Innovation center will be first U.S.-based R&D site for Mitsubishi
By Eli Chavez
One month after Nvidia announced plans to launch a new research center in Boston, an international electronics company has announced it will be bringing its resources to Boston with an innovation center in Cambridge.
The Mitsubishi Electric U.S., an affiliate of Mitsubishi Electric Corp., announced that it will open its new U.S.-based global innovation center in Cambridge on May 8.
The launch event is scheduled to be held at the MIT Media Lab, a research laboratory at MIT with a focus on creating and commercializing technology. The innovation center will be based at 201 Broadway in Cambridge, is the first U.S.-based innovation center from Mitsubishi and will serve as a hub to support the existing research and development efforts by the electronics manufacturer in Cambridge.
With the establishment of an innovation center in Cambridge, the company is better positioned to establish partnerships with local universities and further its commitment to open innovation, Mitsubishi said in a release.
Also on May 8, the MIT Media Lab will present the latest projects from its venture class during MIT Media Lab’s Demo Day.
In addition to presentations from the MIT Media Lab, the launch will also feature speeches from Oded Maron, the head of AI at Mass Robotics; Bill Aulet, the managing director at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship; and Ramesh Raskar, a professor at the MIT Media Lab, as well as speakers from Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and National Grid.
The new center is the latest in major electronics companies’ investment in the Boston startup ecosystem. Early last month, Nvidia, the world’s most valuable chipmaker, announced it was partnering with local quantum computing companies to create the Nvidia Accelerated Quantum Research Center in Boston. NVIDIA declined to comment on the location of the research center, but it will similarly bring together local startups and academics from institutions like MIT and Harvard.
The electronics manufacturer was first established as a subsidiary of Mitsubishi in 1921 and focused on making electronics that ranged from household fans to hydraulic generators. In the century since its founding, the company has continued its path of innovation, developing televisions, nuclear reactors, and, within the last five years, testing a 5G system in Japan.
With the development of the innovation center, Mitsubishi says it will offer local startups and students access to Mitsubishi Electric’s technical expertise and resources, continuing to drive innovation forward in Boston.