Reduction of Environmental Impact of Products
Toshiba's products support energy saving in many devices used in industry and society
The products of the Semiconductor & Storage Products Company are used everywhere in almost every area of industry and society, in such end products as electronic devices, home appliances, communication systems, automobiles, renewable energy power generation systems, and so on. As the types of electric and electronic devices used are continuously increasing along with the development of society, our aim is for our semiconductor and storage products to play an increasing role in improving the power efficiency of such devices and achieving higher energy efficiency. For example, power semiconductors, used for the control or supply of electric power, are one such product. As the applications for power semiconductors are also being expanded, e.g., for use in home appliances such as inverter-controlled refrigerators and air conditioners, renewable energy power generation systems, and electric automobiles, semiconductors are seen as key devices that are essential in building an energy-efficient, sustainable society.
Also, in the field of smart grids that integrate power networks with communications infrastructure, many types of semiconductor devices, such as control and measurement microprocessors, memories, and system LSI devices, are actively used in "smart meters" that are used for providing data on the amount of electricity via the network infrastructure and can thereby contribute to energy saving in power networks.
On the other hand, along with the recent development of a more and more information-based society, the capacity of memory devices required by society is skyrocketing. The SSD (solid state drive) devices that use NAND flash memories are one of the top contributors to the energy and resource saving in the expanding IT infrastructure, compared with older forms of memory storage. At present, SSDs are not only used in notebook PCs but also widely used in other applications such as in data centers, flat - screen television sets, and medical equipment, where high-capacity memory devices are ultimately required.
When integrated in end products, SSD devices can reduce power consumption of the product by 50 % or more (Note) compared to conventional hard disk drives. It is expected that SSD contribution to energy-saving in society will become more and more significant with the growing popularity of SSD.
- (Note) This is based on a comparison between typical 2.5 inch HDD devices and SSD devices manufactured by the Semiconductor & Storage Products Company. It is assumed that the end product is operated eight hours a day, five days a week with the access ratio of 15 % read, 5 % write, 70 % idle, 5 % standby, and 5 % sleep
The future of the sustainable society and how the products of the Semiconductor & Storage Products Company will contribute to it
Semiconductor and storage products, including Toshiba's, contribute to increasing the energy efficiency of all sorts of devices and infrastructure systems, including renewable energy power generation systems, smart grids, a variety of home appliances, audio visual products, electric automobiles, railway systems, and industrial machinery. We hope to continue increasing the ability of our products to achieve energy saving.
