotic Systems Laboratory, a research institute at Santa Clara University, in anticipation of the coming era in which robots will be utilized.
Preparation of Environment Dedicated to Research and Development with the Latest Equipment
SCU promotes research and development of functional materials, devices, and systems of 100 nm or less, including the possession of a high-resolution electron scanning microscope. In addition, SCU offers a supportive environment for researchers, with such things as a newly constructed STEM building equipped with tools and machines to create the equipment and instruments necessary for conducting research and development.
Professor Kitts’ Lab Mentors Engineers through “Hands-on Development”
The laboratory of Dr. Kitts, a professor at Santa Clara University and director of SCU, emphasizes hands-on development that not only creates prototypes with a development concept and target, but also uses the deadlines and quality requirements of companies. By mastering the development process at companies in this way, students will gradually evolve into full-fledged engineers.
Joint Research with SCU on Recognition and Control Technology
In collaboration with Professor Kitts’ laboratory, MegaChips has embarked on the development of the basic technology for “Cobot”, a robot that supports human work at factories, construction sites, farms, livestock farms, and other production sites. Currently, as a control technology for “Cobot”, we are developing a system utilizing AI technology that allows robots to recognize human gestures and perform corresponding actions.
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Professor Kitts
Development of “Cobot” Control Platform to Launch New Businesses
In the future, MegaChips plans to increase the components of the basic technology for “Cobot” and offer our own platform populated with a library of “Cobot” controls. By allowing customers in the robotics industry to use this platform, we will generate a wide range of new businesses by expanding not only the ASIC/ASSP business, but also by developing embedded modules and application software.
Joint Research with Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University
Purpose of Research
MegaChips is working to lower the power consumption for the LSI products we develop to help reduce environmental impact.
We started joint research with the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University regarding the “Development of Integrated Circuit Technology for the Use of Vibrational Energy”.
Background of Joint Research
The energy harvesting technology that converts energy existing in the environment into electric power is essential for achieving IoT. This technology supplies energy for extended periods without the need for charging or replacement. Through our research and implementation, we aim to contribute to the reduction of overall societal power consumption, making this technology a familiar and convenient enhancement.
Research Initiatives
We aim to reduce overall societal power consumption through the power saving techniques developed in our research.
- Investigation of elemental circuit technology for vibration power generation, especially the study of high-efficiency rectifier circuit technology
- Study of high-efficiency rectifier circuit technology and buck converter circuit technology
Nara Institute of Science and Technology
Purpose of Research
MegaChips is promoting edge AI as a new business to achieve a sustainable society. We have embarked on collaborative research with the Nara Institute of Science and Technology regarding “high-speed robot controls by applying Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) to high-scan-rate 3D sensors”.
Background of Project Launch
The edge AI that MegaChips is working on aims AI branded sensors equipped with the AI process. The data is then processed by the edge device into information required for the robotic system, which is then passed on to the controller. By doing so, the entire system’s transmission volume can be reduced, resulting in an overall improvement of the speed and latency. Especially in the industrial and FA fields, high-speed and low-latency systems are desired for use cases, such as with robotic arms and automated guided vehicles. In relation to these industrial and FA fields, we are starting research about AI-based action planning and the high-speed control design of robots, with the aim of contributing to the improvement of safety and work efficiency for robotic and other systems.
Research Initiatives
Our goal is to establish technology for the high-speed control (reflexive motion) of robots and provide technical feedback to our products to improve the advantage of our business.
- Application of low power consumption and high-speed processing AI HW by SNN to robots
- Investigation of quantization algorithm for model reduction and its application to reinforcement learning
Tokyo Metropolitan University
Purpose of Research
We are promoting business expansion in the growing markets of AI, robotics, and other fields. In collaboration with Tokyo Metropolitan University, we have commenced research on initiatives related to “Robot Intelligence Innovation Based on Local 5G for Super Real-Time Tracking” to create a highly advanced, networked society in which everything is connected to the web and equipped with AI technology.
Background of Joint Research
The high-performance, compact, and ultra-low power consumption technology of edge AI that we are working on can contribute to the automation and autonomy of robots, such as with personal mobility and automated guided vehicles. MegaChips is also participating in a consortium for a local 5G project. We aim to strategically launch and grow new businesses by building trust with new partners through proactive communication and the acquisition of new knowledge in the robotics field, where the market is expected to expand.
Research Initiatives
In collaboration with the consortium members, we will identify issues and study prototyping for social implementation. MegaChips is responsible for the systematizing infrastructure and will take on the challenge of achieving a society in which intelligent technology and robotic technology are integrated.
Industrial Innovation
We contribute to the industrial growth in Japan through the creation of new markets to challenge the development of cutting-edge technology.
