Sony MPK-THC User Manual

24

R

&

D

r e s e a rc h   &   d e v e l o p m e n t

Sony’s philosophy regarding R&D was set forth

by Masaru Ibuka in the Founding Prospectus

when he established the company: “To estab-

lish an ideal factory that stresses a spirit of

freedom and open-mindedness, and where

engineers with sincere motivation can exercise

their technological skills to the highest level.”

Today, Sony carries on its tradition of fostering

freedom in research while concurrently man-

aging R&D by efficiently focusing management

resources in strategic fields.

Sony has a virtually unlimited selection of key

technologies. To identify which of these will

have the potential to deliver revolutionary

devices and products, Sony holds the Technol-

ogy Round Table, at which senior manage-

ment and research engineers gather to

formulate strategies consistent with Sony’s

R&D road map. These Round Tables are also

responsible for determining how management

resources should be concentrated within

strategic fields.

Biped robot

Sony has created an environment of freedom and open-mindedness
in which its researchers and developers can give free rein to their
imaginations while managing research and development by effi-
ciently focusing management resources in strategic fields

There are many R&D accomplishments that are

of vital strategic importance to Sony. Three

operating units—R&D, business and intellec-

tual property—all combine to forge Sony’s

intellectual property strategy, ensuring that

these assets are properly protected and effec-

tively utilized.

Sony is acutely aware of the importance of

utilizing intellectual property to reinforce its

competitive edge and, to this end, frames an

intellectual property portfolio suited to each

business unit and determines policy for the use

of each. This approach entails the acquisition

of intellectual property assets for Sony’s exclu-

sive use, as well as establishing cross-licensing

rights and taking other actions as required,

giving Sony more flexibility in its business

operations. Moreover, the standardization of

basic technologies has become an increasingly

important issue with the growth of digital

networks in recent years. In response, Sony is

actively pursuing alliances, licenses and other

means to increase the utilization of technolo-

gies in its patent portfolio.

In electronics, added value has migrated from

finished products to key components. In light of

this, Sony regards the semiconductor business

as one of its most important R&D priorities.

Sony’s semiconductor business has steadily

raised its profile in terms of production value, as

well as in capital expenditure and R&D spend-

ing. In the short and medium terms, central

R&D themes will concentrate on functional

components, particularly CCDs, where Sony

holds the number one worldwide market share,

and semiconductor lasers. Another priority is

System-on-Chip (SoC) components, which

integrate an enormous number of processors

and memories. Components incorporating

these technologies play a central role in enabling

Sony to supply highly distinctive digital con-

sumer electronics and game products with

increasingly sophisticated functions.