Smart Life & Energy

*AIoT is a term created by Sharp which combines artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).

Home Appliance, Air Conditioning Appliance, Kitchen Appliance, and AIoT Platform BusinessSmart Appliances & Solutions Business Unit (SAS)
Solar Power Generation Business (Domestic, Overseas, and Outer Space)Sharp Energy Solutions Corporation (SESJ)
LSI, Image Sensor, Optical Sensor Device, and Module BusinessSharp Semiconductor Innovation Corporation (SSIC)
Member Services Business Sharp Cocoro Life Inc. (CLI)

Home Appliance,
Air Conditioning Appliance,
Kitchen Appliance, and AIoT Platform Business
Smart Appliances & Solutions Business Unit (SAS)Bases:Yao City, Osaka; Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, etc.

The vision for our business is to deliver unprecedented new value and realize better, healthier, more comfortable lifestyles with our unique technologies and creativity, such as our Plasmacluster air purifying technology, our superheated steam technology for healthy cooking, and our Nature Technology which draws inspiration from the structure of living things. Overseas, we are also working on the creation of local-fit products in response to the differing lifestyles and customs in each country and region. To realize smart homes whose core values are health and the environment, we actively promote manufacturing that focuses on the universal themes of water, air, food, hygiene, and beauty, as well as the expansion and evolution of our AIoT home appliances and COCORO+ services.

< B2C >Kitchen business

We develop products such as Sharp’s original Water Oven Healsio, which utilizes superheated steam technology to cook with water; the Healsio Hot Cook waterless automatic cooker, which cooks by retaining the ingredients’ pure nutrients and naturally delicious flavors; and refrigerators, which are fitted with Sharp’s Plasmacluster technology for the hygienic storage of foodstuffs and high-capacity freezer compartments that are convenient when bulk buying.

< Main products >
- Water ovens, microwaves, electric waterless cookers, refrigerators

< B2C >Plasmacluster healthcare business

We are developing healthcare products that utilize Sharp’s original Plasmacluster technology to support healthy lifestyles. These include air purifiers that provide a hygienic air environment, and beauty care devices such as hair dryers that are effective in achieving beautiful hair.

< Main products >
- Air purifiers, ion generators, clothes dryer dehumidifiers, humidifiers, fans, circulators, hair and beauty care devices
- Electronic dictionaries, calculators, fixed-line telephones
- Chewing measurement devices, contactless vital sensing, IoT sanitary napkin dispensers, etc.

< B2C >Air conditioning business

On top of integrating Sharp’s unique Plasmacluster technology, we are also developing products such as air conditioners that automatically achieve intelligent energy saving through operational control that responds to the concentration of CO2 in interior spaces, and our unique Airest air conditioners, which can also act as air purifiers.

< Main products >
- Air conditioners
- Air conditioners with integral air purifiers

< B2C >Hygiene and laundry business

We develop products such as front-loading and top-loading washer-dryers that provide superior energy efficiency and drying functions; top-loading washer-dryers that combine superior hygiene with water saving through their unique hole-less washing tub structure; the RACTIVE Air series of low-noise, cordless upright vacuum cleaners; and ultrasonic washers that use ultrasonic vibrations to quickly remove dirt.

< Main products >
- Washing machines, vacuum cleaners, silver ion hoses, ultrasonic washers

B2B business

We propose solutions that integrate Sharp’s unique technologies and AIoT technologies to tackle social issues and company problems. For example, we utilize Sharp’s Plasmacluster technology to provide hygienic air environments at various places including public spaces, sports facilities, schools, and nursing care facilities. At numerous different companies, we are also introducing LED lighting systems, microwave ovens for commercial use at convenience stores, washing machines for self-service laundromats, contactless vital sensing, and more.

AIoT platform business

Rather than simply connecting home appliances to the Internet, we are working on the development of cloud services and systems for AIoT appliances, aiming to integrate them with a variety of services that evolve every day. Not only providing customers with our continually evolving smart life, we are also developing new platforms, for example, by collaborating with local government to generate solutions for tackling social issues such as disaster mitigation and surveillance.

About our Yao base

AIoT showroom: Here, visitors can experience next-generation smart homes firsthand in four different zones—Smart Kitchen, Smart Washroom, Smart Living Room, and the newly added Creative Business Linkages—focusing on AIoT home appliances and COCORO+ services that connect with the Internet.

Yao No. 1 Cafeteria: At this employee cafeteria, diners can enjoy seasonal and healthy meals in a space where they can see historical products from the time of Sharp’s founding.

Solar Power Generation Business
(Domestic, Overseas, and Outer Space)Sharp Energy Solutions Corporation (SESJ)Bases:Yao City, Osaka; Katsushiro City, Nara, etc.

With solar power generation at its core, SESJ comprehensively handles everything from the design and development of energy solution devices and systems to sales, construction, and after-sales service, both in Japan and overseas. As such, we provide total solutions for energy creation, energy storage, and energy saving. We have a 65-year-plus track record of research and development of solar cells, since starting in 1959. And our success is not limited to just silicon solar cells - at present, we have achieved the world’s highest* conversion efficiency of 33.66% using our silicon-stacked solar cell modules. Our thin film tandem solar cells have also been utilized for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s SLIM lunar lander, and the technologies and reliable quality that Sharp has cultivated during its history are highly regarded in Japan and worldwide. *As of October 27, 2023 (according to our research)

Our solar power generation systems for domestic use, with a stunning track record of installation at approximately 925,000*1 Japanese homes (*as of March 31, 2024)

Our solar power generation systems for domestic use, with a stunning track record of installation at approximately 925,000* Japanese homes (*as of March 31, 2024)

In addition to installing equipment necessary for solar power generation and storage batteries, we provide a HEMS called COCORO ENERGY, which utilizes AI developed by our company to link EVs, water heaters, and other appliances and optimally control houshold energy consumption, improve the rate of self-consumption, and ultimately surpress your energy bill. This is our proposed all-encompassing solution, “Eee Connect.”

Energy solutions for industrial use

Including our business for the construction of mega solar plants and the installation of large-scale solar power generation systems on rooftops, and against a backdrop of greater corporate environmental awareness, we provide energy solutions for industrial use in line with customer needs, thereby realizing the provision of environmental value and lower electricity costs.
*We have constructed solar farms at 502 locations in Japan with a capacity of approx.1,605 MWDC (as of March 31, 2023)

Expansion overseas

Building on the track record we have established in Japan, in our overseas business, we are expanding our construction of mega solar plants and installation of large-scale solar power generation systems, with a focus on Asian countries such as Vietnam, Mongolia, and Thailand. We are preparing to expand to other regions with fresh demand, and we intend to contribute to the protection of the environment on a global scale by popularizing renewable energy.
*Approximately 604 MWDC in Asian countries (as of March 31, 2023)

The only domestic solar cell manufacturer authorized by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Since the Ume application satellite in 1976, Sharp’s solar cells have powered around 190 satellites and space probes*. We are the only solar cell manufacturer in Japan authorized by JAXA, and in 2023, we were awarded a certificate of appreciation from JAXA in recognition of 50 years of the long-term supply of certified parts.
*As of November 31, 2023
※Image provided by: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

Recipient of the IEEE Milestone award (2010)

The IEEE, the world’s largest academic society in the fields of electrical, electronics, information, and telecommunication engineering, recognized our initiatives from 1959 to 1983 in the commercialization and industrialization of solar cells, in everything from lighthouses and space exploration to residential use, and awarded us the IEEE Milestone award in 2010.

*Top: Commemorative plaque from the IEEE.
Bottom left:
Two single-crystal solar cell modules for lighthouses (installed on the Ogami Lighthouse in 1966 and 1987), a single-crystal solar cell for outer space (installed on the Ume application satellite in 1976), and a residential-use polycrystalline solar cell.

LSI, Image Sensor, Optical Sensor Device, and Module BusinessSharp Semiconductor Innovation Corporation (SSIC)Base:Tenri City, Nara

SSIC is a spin-off company of Sharp Corporation’s electronic device business, which aims to create new value for products.
Electronic device products developed by SSIC, such as optical sensors, SoCs, and CMOS image sensors, continue to be adopted by major global manufacturers, and we are highly regarded for our outstanding technologies and reliability. Furthermore, we play a key role within the Sharp Group as a core business for the realization of its business vision of changing the world with 8K + 5G and AIoT.
Going forward, we will accelerate the development of new products and technologies that contribute to the robotics field and a carbon-neutral society. We aim to dramatically expand our business by providing customers with total solutions.

Sharp electronic devices

Over the last 70 years, starting with our development of cathode ray tube components for the first domestically manufactured TV set in 1953, we have supported product evolution amid the switch from analog to digital. We continue to make a global contribution through the creation of new products such as LCD TVs and smartphones, and the manufacturing of key devices and module products that make IoT home appliances even more convenient.

Key devices supporting 8K technology

We undertake the development of devices including SoCs, which are necessary for image and audio processing, and CMOS image sensors, which are a gateway to recording still images and video. We are also broadening the global possibilities for 8K with key devices essential for its use.

Optical sensor devices compatible with a diversity of applications

Optical sensor devices compatible with a variety of applications

Utilizing the optoelectronics technologies that we have developed during our long history in the electronic device business, we are engaged in optical design that is optimized for a diverse range of applications, while also realizing high precision and ultra-miniaturization. Going forward, we will look to expand our applications to include position sensing in the robotics field and biometric sensing in the healthcare sector.

Next-generation communications (Beyond 5G) baseband SoC

Beyond 5G (B5G) refers to next-generation communications technologies that are forecast to be commercialized by 2030. In addition to the merits of 5G, its scalability and extremely low power consumption make it compatible with a wide range of applications, such as in healthcare and IoT solutions. Five universities and private sector companies are currently working on B5G, and here at SSIC, we are responsible for the SoC chipsets.

Member Services BusinessSharp Cocoro Life Inc. (CLI) Bases:Yao City, Osaka; Chiba City, Chiba, etc.

CLI was established as a 100% subsidiary of the Sharp Corporation on October 1, 2019. We are working to provide various services that support members of our COCORO MEMBERS service, and to generate direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales channels that utilize our digital marketing know-how.

EC business

Via our EC site COCORO STORE, we provide Sharp home appliances, including accessories and consumables; original COCORO STORE products such as masks and medicated Crystaliq skincare products; various services for IoT home appliances, and much more. Through the planning and implementation of digital marketing strategy, we convey the appeal of products to customers, aiming to build a store where we work together with customers to create fulfilling lifestyles.

Planning new business

The era of mass production and mass consumerism is now changing to an era in which directly connecting with customers is key. At Sharp, we endeavor to create services and products that are not bound by the conventions of traditional electronics manufacturing, such as our “COCORO VOICE” service, which allows AloT appliances to be equipped with a customizable voice.

Building and operating EC platforms

We are working to differentiate the COCORO STORE system in terms of planning, developing, and operating EC platforms and smartphone apps, and by providing the data analysis tools essential for digital marketing.