东京——日本电子零部件制造商TDK和太阳诱电周二宣布，双方已达成合作意向，共同开发用于人工智能的下一代电子元件。
TOKYO -- TDK and Taiyo Yuden have agreed to work together on developing next-generation electronic components for use with artificial intelligence, the Japanese electronic parts makers announced Tuesday.
两家公司将合作开发先进的多层陶瓷电容器（MLCC）、电感器及其他元件，以满足人工智能服务器和物理人工智能应用所需的高性能水平。该协议还包括探讨潜在的资本联盟。
The companies will develop advanced multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), inductors and other components, cooperating to meet the high performance levels required for AI servers and physical AI applications. The agreement also includes discussing a potential capital alliance.
TDK公司高管池岛太郎表示：“技术变化迅速，我们希望通过商业合作保持领先一步。”太阳诱电高级执行运营官福田知光表示：“我们将构建系统，以便快速且可靠地满足对尖端元件的需求。”TDK的技术包括耐热性和低剖面成型技术，这两项技术均是为汽车元件开发的。两家公司将结合太阳诱电在小型、高容量元件方面的优势，这些优势是在智能手机领域磨练出来的。
"Technology changes rapidly," said Taro Ikushima, a corporate officer at TDK. "We want to stay one step ahead through the business partnership." Tomomitsu Fukuda, senior executive operating officer at Taiyo Yuden, said, "We will build systems that enable us to meet demand for cutting-edge components rapidly and reliably." TDK's technologies include heat resistance and low-profile molding, both developed for automotive components. The companies will combine this with Taiyo Yuden's strengths in small, high-capacity components, honed for smartphones.
池岛表示，人工智能应用“需要薄型、高容量的产品，我们将共同制造出更好的产品”，并补充说，垂直供电（即将电子元件直接放置在人工智能芯片下方）是两家公司通过合作可以改进的技术示例。
AI applications "require thin, high-capacity products, and together we will make better ones," Ikushima said, adding that vertical power supply, where electronic components are placed directly beneath AI chips, was an example of technology the companies can improve by working together.
太阳诱电约90%的销售额来自MLCC和电感器。对于TDK而言，无源元件（包括MLCC和电感器）约占其业务的20%。人工智能服务器的需求正在迅速增长，推动了两家公司的增长。
About 90% of Taiyo Yuden's sales come from MLCCs and inductors. For TDK, passive components -- including MLCCs and inductors -- account for around 20%. Demand for AI servers is rising fast, driving growth for both companies.
两家公司还计划在生产和材料采购方面开展合作。福田表示，两家公司之间存在合同制造的可能性。
The companies also plan to work together in production and materials sourcing. There is potential for contract manufacturing between the companies, said Fukuda.
他还表示：“我们也是竞争对手，因此在讨论可能性时，我们会谨慎处理信息共享问题。”
"We are also competitors, so we will be careful about sharing information as we discuss possibilities," he also said.
这类电子元器件是日本企业拥有优势的一个领域。根据日本经济产业省的数据，村田制作所（Murata Manufacturing）在世界MLCC（多层陶瓷电容器）市场占据约40%的领先份额。太阳诱电（Taiyo Yuden）和TDK也名列前茅，韩国的三星电机（Samsung Electro-Mechanics）和台湾的国巨（Yageo）亦在其列。但中国制造商正开始蚕食它们在中低端产品领域的领先地位。
Electronic components like these are one area where Japanese companies have an edge. Murata Manufacturing has a leading share of the world's MLCC market at around 40%, according to data from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Taiyo Yuden and TDK also rank near the top, along with South Korea's Samsung Electro-Mechanics and Taiwan's Yageo. But Chinese manufacturers are starting to chip away at their lead in mid- and low-price products.