Toshiba Europe Ltd
The Cambridge Research Laboratory (CRL) was Toshiba’s first overseas corporate-level R&D laboratory. Originally called Toshiba Cambridge Research Centre, it was established in 1991 to undertake scientific studies which may lead to the semiconductor technology of 21st Century.
Cambridge was chosen for the opportunities to collaborate with the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s top universities, and with the growing cluster of hi-tech companies based in the city, plus its good transport links to the UK and Continental Europe.
Professor Sir Michael Pepper, FRS, led CRL from its inception to July 2007 when Professor Roberto Cipolla, FREng, took over his roll. In 1998, Toshiba Research Europe Limited (TREL) was incorporated following the formation of the Telecommunications Research Laboratory in Bristol.
CRL currently consists of three research teams: Quantum Information, Speech Technology and Computer Vision. Close collaboration is undertaken with the Cavendish Laboratory and Engineering Department of the University of Cambridge, as well as other Toshiba R&D groups. We have achieved a number of world firsts, successfully transferred technology into Toshiba products, and spun-out TeraView Ltd in 2001 to develop terahertz technology.