NEC is a Fortune 500 company, an industry leader in advanced technologies and system solutions, and one of the world's top patent producers. In 1977, NEC introduced the concept of "C&C" for computing and communications convergence, and the company continues to be a pioneer in both areas. Today, on the basis of the concept that our customers are Empowered by Innovation, we have developed a vision called U can change: Ubiquitous Computing and You can create a new world. Over the past two decades, NEC has transformed the world you live in today, from the Internet you log on to daily, to the live shows you watch on satellite TV, the 3G mobile phones you use around the world, the logistic and transportation management systems that bring the world to you, and even the LCD displays on your desks and the projectors in your conference rooms. All of these products are the fruits of NEC's labor and leadership in the fields of computing and information technology, communication and networking, and semiconductors.

NEC Laboratories is NEC's source of innovative technologies. In the 1950s, NEC Central Research Laboratories was founded in Kawasaki, in the southern suburbs of Tokyo, Japan. In the 1990s, new research facilities were established in the U.S. in Princeton, New Jersey and Cupertino, in the heart of Silicon Valley, California, and Heidelberg and Bonn, Germany. In 2003, NEC Labs China was founded in Beijing, further enhancing our global network of research laboratories. This worldwide network allows us to draw upon our collective wisdom and grasp the trends and character of major markets around the world to conduct research and make pragmatic contributions in science and technology.