Hitachi aims for globalisation through technology to support people's lives

Hitachi is demonstrating its focus on technology to improve people's lives through a range of products which form part of its global transformation.

The company wants to be known for more than just data storage and is using the Hitachi Innovation Forum (HIF) to get its message across.

At  the event in Tokyo Roberto Basilio, vice president storage product management at Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), said there is a major market shift in technology driven by mobility, big data and cloud computing. He added that HDS now has a more international strategy.

“You have storage at HDS, but what else do you have? Hitachi is transforming to a global player. Our board members are becoming more globalised with four new non-Japan members."

He said the company will offer a wider range of products to support "social innovation and cultural transformation" and will sell in more countries. The HDS arm of Hitachi will play a lead role in this.

Hitachi has 320,000 (6,700 in HDS) employees across more that 130 countries.

“The Hitachi spirit is to create a better world through social innovation and a better life through technology, realising new benefits through data. The growing population will put a strain on the infrastructure – transport, healthcare, etc. It’s about how to make society better and more in tune with the population’s needs.”

Akihiko Tobe, general manager of smart city project division at Hitachi listed the projects which are already taking place around the world. These are: Energy Technology Institute Smart Systems and Heat programme in the UK, US Island Grid Project in Hawaii, Future City Model Project in Hitachi, Spain Smart City Community Demonstration Project in Malaga, Smart Community Demonstration Project in Greater Manchester UK, Republic of Maldives Water and Sewerage Operation Business and the Establishment of Low Carbon Emission Environment in Dahej Gujarat State India Project.

In Japan there is the Yokohama Smart City, the Toyota City low carbon society system demonstration project, the Future City model project in Hitachi and Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City Project which is a collaboration between private, public and academic sectors.

For the Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City an Area Energy Management (AEM) system was created as a result of the massive earthquake in March 2011 when the area lost power. “The AEMs bring forth integral management of creating, saving and storing energies in an entire community and how to restore water supplies," said Tobe.

Tobe said the city’s Smart Center, the technology hub of the community, manages peak times for electricity, so for instance the shopping district’s peak time is at the weekend, for residences this is in the evening and for businesses peak time is 9am-5pm on weekdays.

The Smart Center visualises the city’s use of electric, water and gas and creates electricity power interchange across the different blocks within the community to save costs. The Smart Center began operation in May 2014.

“HDS aims to provide new services by utilising big data and to combine systems in control and in information to create smart and smooth societies,” added Tobe.