Transcript

Hello and welcome to today’s news from TotemoTech on October 21st, 2023. In today’s news, Toyota has announced the resumption of operations at four of its factories and five production lines starting on October 23rd. This comes after an explosion and fire incident at the Chuo Spring’s Fujioka plant in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, on October 16th, which had halted the production and shipment of certain automotive spring components. The impact of the incident has now peaked, allowing for the resumption of production.

In other news, KDDI and four other companies have achieved a groundbreaking milestone in the field of fiber optics. On October 20th, they successfully conducted an ultra-wideband fiber transmission experiment using the O-band wavelength range, achieving a record-breaking transmission bandwidth of 115.2THz. This is approximately 24 times larger than the conventional C-band. The transmission capacity reached 484Tbps, and the transmission distance covered 31km.

Moving on, Sony Honda Mobility has revealed that the operating system (OS) running on its AFEELA electric vehicle is developed in collaboration with its parent company. The car’s onboard OS is specifically designed to be integrated with the electronic control unit (ECU). Sony Honda Mobility’s President and COO, Izumi Kawanishi, made this announcement during a preview event for the upcoming Japan Mobility Show 2023, which will be open to the public from October 28th to November 5th.

In automotive industry news, German company Infineon Technologies has signed a multi-year supply agreement with Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors for the provision of silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) power semiconductors. This partnership aims to enhance the performance and efficiency of power electronics in electric vehicles.

In a step towards standardization, Toyota has decided to adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS), developed by Tesla, for its electric vehicles sold in North America. This makes Toyota the third Japanese automaker, following Nissan and Honda, to utilize the NACS rapid charging standard.

Furthermore, Koito Manufacturing and Denso have announced a collaboration to improve safety during nighttime driving. They plan to develop a system that combines advanced headlamp beam control technology with image sensors to enhance object recognition capabilities. The goal is to enhance safety for pedestrians and other objects during nighttime driving.

Lastly, SoftBank has revealed plans to construct a data center in Tomakomai City, Hokkaido. The estimated project cost ranges from 40 to 60 billion yen. SoftBank anticipates receiving funding support from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Data Center Regional Base Development Grant program, which would cover half of the construction costs if approved. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.

Keywords - japan, tech, news