() is a Japanese
multinational conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in
Chiyoda, Tokyo
, known as Chiyoda City in English,
." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008. is a S ...
. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and
renewable energy
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...
, railway systems,
healthcare products, and
financial systems. The company was founded as an electrical machinery manufacturing subsidiary of the Kuhara Mining Plant in
Hitachi, Ibaraki
250px, Hitachi Sakura Festival
is a city located in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 165,822 in 76,702 households and a population density of 735 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged over 65 w ...
by engineer
Namihei Odaira
was a Japanese entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded Hitachi.
Life
Odaira was born on January 15, 1874, in Ienaka, Shimotsuga, Tochigi Prefecture (present-day Tsugamachi Kassenba, Tochigi), the second son of Odaira Sōhachi and Chiyo. ...
in 1910. It began operating as an independent company under its current name in 1920.
Hitachi is listed on the
Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , abbreviated as Tosho () or TSE/TYO, is a stock exchange located in Tokyo, Japan.
The exchange is owned by Japan Exchange Group (JPX), a holding company that it also lists (), and operated by Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc., a wholly owned sub ...
and is a key component of the
Nikkei 225
The Nikkei 225, or , more commonly called the ''Nikkei'' or the ''Nikkei index'' (), is a stock market index for the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). It is a price-weighted index, operating in the Japanese yen, Japanese Yen (JP¥), and its compone ...
and TOPIX Core30 indices. As of June 2024, it has a market capitalisation of 16.9 trillion yen, making it the fourth largest Japanese company by market value.
In terms of global recognition, Hitachi was ranked 38th in the 2012
Fortune Global 500
The ''Fortune'' Global 500, also known as Global 500, is an annual ranking of the top 500 corporations worldwide as measured by revenue. The list is compiled and published annually by '' Fortune'' magazine.
Methodology
Until 1989, it listed o ...
and 129th in the 2012
Forbes Global 2000
The ''Forbes'' Global 2000 is an annual ranking of the top 2000 public companies in the world, published by: sales, profit, assets and market value. The list has been published annually since 2003.
By country
Forbes Global 2000 as of 2023:
...
. Hitachi is a highly globalised conglomerate. In the fiscal year 2023, it generated approximately 61% of its total revenue of 9.7 trillion yen from international markets. The major contributors to this global revenue were
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
,
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, and
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
, with each region accounting for 22%, 16%, and 16% of the total revenue, respectively.
Overview

Hitachi's mission is to 'contribute to society through the development of superior, original technology and products'. All 12 CEOs the company has had, including founder Odaira, have engineering backgrounds, with eight of them, including Odaira, being alumni of the
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
's Faculty of Engineering.
Historically a large conglomerate active in various fields, including
electric generator
In electricity generation, a generator, also called an ''electric generator'', ''electrical generator'', and ''electromagnetic generator'' is an electromechanical device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy for use in an externa ...
s,
consumer electronics
Consumer electronics, also known as home electronics, are electronic devices intended for everyday household use. Consumer electronics include those used for entertainment, Communication, communications, and recreation. Historically, these prod ...
,
train
A train (from Old French , from Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles th ...
s,
semiconductors
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping levels ...
,
computer
A computer is a machine that can be Computer programming, programmed to automatically Execution (computing), carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic set ...
s, and
nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...
s, Hitachi recorded a record loss of 787.3 billion yen in the aftermath of the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
. The company sold numerous unprofitable operations and ventured into new areas such as digital systems and renewable energy. As a result of these moves, Hitachi returned to profitability by March 2011.
Today, Hitachi's corporate activities are organised into three large sections: Digital Systems and Services, Green Energy and Mobility, and Connective Industries.
Logos and symbols

Hitachi has been using a monogram of the two Kanji characters that make up the word 'Hitachi' (日立) as its
corporate symbol (''monshō''). Conceived by Namihei Odaira, this symbol appeared on most of Hitachi's products until 1991. In 2000, Hitachi adopted the
advertising slogan
Advertising slogans are short phrases used in advertising campaigns to generate publicity and unify a company's marketing strategy. The phrases may be used to attract attention to a distinctive product feature or reinforce a company's brand.
Etymo ...
'Inspire the Next', and the corporate logo was gradually phased out as this statement was incorporated into the branding. However, the symbol is still used to represent the company rather than its products or services, such as in the favicon of its official website.
Since 1975, Hitachi has been using images of a 130-year-old ''
Samanea saman'' tree, known as the Hitachi Tree (''hitachi no ki''), located at
Moanalua Gardens, Hawaii, in most of its television commercials as a symbol of the conglomerate. The advert song introduced alongside the tree is also called ''Hitachi no Ki'', or ''Konoki Nanno Ki'' (), after the song's opening lyrics. Three other trees have briefly represented the company, but since 1984, the current tree has been designated as the Hitachi Tree. In 2016, it was reported that the company spends around 50 million yen annually on its maintenance.
History
Founding (1910-1945)

Founded in 1910 in Ibaraki Prefecture by electrical engineer Namihei Odaira, Hitachi's first product was a 4-kilowatt induction motor, designed for copper mining. Originally an in-house venture of
Fusanosuke Kuhara's mining company, Hitachi became independent in 1911 and moved its headquarters to Tokyo in 1918. The company's name 'Hitachi', combining the kanji for 'sun' (日, ''hi'') and 'rise' (立, ''tachi''), was coined by Odaira. While industrial machinery in Japan was usually powered by steam at the time, Odaira built water power stations in the mine and electrified almost all facilities in the factory. The company developed various electrical equipment later in its history. In 1924, Hitachi completed Japan's first mainline electric locomotive (
JNR Class ED15). In 1932, the company started manufacturing elevators and electric refrigerators.
Post-war reconstruction and expansion (1945-1990)
World War II and its aftermath significantly impacted Hitachi, leading to the destruction of factories, post-war internal discord, and the removal of founder Namihei Odaira by the
Allied occupation forces. Hitachi went public in 1949, listing on the
Tokyo Exchange (TYO:6501). Odaira returned to the company in 1951 when the
purge of key pre-war Japanese figures ended. However, he died in October of the same year at age 77.
In 1949, Hitachi built its first power shovel, marking the start of what is now
Hitachi Construction Machinery. In 1960, Hitachi developed the world's first electric train seat reservation system,
MARS-1, for
Japanese National Railways
The , abbreviated JNR or , was the business entity that operated Japan's national railway network from 1949 to 1987.
Network Railways
As of June 1, 1949, the date of establishment of JNR, it operated of narrow gauge () railways in all 46 pre ...
(JNR), allowing nationwide booking for express train seats. Around the same time, Hitachi began expanding its business overseas, with the establishment of Hitachi America, Ltd. 1959. In 1961, Hitachi began selling fully-automated washing machines and completed its first experimental nuclear reactor.

In 1964, the world's first high-speed railway line, the
Shinkansen
The , colloquially known in English as the bullet train, is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan. It was initially built to connect distant Japanese regions with Tokyo, the capital, to aid economic growth and development. Beyond lon ...
, opened. Hitachi not only built the
Series 0 rolling stock but also played a crucial part in developing the
Automatic Train Control
Automatic train control (ATC) is a general class of train protection systems for railways that involves a speed control mechanism in response to external inputs. For example, a system could effect an emergency brake application if the driver do ...
system (ATC) and the (COMTRAC). COMTRAC was the first (PTC) system, a
real-time
Real-time, realtime, or real time may refer to:
Computing
* Real-time computing, hardware and software systems subject to a specified time constraint
* Real-time clock, a computer clock that keeps track of the current time
* Real-time Control Syst ...
automatic
Automatic may refer to:
Music Bands
* Automatic (Australian band), Australian rock band
* Automatic (American band), American rock band
* The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band
Albums
* ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 el ...
control system
A control system manages, commands, directs, or regulates the behavior of other devices or systems using control loops. It can range from a single home heating controller using a thermostat controlling a domestic boiler to large industrial ...
to control rail transport, which was installed on JNR's
Tokaido Shinkansen
The is a Japanese high-speed rail line that is part of the nationwide Shinkansen network. Along with the San'yō Shinkansen, it forms a continuous high-speed railway through the Taiheiyō Belt, also known as the Tokaido corridor. Opening in 19 ...
and
Sanyo Shinkansen lines simultaneously with the extension from
Shin-Osaka Station to
Okayama Station
is a major railway station in Kita-ku, Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The station is operated by West Japan Railway Company (JR West).
Lines
Okayama Station is one of the major intersections of railways in the Chūgoku region. All trai ...
in 1972.
In 1977, Hitachi completed the world's first fully
MOX
Mox or MOX may refer to:
People
* Jon Moxley (born 1985), American professional wrestler
* Mox McQuery (1861–1900), American baseball player
Technology
* Mac OS X, a computer operating system
* Microsoft Open XML, a file format
* Mixed ox ...
-fuelled nuclear power station,
Fugen. MOX was seen as an efficient way of utilising
plutonium
Plutonium is a chemical element; it has symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is a silvery-gray actinide metal that tarnishes when exposed to air, and forms a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four ...
from nuclear waste, which would otherwise have to be stored in security to ensure that it is not used to build nuclear weapons.
In 1978, Hitachi's Twin-Well Hi-
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS, pronounced "sea-moss
", , ) is a type of MOSFET, metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) semiconductor device fabrication, fabrication process that uses complementary an ...
process ushered in a new era in the global
semiconductor industry
The semiconductor industry is the aggregate of companies engaged in the design and fabrication of semiconductors and semiconductor devices, such as transistors and integrated circuits. Its roots can be traced to the invention of the transistor ...
. For instance, the Hitachi HM6147 chip, developed by a Hitachi team led by Toshiaki Masuhara, was able to match the Intel's flagship 2147 HMOS's performance with 87 per cent less power. Until the early 1980s, American semiconductor producers were focusing on the development and production of
NMOS transistors, with which they dominated the global market, while Hitachi invested heavily in developing efficient CMOS transistors. This success led to the world's three largest manufacturers by revenue all being Japanese companies by 1987, amongst which Hitachi was counted. Hitachi Europe, Ltd. was established in 1982.
2000s

In 2001, the contactless fare card system
Suica was introduced at 424
JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...
stations throughout the Greater Tokyo Area. While the card itself was developed using
Sony
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...
's
FeliCa system, Hitachi was responsible for building the server-side system. Other contactless fare card systems such as
ICOCA and
PASMO have been introduced throughout the country since, almost all of which are modelled after Suica and thus mutually compatible. It is now widely used as a contactless payment system in non-railway business as well, and Hitachi has been involved in the series of developments in this area. At the
CES 2007, Hitachi revealed the first consumer HDD with a storage of 1 TB, which was released in the same year.

In the 2008
fiscal year
A fiscal year (also known as a financial year, or sometimes budget year) is used in government accounting, which varies between countries, and for budget purposes. It is also used for financial reporting by businesses and other organizations. La ...
, Hitachi lost US$7.8 billion, the largest corporate loss in Japanese history up to that point. Since its zenith in the 1980s and 1990s, a number of departments had suffered a decline in efficiency. However, being one of the largest conglomerates in the world at the time, conflicts of interest existed across the company, making it difficult to implement fundamental solutions. These delays in essential reforms proved detrimental when facing the
2008 financial crisis
The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
and led to the record loss. This prompted Hitachi to restructure and sell a number of divisions and businesses under the leadership of
Takashi Kawamura. From 2008 to 2018, Hitachi reduced the number of its listed group companies and consolidated subsidiaries in Japan from 22 to 4 and around 400 to 202, respectively, through restructuring and sell-offs. It plans to become a company specializing in IT and infrastructure maintenance in the near future.
2010s
In March 2011, Hitachi agreed to sell its
hard disk drive
A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating hard disk drive platter, pla ...
subsidiary,
HGST
HGST, Inc. (Hitachi Global Storage Technologies) was a manufacturer of hard disk drives, solid-state drives, and external storage products and services.
It was initially a subsidiary of Hitachi, formed through its acquisition of IBM's disk driv ...
, to
Western Digital
Western Digital Corporation is an American data storage company headquartered in San Jose, California. Established in 1970, the company is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives (HDDs).
History
1970s
Western Digital ...
for a combination of cash and shares worth US$4.3 billion. Due to concerns of a duopoly of WD and
Seagate Technology
Seagate Technology Holdings plc is an American Computer data storage, data storage company. It was incorporated in 1978 as Shugart Technology and commenced business in 1979. Since 2010, the company has been incorporated in Dublin, Ireland, with ...
by the EU Commission and the
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) United States antitrust law, antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. It ...
, Hitachi's 3.5" HDD division was sold to
Toshiba
is a Japanese multinational electronics company headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors ...
. The transaction was completed in March 2012.
In January 2012, Hitachi announced it would stop producing televisions in Japan. In September 2012, Hitachi announced that it had invented a long-term data solution out of
quartz glass
Fused quartz, fused silica or quartz glass is a glass consisting of almost pure silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) in amorphous (non-crystalline) form. This differs from all other commercial glasses, such as soda-lime glass, lead glass, or borosi ...
that was capable of preserving information for millions of years. In October 2012, Hitachi agreed to acquire the United Kingdom-based nuclear energy company
Horizon Nuclear Power, which plans to construct up to six nuclear power plants in the UK, from
E.ON
E.ON SE is a European multinational electric utility company based in Essen, Germany. It operates as one of the world's largest investor-owned electric utility service providers. The name originates from the Latin word '' aeon'', derived from ...
and
RWE for £700 million. In November 2012, Hitachi and
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational engineering, electrical equipment and electronics corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. MHI is one of the core companies of the Mitsubishi Group and its automobile division is the prede ...
agreed to merge their thermal power generation businesses into a joint venture to be owned 65% by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and 35% by Hitachi.
The joint venture named Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) began operations in February 2014. In 2020 Hitachi transferred its share of the venture to MHI.
In October 2015, Hitachi completed a deal with
Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls International plc is an American, Irish-domiciled multinational conglomerate headquartered in Cork, Ireland, that produces fire, HVAC, and security equipment for buildings. As of mid-2019, it employed 105,000 people in arou ...
to form a joint venture that would take over Hitachi's HVAC business. Hitachi maintained a 40% stake in the resulting company, Johnson Controls-Hitachi Air Conditioning. In May 2016, Hitachi announced it was investing $2.8 billion into its
IoT interests.
Hitachi’s rail business in Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, expanded in the 2010s, with
Hitachi Newton Aycliffe starting operations in October 2015.
Following the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster
The Fukushima nuclear accident was a major nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Ōkuma, Fukushima, Japan, which began on 11 March 2011. The cause of the accident was the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which r ...
in 2011 and the extended temporary closure of most Japanese nuclear plants, Hitachi's nuclear business became unprofitable and in 2016 Hitachi CEO Toshiaki Higashihara argued Japan should consider a merger of the various competing nuclear businesses.
Hitachi is taking for 2016 an estimated ¥65 billion write-off in value of a
SILEX technology laser
uranium enrichment
Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 (written 235U) has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238 (23 ...
joint venture with
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston.
Over the year ...
.
In February 2017, Hitachi and
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
announced a partnership to develop, produce and sell motors for electric vehicles. Also in 2017, private equity firm
KKR bought Hitachi Kokusai's (itself a subsidiary of Hitachi) semiconductor equipment division, becoming
Kokusai Electric. In 2019,
Applied Materials
Applied Materials, Inc. is an American corporation that supplies equipment, services and software for the manufacture of semiconductor (integrated circuit) chips for electronics, flat panel displays for computers, smartphones, televisions, and ...
announced that it would acquire Kokusai Electric from KKR for US$2.2 billion. The deal was later terminated in 2021. In 2017, KKR also bought Hitachi's power tools subsidiary Hitachi Koki for US$1.3 billion, changing its name to Koki Holdings (HiKOKI) and marketing its tools as Metabo HPT in the US market. In 2018, Hitachi stopped selling televisions in Japan because its market share had dropped to 1%, opting to sell Sony TVs through its existing dealer network. On March 14, 2018,
Zoomdata announced its partnership with Hitachi INS Software to help develop big data analytics market in Japan.
In December 2018, Hitachi Ltd. announced it would take over 80% of
ABB
ABB Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Excha ...
's power grid division for $6.4 billion renaming it Hitachi-ABB Power Grids in the process. In October2021, the enterprise was rebranded
HitachiEnergy.
In 2019, Hitachi sold its medical imaging business to
Fujifilm
, trading as , or simply Fuji, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operating in the areas of photography, optics, Office supplies, office and Biomedical engine ...
for US$1.7 billion.
Showa Denko bought
Hitachi Chemical from Hitachi and other shareholders, at US$42.97 per share. Until then, Hitachi Chemical had been considered to be a core unit of the group. Hitachi also suspended the
ABWR
The advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) is a Generation III boiling water reactor. The ABWR is currently offered by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Toshiba. The ABWR generates electrical power by using steam to power a turbine connected ...
development by its British subsidiary
Horizon Nuclear Power as it did not provide adequate "economic rationality as a private enterprise" to proceed.
In October 2019, the talks between
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
and Hitachi to consolidate their four automotive parts businesses,
Showa,
Nissin and
Keihin of the former and the latter's Hitachi Automotive Systems, have reportedly begun, resulting in the creation of a "mega supplier" named Hitachi Astemo incorporated in January 2021.
2020s

In March 2020, an improved version of the
L0 Series
The is a high-speed maglev train which the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has been developing and testing. JR Central plans to use the L0 series on the Chūō Shinkansen railway line between Tokyo and Osaka, which is under construc ...
SCMaglev
The SCMaglev (superconducting maglev, formerly called the MLU) is a magnetic levitation (maglev) railway system developed by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) and the Railway Technical Research Institute.
The SCMaglev uses an electrod ...
rolling stock for the
Chuo Shinkansen was introduced, marking the first
magnetically levitated train manufactured by Hitachi. In September 2020, Hitachi abandoned plans to create nuclear power plants in Gloucestershire and Wales due to issues with funding due to the impact of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic.
The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
. In the same month, Hitachi Capital agreed to be bought by its second-largest shareholder, business partner, and former rival
Mitsubishi UFJ Lease, which invested in the Hitachi subsidiary in 2016.
In November 2020, it announced that Hitachi Metals and
Hitachi Construction Machinery, both being some of the last remaining listed subsidiaries, will likely be detached from the group according to the restructuring plan. In December, Hitachi sold a 60% stake in its overseas home appliance business to Turkish
Arcelik for US$300 million. In December 2021, it was announced by OPG that they had selected GE-Hitachi to construct two BWRX-300 reactors at the Darlington site in Ontario, Canada. OPG and GE-Hitachi will be collaborating on the design, planning and preparation of license materials for the construction of Canada's first SMR which is planned to enter operation in 2028.
Hitachi, with its focus on energy, information technology, and infrastructure, has seen a significant improvement in profitability since the record loss in 2009. Reflecting this, Hitachi’s market capitalisation has more than octupled since 2010, becoming the fourth largest company in Japan by market capitalisation in June 2024.
Businesses
Hitachi's corporate activities are organised into three large sections: Digital Systems and Services, Green Energy and Mobility, and Connective Industries.
Digital systems & services
The Digital Systems and Services segment features Lumada, through which the company provides digital solutions to improve business processes and operational efficiency. This segment accounted for 21.9 percent of the total revenue in FY2022.
*
Internet of Things
Internet of things (IoT) describes devices with sensors, processing ability, software and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communication networks. The IoT encompasse ...
** Hitachi Lumada
*
Data storage
Data storage is the recording (storing) of information (data) in a storage medium. Handwriting, phonographic recording, magnetic tape, and optical discs are all examples of storage media. Biological molecules such as RNA and DNA are con ...
and
analytics
Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data, which also falls under and directly relates to the umbrella term, data sc ...
**
Virtual Storage Platform
**
Optical disc drive
In computing, an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disc drive that uses laser light or electromagnetic waves within or near the visible light spectrum as part of the process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can on ...
s - jointly with
LG as
Hitachi-LG Data Storage
Hitachi-LG Data Storage (HLDS, HL-DT-ST or H-L Data Storage), a 51-49 joint venture between Hitachi, Hitachi, Ltd. and LG Electronics, is a manufacturer of DVD and Blu-ray optical disc drives for desktop computers and laptops. Founded in late 2000 ...
*
VOS3 Mainframe computer
A mainframe computer, informally called a mainframe or big iron, is a computer used primarily by large organizations for critical applications like bulk data processing for tasks such as censuses, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ...
*
Software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
*
Outsourcing services
*
Telecommunications equipment
Telecommunications equipment (also telecoms equipment or communications equipment) is a type of hardware which is used for the purposes of telecommunications. Since the 1990s the boundary between telecoms equipment and IT hardware has become blurr ...
*
ATMs
Hitachi Vantara

Hitachi Vantara is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi which provides hardware, software and services to help companies manage their digital data. Its flagship products are the
Virtual Storage Platform (for enterprise storage), Hitachi Unified Storage VM for large-sized companies, Hitachi Unified Storage for small and mid-sized companies, Hitachi Content Platform (archiving and cloud architecture), Hitachi Command Suite (for storage management), Hitachi TrueCopy and Hitachi Universal Replicator (for remote replication), and the Hitachi NAS Platform.
Since September 19, 2017, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) has become part of Hitachi Vantara, a new company that unifies the operations of
Pentaho
Pentaho is the brand name for several data management software products that make up the Pentaho+ Data Platform. These include Pentaho Data Integration, Pentaho Business Analytics, Pentaho Data Catalog, and Pentaho Data Optimiser.
Overview
P ...
, Hitachi Data Systems and Hitachi Insight Group. The company name "Hitachi Data Systems" (HDS) and its logo is no longer used in the market.
Hitachi Consulting, the group's international management and technology consulting subsidiary with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, was integrated with Hitachi Vantara in 2019. On November 1, 2023, Hitachi spun off Hitachi Vantara LLC's digital solutions business into a new company, Hitachi Digital Services; Hitachi Vantara now focuses on its storage and hybrid cloud-centric data infrastructure services portfolio.
*
Servers
*
Disk array
A disk array is a disk storage system which contains multiple disk drives. It is differentiated from a disk enclosure, in that an array has cache (computing), cache memory and advanced functionality, like redundant array of independent disks, RAID ...
subsystems
GlobalLogic
GlobalLogic is a digital services subsidiary of Hitachi based in the United States. Originally founded in India in 2000, the company was acquired by Hitachi in 2021 for US$9.6 billion, which was Hitachi's most expensive acquisition at the time. The acquisition is intended to bridge various operational technology and industrial products that Hitachi offers by strengthening the group's software development capability as part of the broader Lumada strategy. GlobalLogic provides
outsourced product development and
IT services to clients for software and hardware.
Green Energy and Mobility
The Green Energy and Mobility segment focuses on developing and providing power systems. This includes power generation, transmission, and distribution systems. In the rail industry, the company is a provider of
rolling stock
The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
and traction equipment to signaling, traffic management systems, and maintenance depots. A key component of this segment is the ZeroCarbon suite, designed to enable fleet operators to transition to electric vehicles. This segment accounted for 22.9 per cent of the total revenue in FY2022.
Hitachi Rail

Hitachi built its first steam locomotive in 1920, and has since evolved into a company that builds almost everything related to rail transport; rolling stock, traction systems, power transmission systems, signalling systems, programmed traffic control systems and seat reservation systems.
Hitachi's rail division has two hubs in Japan, Mito in Ibaraki and Kasado in
Kudamatsu, Yamaguchi. The international rail business, branded as
Hitachi Rail
Hitachi, Ltd. Railway Systems Business Unit, Trade name, trading as Hitachi Rail, is the rolling stock and railway signalling manufacturing division of Hitachi outside Japan.
History
Hitachi's rail division before global expansion
After the ...
, is headquartered in London, England, with
its main European factory located in
Newton Aycliffe, County Durham. Since
Hitachi Rail Italy
Hitachi Rail Italy S.p.A. is a multinational rolling stock manufacturer company based in Pistoia, Italy. Formerly AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., a subsidiary of state-owned Finmeccanica, the company was sold in 2015 to Hitachi Rail of Japan. After the dea ...
was established following the acquisition of AnsaldoBreda S.p.A., Hitachi has a design and production hub in
Pistoia, Italy.
*
Hitachi A-train
The Hitachi A-train is a family of rail rolling stock built and designed by Hitachi Rail using a common base and construction techniques. The stock is designed to facilitate a number of product life-cycle improvements including ease of manufacture ...
Hitachi Energy
In July 2020, Hitachi acquired 80.1% of ABB’s power grid business for 740 billion yen (US$68.5 billion) and completed the acquisition with the remaining 19.9% in December 2022. Merged with Hitachi’s own power grid operations, the entity has become a major supplier of
high-voltage direct current
A high-voltage direct current (HVDC) electric power transmission system uses direct current (DC) for electric power transmission, in contrast with the more common alternating current (AC) transmission systems. Most HVDC links use voltages betwe ...
transmission systems.
Nuclear power
Hitachi has been involved in the nuclear power industry since the 1950s and has been active in constructing and maintaining
boiling water reactors (BWRs) since the 1970s.
In 2007, Hitachi's nuclear business merged with that of
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston.
Over the year ...
to form GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy. The joint venture currently offers the
advanced boiling water reactor (ABWR) and is developing
small modular reactors (SMRs), such as the
BWRX-300.
Hitachi also owns
Horizon Nuclear Power, which was originally expected to construct nuclear power stations in the United Kingdom under a British government contract, but later withdrew from these projects after investing nearly £2 billion.
Connective Industries

In the Connective Industries segment, Hitachi offers building systems such as elevators and escalators, healthcare with a focus on less invasive cancer treatments and diverse medical equipment, and a variety of industrial equipment such as air compressors and transformers. Additionally, the segment provides sustainable water and wastewater management. This segment accounted for 27.3 per cent of the total revenue in FY2022.
Hitachi Global Life Solutions
Although no longer a core business, Hitachi Global Life Solutions produces refrigerators, laundry machines, vacuum cleaners and other white goods. Hitachi stopped producing televisions (branded as 'Wooo') in 2012.
* Air conditioning systems: development and production has been merged with Johnson Controls as
Johnson Controls Hitachi.
* Refrigerators
* Laundry machines, including
washer-dryers
* Vacuum cleaners
Hitachi Building Systems
Hitachi Building Systems is the second largest manufacturer of elevators in Japan.
*
Elevator
An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...
s
*
Escalator
An escalator is a moving staircase which carries people between floors of a building or structure. It consists of a Electric motor, motor-driven chain of individually linked steps on a track which cycle on a pair of tracks which keep the st ...
s
* Building security systems
* Central air conditioning systems
* Industrial dehumidifiers
Hitachi High-Tech
* Test and measurement equipment
*
Electron microscopes
An electron microscope is a microscope that uses a beam of electrons as a source of illumination. It uses electron optics that are analogous to the glass lenses of an optical light microscope to control the electron beam, for instance focusing i ...
**
Scanning electron microscopes
*** Field emission scanning electron microscopes (FE-SEM)
**
Transmission electron microscopes
** Automated material identification and classification systems (AMICS)
** Other nano-probing systems
*
Particle therapy equipment
*
Cell culture equipment
Subsidiaries and joint ventures
Hitachi Astemo

Hitachi Astemo, which stands for "Advanced Sustainable Technologies for Mobility", is a 40-40-20 joint venture between Hitachi,
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
, and JIC Capital, which is owned by
Japan Investment Corporation. Hitachi and Honda their four auto parts affiliates and division, the latter's three
keiretsu
A is a set of companies with interlocking business relationships and shareholdings that dominated the Japanese economy in the second half of the 20th century. In the legal sense, it is a type of business group that is in a loosely organized al ...
companies
Showa Corporation
Showa is a brand of high-performance automotive, motorcycle and outboard suspension systems of Hitachi Astemo, based in Gyoda, Saitama in Japan.
The company was founded in 1938 as Showa Aircraft Precision Works. In Japan's drive to develop i ...
,
Keihin Corporation
Keihin is a Japanese automotive and motorcycle parts brand of Hitachi Astemo. At the past times, Keihin was a major supplier to Honda, who owned nearly half of Keihin's shares, but also supplies other motorcycle manufacturers, among them Triu ...
, and
Nissin Kogyo, and the former's wholly owned Hitachi Automotive Systems, to be better equipped for the changing car market environment, frequently represented as CASE, for which they will integrate their assets to accelerate development of new technology and software.
Hitachi Astemo is considered a "mega supplier", as annual sales of the four predecessors combined stood at $17 billion, placing it as the second largest among the compatriot auto suppliers.
*Car Information Systems
* Drive Control
* Electric Powertrain Systems
* Engine Management Systems
Hitachi Construction Machinery

Hitachi Construction Machinery is one of the world's largest construction equipment manufacturers by revenue. The company was spun off from Hitachi in October 1970 and has been listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on its own since 1981. Hitachi owned a 51% share in the company but sold half of its shares to HCIJ Holdings, a joint venture between
Itochu
is a Japanese corporation based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo.
It is one of the largest Japanese ''sogo shosha'' (general trading and investment companies) distinguished by the strength of its textil ...
and
Japan Industrial Partners
Japan Industrial Partners, Inc. is a Japanese private equity firm based in Tokyo. Founded in 2002, it received investment from firms including Mizuho Financial Group and Bain & Company. Its CEO is Hidemi Moue.
History
In 2007, Japan Industrial ...
, in August 2022, leaving Hitachi with 25.4% of the total shares.
* Hydraulic Excavators
* Forestry Equipment
* Mechanical & Hydraulic Cranes
* Mining Dump Trucks
* Crawler Dump trucks
* Wheel Loaders
Discontinued or divested businesses
Hitachi Capital
*
Leasing
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
* Loan guarantees
* Invoice finance
* Consumer finance (personal and retail)
* Business finance
Bought by
Mitsubishi
The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries.
Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...
, it had been the group's financial business arm.
Hitachi Metals
Among other things, Hitachi Metals supplied materials for aircraft engines and fuselage components (e.g. landing gear), along with finished components for same and other aerospace applications. It also provided materials, components and tools for the automotive and electronics industries. Among the Hitachi Metals facilities was Hitachi Metal Yasugi Works or Tatara Works, one of the oldest furnaces in Japan, famously featured as a main backdrop in ''
Princess Mononoke
is a 1997 Japanese animated historical drama, historical fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Set in the Muromachi period of Japanese history, the film follows Ashitaka, a young Emishi prince who journeys west to cure his curs ...
'', a Japanese animation film set in the
Muromachi period
The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
. Hitachi sold all its shares in Hitachi Metals in 2021, and the company was renamed in 2023.
Hitachi Works
Spin-off
Spin-off, Spin Off, Spin-Off, or Spinoff may refer to: Entertainment and media
*Spinoff (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*''The Spinoff'', a New Zealand current affairs magazine
* ''Spin Off'' (Canadian game show), a 2013 Canad ...
entities from Hitachi Works include
Hitachi Cable (1956) and Hitachi Canadian Industries Limited (founded 1988 in
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
and closed in 2016 as Mitsubishi-Hitachi Power Systems).
As Hitachi pulled out of MHPS and handed over the control to
MHI, Hitachi Works was also transferred, becoming part of Mitsubishi Power.
Others
Other former businesses Hitachi had had include the following:
*Aircraft
**
Hitachi T.2
**
Hitachi TR.2
* Aircraft Engines
**
Hitachi Hatsukaze
The Hitachi Hatsukaze (初風, Hatsukaze - fresh wind), also known as the Hitachi GK4 (short Navy), Hitachi Army Type 4 110hp Air Cooled Inline (Army long), Hitachi Ha47 (Army Hatzudoki) and Ha-11 model 11 (unified), was Hitachi's fourth design i ...
*
Hitachi Zosen
** Ships - Business merged with the shipbuilding operation of
NKK corporation to form
Universal Shipbuilding Corporation
(informally JMU) is a Japanese ship building marine engineering and service company headquartered in Yokohama, Japan.
It's Japan's second largest shipbuilder after Imabari Shipbuilding, with shipyard facilities in Kure, Hiroshima, Yokohama, N ...
* Displays
**
Plasma and
LCD
A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers to display information. Liquid crystals do not em ...
Televisions - Ceased production. Brand name continues to be licensed to Vestel for TVs sold at Argos (retailer), Argos in the UK.
** Small LCDs - Divested to be part of Japan Display
** Projectors - Sold to Maxell
* Memory chips - Spun off to be part of Elpida Memory
*System LSIs - Spun off to be part of Renesas Electronics, Renesas Technology
* Personal computers() - Ceased production
* Mobile phones - Merged with Casio's cellphone manufacturing business, then absorbed into NEC Mobile Communications
* Batteries - Sold to Maxell
* Drilling instruments (Hitachi Via Mechanics) - Sold to The Longreach Group
* Hard disk drives - Separated division for this product line as HGST, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies, then HGST was purchased by
Western Digital
Western Digital Corporation is an American data storage company headquartered in San Jose, California. Established in 1970, the company is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard disk drives (HDDs).
History
1970s
Western Digital ...
* Mainframe computer, Mainframe computer hardware - Stopped exporting in 2000; Ceased production in 2017 to focus on the operating system business.
*Hitachi Kokusai Electric - Sold to
KKR
**Telecommunication equipment
** Chemical vapor deposition equipment
*Power tools (Hitachi Koki) - Sold to KKR and renamed Hikoki
* Automotive navigation system, Car navigation system (Clarion) - Sold to Faurecia
* Wind turbines - Ceased production
* Chemical industry, Chemical products (Hitachi Chemical) - Sold to
Showa Denko and renamed Showa Denko Materials
* Diagnostic equipment, Medical diagnostic equipment - Sold to
Fujifilm
, trading as , or simply Fuji, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operating in the areas of photography, optics, Office supplies, office and Biomedical engine ...
* Thermal power station, Thermal power generation system (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems) - Shares held by Hitachi transferred to Mitsubishi
*Hitachi Transport System, Ltd. - sold to
KKR
*Property management
Educational initiatives
Hitachi has research partnerships with several universities, and funds research centres within these universities. Hitachi-UTokyo Lab., which is a joint research centre with the Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Faculty of Engineering,
University of Tokyo
The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...
, focuses on the realisation of data-driven and more efficient society (Former Chairman and UTokyo alumnus Hiroaki Nakanishi coined the term Society 5.0 for this). Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory (HCL), a Hitachi-funded research centre within the University of Cambridge founded in 1985, now focuses on Quantum computing, quantum computation and magnetism. Hitachi conducts similar initiatives with Kyoto University, Hokkaido University and National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology as well.
See also
* ATMIA, ATM Industry Association (ATMIA)
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Hitachi,
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