CTO Message

Since our founding in 1948, when we first commercialized rotary switches, Alps Alpine has continually taken on the challenge of transforming customers’ sensory and often difficult to quantify expectations—such as tactile feel, sound, a sense of quality, and comfort—into tangible products through the development and manufacturing of electronic components.
Giving form to human sensations conveyed through fingertips and ears is an endeavor of exceptionally high difficulty. However, at a time when digital transformation driven by artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing, we believe that technologies which naturally connect with human senses are essential to realizing a society in which everyone can live comfortably and with peace of mind.
With this conviction, we have established a new corporate vision looking ten years ahead:
“Shaping a future where technology extends your senses.”
This vision serves as a compass that guides the entire organization toward a shared direction. As Chief Technology Officer, I will promote the following three key strategic directions to realize this vision.

1. Advancing Accumulated Kansei Technologies as a Source of Competitive Advantage to Address Social Issues

We aim to address the digital divide and increasingly complex social issues by further advancing our kansei technologies, which enable human sensations to be quantified and applied to product design.
In the Electronic Devices Business, we position Human Machine Interface (HMI) technologies and high-precision sensing technologies as core strengths. In the IoT and AI era, we will evolve devices into advanced edge computing solutions that convert human senses into digital values.
By providing millimeter-wave sensors, magnetic sensors, and proprietary ASICs not merely as individual components but as integrated solutions that combine intelligence and sensibility, we will create unique and differentiated customer value.
In the Mobility Business, under the concept of the Digital Cabin, we will integrate our proprietary acoustic technologies, actuators, and sensing technologies into systems in which hardware and software function as one. Through this integration, we will deliver intangible value—safety, comfort, and emotional experience—across a wide range of use cases in the era of software-defined vehicles (SDVs).

2. Evolving Multimodal Sensing into a Core Technology

With the rapid evolution of generative AI, multimodal AI—which analyzes not only images, audio, and text but also multiple types of physical and chemical data—is becoming increasingly prevalent. As a result, in next-generation HMI, multimodal sensing, which extracts only the necessary information from multiple sensors, is gaining importance as a core technology.
Alps Alpine possesses a diverse portfolio of sensing technologies essential for this field, including millimeter-wave sensors, magnetic sensors, and capacitive sensors. We also have advanced ASIC design capabilities, characterized by low noise circuit design built on approximately twenty years of technical expertise, as well as in-house algorithm development capabilities that convert sensor physical quantities into customer-ready data.
By organically integrating these technologies and embedding intelligence into sensors, we believe that multimodal sensing can be fully realized and that clear product differentiation can be achieved.
Furthermore, this technology is not limited to enhancing the in-cabin space envisioned by the Digital Cabin concept. As the evolution of Physical AI brings about new social transformations, we anticipate its application expanding into fields such as humanoid robotics, enabling intuitive and accessible human interfaces that anyone can use naturally.

3. Believing in People

“Believing in people” is a core value that Alps Alpine has long upheld. Guided by our belief that the growth and challenge of each individual leads to the sustainable growth of both the individual and the company, we are committed to developing both technology and human capital.
One important initiative is the strengthening of collaboration with external partners. Through comprehensive collaboration agreements with five universities, including Tohoku University, and joint research through a social cooperation program with the University of Tokyo, we are combining academic fundamental research with Alps Alpine’s product development and mass production capabilities. Through these efforts, we aim to cultivate technologies and foundational technological assets that will remain relevant more than ten years into the future.
These initiatives extend beyond technological development. They contribute to the cultivation of engineers who can translate social issues into technical challenges and who will form the core human resources supporting our vision of extending human senses through technology.
In addition, by strengthening open innovation initiatives with corporate partners, we will enhance our responsiveness in research, development, and business creation amid rapid technological change. By proactively creating opportunities where internal and external knowledge, technologies, and people converge, we will foster professionals capable of generating new value chains.

“Shaping a future where technology extends your senses” articulates our vision of the world ten years from now and is firmly aligned with our corporate philosophy:
“Alps Alpine innovates value for humans and society on a brighter planet.”
By promoting a wide range of initiatives and investments, we will translate this vision into concrete actions and contribute to the resolution of social issues.
We look forward to your continued interest in Alps Alpine.