LCP is a type of super engineering plastic that offers excellent heat resistance and flame retardancy. Its outstanding fluidity, in particular, makes it well-suited to a wide range of applications, from electronic devices such as smartphones to automotive components and office automation equipment. While most of the raw materials used to produce LCP have traditionally been derived from fossil resources, there is growing demand for shifting to biomass feedstock and reducing the carbon footprint ^(*2) in order to achieve a sustainable society.

In response to rising customer demand, Sumitomo Chemical has been advancing the development of bio-based LCP. In June 2025, the Company established technology to mass-produce the material and has since been advancing studies to scale up this technology. It has now confirmed through production-scale manufacturing that it can produce LCP partially containing biomass-derived monomers at a quality equivalent to that of LCP made with conventional fossil-based feedstock ^(*3).

The manufacturing process to produce the bio-based LCP used by Sumitomo Chemical adopts a segregation approach, in which biomass feedstock and non-biomass feedstock are kept completely separate from each other during production. This makes it possible to clearly quantify the amount of biomass feedstock included in the final product. There is also another approach, known as mass balance, in which biomass feedstock and non-biomass feedstock are mixed together, and the characteristics of the biomass feedstock are allocated to part of the product output in proportion to the amount of biomass feedstock used. Sumitomo Chemical will assess the characteristics of each approach to utilize a method that best meets customer needs.

As part of its long-term vision, Sumitomo Chemical has positioned itself as a company that solves social issues through innovative technologies. In its biomanufacturing, the Company is pursuing the hybridization of chemical and biological technologies.

In the green bio ^(*4) field, Sumitomo Chemical is working toward the achievement of a regenerative society through both chemical crop protection products and biorationals ^(*5). In the red bio ^(*4) field, it is contributing to human health through pharmaceutical development, CDMO ^(*6) services based on cell culture technologies, and regenerative medicine and cell therapy. In the white bio ^(*4) and gray bio ^(*4) fields, it is promoting sustainable manufacturing through the utilization of biomass-derived feedstock with organic synthesis technologies and omics technologies ^(*7).

Going forward, Sumitomo Chemical will continue to create value by leveraging chemical technologies and biotechnology, and contribute to solving society's challenges by providing innovative solutions.

(*1) An LCP produced using a principal raw material, a biomass derived monomer made from 100% biomass feedstock. The portion of the biomass-derived content of the bio-based LCP equivalent to our existing compounding grade, SUMIKASUPER E6008, is approximately 30% based on raw material weight.
(*2) A measurement of the total greenhouse gas emissions released during each stage of a product’s life cycle—from raw material procurement to manufacturing, use, and disposal—expressed in terms of the equivalent CO₂ emissions.
(*3) Based on an internal evaluation carried out by Sumitomo Chemical in accordance with ASTM International standards, the Company confirmed that, from the perspective of heat resistance, fluidity, and the mechanical properties of the material—the key characteristics that represent the advantages of LCP— LCP that contains a portion of monomer derived from biomass feedstock (bio-based LCP) is equivalent in quality to LCP made with conventional fossil-based feedstock.
(*4) Terms used to classify, by color, the fields in which biotechnology is applied: green for food and agriculture, red for medicine, white for industry and energy, and gray for the environment.
(*5) Microbial crop protection products derived from natural sources, plant growth regulators and rhizosphere microbial products, and solutions that use these products to protect crops from pests and diseases or improve crop quality and yield.
(*6) CDMO is an acronym of Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization, a business that undertakes process development and manufacturing for customers.
(*7) Technologies that comprehensively analyze biological molecules such as genes, proteins, and metabolites.

Reference

“Sumitomo Chemical Establishes Mass Production Technology for Super Engineering Plastic Using Biomass Materials: Launching New Product Leveraging Biomanufacturing Technology to Expand Its LCP Business,” a news release published on June 12, 2025

This validation was conducted by an independent third-party. It assessed the validity of the basic principles and quantification methods, including the calculation logic, used by CFP-TOMO^® (v3.2) to calculate CFP on a Cradle to Gate basis, which covers the stages from the mining of raw materials to shipment of products. The validation confirmed that the basic principles and quantification methods of CFP-TOMO^® comply with the applicable requirements. These requirements are ISO 14067:2018, the international standard for CFP quantification; ISO 14040:2006 and ISO 14044:2006, the international standards for life cycle assessment; the Guidelines for Calculating CFP in the Chemical Industry issued by the Japan Chemical Industry Association; and the Product Carbon Footprint Guideline for the Chemical Industry issued by Together for Sustainability (TfS) ^(*1).

In recent years, demand has grown for visualizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across entire supply chains and using reliable and comparable CFP information to help achieve a carbon-neutral society. In the chemical industry in particular, manufacturing processes and the flows of raw materials, energy, and by-products are complex, so suitable allocation and calculation procedures are necessary for calculating CFP.

This validation helps Sumitomo Chemical explain to its customers and supply chain participants that CFP calculations using CFP-TOMO^® are based on concepts and calculation methods that are aligned with international standards and chemical industry guidelines. The validation is also expected to enable CFP-TOMO^® users to have enhanced transparency in the CFP calculation process ^(*2) and aid them in communicating the basis of their CFP calculations.

Going forward, Sumitomo Chemical will continue to promote the widespread adoption of CFP-TOMO^® to support companies in their calculation and disclosure of CFP. At the same time, the Company will contribute to the visualization of GHG emissions across entire supply chains, including those in the chemical industry, as well as the promotion of emissions reduction efforts and the achievement of a carbon-neutral society.

(*1) A global initiative led by chemical companies that aims to build sustainable supply chains for chemical products.
(*2) This validation examined the calculation logic, basic principles, and quantification methods of CFP-TOMO^® (v3.2). It does not constitute individual verification or assurance of the CFP calculated for each product using CFP-TOMO^®. The CFP calculation results depend not only on the tool’s calculation logic but also on activity data entered by users, the emission factors selected, the calculation scope and boundaries, allocation methods, and other assumptions.

About CFP-TOMO^®

CFP-TOMO^® is a proprietary CFP calculation tool developed by Sumitomo Chemical. It calculates CFP on a Cradle to Gate basis, which covers the stages of a product’s life cycle from the mining of raw materials to shipment of the product. It is mainly intended for use by companies in the materials industry, particularly those in the chemical industry.

Sumitomo Chemical completed CFP calculations for all of its approximately 20,000 products by the end of 2021 and has begun providing this information to customers. The Company has also made CFP-TOMO^® widely available to other companies free of charge to promote the expansion of CFP calculation and facilitate the visualization of GHG emissions across supply chains. Use of CFP-TOMO^® is free for companies calculating the CFP of products that they or their group companies handle. Paid licenses are also offered for certain uses, such as running a business that provides CFP calculation support to other companies.

For more information on CFP-TOMO^®, please see the link below.
https://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/english/sustainability/information/cfp_tomo/

In recent years, optical design has become increasingly advanced in optical device fields, such as optical sensing for CMOS image sensors, next-generation displays for augmented reality and virtual reality, and next-generation semiconductors, where the use of photonics-electronics convergence is growing. With these advances, there is a greater need for precisely controlling light by utilizing the refractive indices of materials. In particular, there is strong demand for ultra-low-refractive-index materials, in which the refractive index has been reduced to the lowest possible level. Such materials are used to control the refractive index difference between materials to improve light utilization efficiency, as well as to control the phase and reflection of light in next-generation optical elements, such as meta-lenses ^(*2).

Through its business in optical materials, including those for displays, Sumitomo Chemical has developed and expanded a lineup of resin coating solutions covering a wide range of refractive indices from high to low. Building on the advanced resin design technologies it has cultivated through this work, the Company has pursued the development of ultra-low-refractive-index materials. As a result of these efforts, it has now successfully developed a new coating solution that can form a thin film with a refractive index of 1.06, one of the world’s lowest levels for practical applications ^(*3).

The newly developed coating solution can be applied to a substrate by spin coating or similar methods, and then formed into a thin film through heating or UV irradiation. The resulting film has a structure in which nanoscale pores are uniformly dispersed, and by adjusting the composition of the coating solution and the conditions under which the film is formed, the refractive index at a wavelength of 550 nm can be controlled within the range of 1.06 to 1.36. In addition, the film offers high transmittance in the visible-light region, excellent heat resistance up to 300°C, and high solvent resistance ^(*4). Film thickness can also be adjusted to suit the intended application.

Provision of samples of the developed product is scheduled to begin this year. By adding this ultra-low-refractive-index material to its product lineup, Sumitomo Chemical will have a material portfolio with one of the broadest refractive-index ranges in the industry. Going forward, the Company will continue to provide new solutions by developing materials that address diverse optical design needs in the advanced device field.

(*1) A next-generation semiconductor and data center technology that integrates electrical and optical circuits. It replaces electrical signal transmission with light to reduce power consumption while enabling high-speed, large-capacity data communications.
(*2) A flat lens formed by arranging fine pillar structures made of high-refractive-index material and filling the spaces between them with low-refractive-index material. Meta-lenses can be made significantly thinner than conventional lenses and are a next-generation technology expected to be applied in areas such as photonics-electronics convergence.
(*3) According to the Company’s research as of August 2026. Based on a comparison of publicly available information on materials capable of forming colorless and transparent thin films under atmospheric pressure.
(*4) Under the Company’s evaluation conditions, no changes in film thickness or optical properties were observed, even after 10 minutes of immersion in acetone.

Reference

Characteristics of thin films made using the developed product

*Per 1 μm of film thickness

The Indian government is promoting the development of the semiconductor industry as a national strategic priority. Against this backdrop, Tata Electronics is advancing the construction of India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication plant. As India’s markets for semiconductors and related materials are expected to grow, Sumitomo Chemical believes that this construction project being undertaken by Tata Electronics will help strengthen the foundation of the country’s semiconductor industry.

The Sumitomo Chemical Group has positioned its ICT & Mobility Solutions sector as one of its growth drivers and designated its semiconductor materials business as a priority area within the sector. The Group provides a broad range of products, including advanced photoresists and semiconductor chemicals. In particular, it has established a leading position in high-purity chemicals and earned the trust of advanced semiconductor manufacturers through its ultra-high-purity technologies, quality assurance systems underpinned by advanced analytical technologies, and global supply capabilities.

The Sumitomo Chemical Group has been expanding the global business footprint of its semiconductor chemicals business through various initiatives. These include growing its production capacity in Japan and South Korea, establishing a new base in Texas, the United States, in 2022, and acquiring Asia Union Electronic Chemical Corporation in 2026, which operates manufacturing facilities in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and Nevada, the United States. In addition to expanding the scale of its business, the Group has commenced operations at Advanced High-Purity Chemical Centers in Japan and South Korea in 2026, where it is advancing the development of highly productive processes and recycling technologies, and other related technologies. Going forward, by exploring potential collaboration with Tata Electronics, the Group will accelerate its assessment of business opportunities in the Indian market.

Sumitomo Chemical Group hopes that, should the collaboration be realized, it will contribute to the development of India’s semiconductor ecosystem.

In this initiative, which was launched in 2016, Sumitomo Chemical has designated products and technologies of the Group that contribute to mitigating and adapting to climate change and reducing environmental impact as Sumika Sustainable Solutions. This designation process includes reviews and assessments by multiple external experts. The Company has set the target of generating annual sales revenue of 1.2 trillion yen from Sumika Sustainable Solutions by fiscal 2030.

The newly designated products and technologies include Accede^®, a chemical agent that thins out excess fruit on stone fruit trees, such as plum and peach trees; a technology enabling thin touch-screen devices, such as mobile devices and IT equipment, which helps to conserve resources and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; Thermofil Circle^® series 15R recycled glass fiber polypropylene, a glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene (PP) material that delivers quality equivalent to virgin PP, despite being made from recycled PP; a construction waste biomass power generation technology, which uses construction waste and food scraps as fuel to stably and efficiently generate electricity; and CFP-TOMO^®, a tool that calculates the carbon footprint of products (CFP) and is capable of handling CFP calculations for chemical products with complex manufacturing processes. For further information about these products, please see the attachment. Each of these products and technologies are linked to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and are expected to contribute to their respective fields.

In addition, since 2023, Sumitomo Chemical has introduced a new indicator, Science Based Contributions (SBC), to demonstrate more clearly how much its products and technologies contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality. SBC quantitatively and scientifically calculates and visualizes the amount of GHG emissions that have been reduced in society through the use of technologies and final products that have been carefully selected from those designated as Sumika Sustainable Solutions and are expected to reliably reduce GHG emissions. The SBC results for fiscal 2025 showed a reduction of 7.14 million tons in GHG emissions. The Company will utilize SBC as a key performance indicator as it works to enhance climate-related disclosures to stakeholders, and will continue to advance its initiatives toward global carbon neutrality.

Sumitomo Chemical will strive to become an Innovative Solution Provider that solves societal issues by leveraging innovative technologies. The Company remains committed to creating solutions that contribute to the achievement of a sustainable society.

List of the products and technologies newly designated as Sumika Sustainable Solutions

Solutions (Group companies shown in parentheses)	◆:  Features ●: Contributions	Contributions to SDGs
Barrix CatchTM (Barrix Agro Sciences)	◆A behavioral science-based trap for fruit flies. Its proprietary active ingredient and Pathway-Block diffusion design evenly disperse pheromones over a wide area to lure adult male flies into the trap. ●Contributes to the reduction of pesticide use and minimization of the impact on aquatic systems and ecosystems by reducing the frequency of insecticide spraying.
Accede® (Sumitomo Biorational, Sumitomo Chemical Latin America, Valent U.S.A., Valent Canada, Valent de Mexico, Philagro South Africa)	◆The only chemical thinner for stone fruits. It stimulates ethylene production in plants, promoting a natural abscission of flowers and small fruits. It has low environmental impacts and is highly biodegradable in soil. ● It can reduce manual labor significantly, as well as improve fruit quality and ensure an proportion of fruit.
Tempest® E (Sumitomo Chemical Latin America)	◆A selective herbicide for pastures. Its proprietary formulation enables it to be highly effective even in small amounts, helping reduce the frequency of additional spraying. ●By decreasing the frequency of spraying, it helps minimize the use of packaging materials and generation of waste. It also reduces fuel consumption and the number of transport trips for spraying, thereby lowering GHG emissions.
Natural Pyrethrins Dry Aerosols (Sumitomo Chemical Latin America, SC Environmental Science Co., Ltd.) Flowering pyret hrum  in Kindred, Tasmania - Botanical Resources Australia	◆ Aerosol insecticides containing 100% plant-derived natural pyrethrins as active ingredients. Natural pyrethrins rapidly break down in the environment and leave little residue. ●Their use of biomass-derived raw materials and their ability to break down help reduce the risk of residues and lessen environmental impact.
Polarizing films for large Liquid crystal display (Sumika Technology Co., Ltd.)	◆Developed a manufacturing technology to reduce the environmental impact of producing polarizing films for large liquid crystal display. ●Contributes to reducing GHG emissions and complying with stricter PFAS regulations.
Thin touch-screen devices (Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co., Ltd.)	◆ Developed a manufacturing technology for mobile touch-screen devices that enables the use of thin glass with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of the production process. ● Contributes to reducing materials, waste, and GHG emissions.
High-purity hydrogen peroxide (Dongwoo Fine-Chem Co., Ltd.)	◆Improved production efficiency for a semiconductor wafer surface cleaning agent by using proprietary technology. ● Significantly reduces GHG emissions and also contributes to reducing materials and waste.
SUMIPEX™ for unpainted pillar covers	◆ A PMMA based coloring material for automotive pillar covers. It is highly scratch-resistant and provides an alternative to hard-coated ABS, enabling paint-free pillar covers. ●Reduces volatile organic compound emissions by eliminating the painting process and improves recyclability by using a single material (MMA resin).
Thermofil Circle® series 15R recycled glass fiber Polypropylene (Sumika Polymer Compounds Europe)	◆ A high-performance, glass fiber-reinforced recycled resin made primarily from recycled PP. It ensures stable quality and mechanical functionality. ● Reduces GHG emissions and energy consumption compared with virgin materials. By recycling waste plastic, it contributes to achieving a recycling-oriented society.
NOBLEN® MEGURI® 1418 T15 UV BLACK BL018  (Sumika Polymer Compounds Europe)	◆ A PP compound primarily made from recycled PP for automotive interior parts. It also resists UV radiation and scratches. ●Reduces GHG emissions and energy consumption by using recycled PP. By recycling waste plastic, it contributes to achieving a recycling-oriented society.
CFP-TOMO®, a CFP calculation tool	◆ A tool that calculates CFP and is capable of handling calculations for chemical products with complex manufacturing processes. Built on Microsoft Access and Excel, it uses cost accounting data to enable efficient and accurate CFP calculations. ● By improving the transparency of CFP data, the tool supports effective GHG emissions reduction efforts and helps visualize emissions across the entire supply chain. The tool is provided free of charge to external users and is used by more than 100 companies.
Construction waste biomass power generation technology (Kawasaki Biomass Electric Power Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Joint Electric Power Co., Ltd., Sumikyo Engineering Co., Ltd.)	◆ A biomass power generation technology that uses construction waste and food scraps as fuel. The technology ensures stable operation by incorporating measures that prevent foreign matter from entering the system and mitigate corrosion. ●Contributes to the reduction of GHG emissions and waste and helps promote resource recycling.

Reference

This technology offers a new solution to a trade-off in separation membranes, in which improving permeance can reduce separation performance.

The mechanism of this technology was demonstrated through joint research with Kobe University. The findings were published online in Journal of Membrane Science Letters, a scientific journal, on August 12, 2026.

The results of the study indicate that the newly developed alumina provides new guidance for developing high-performance separation membranes for applications that are prone to the adhesion and accumulation of contaminants. Such applications include food processing, biotechnology, fermentation, chemicals, and wastewater treatment. Going forward, Sumitomo Chemical will propose solutions that contribute to higher value-added products, improved filtration system performance, and more stable operations for membrane and filtration system manufacturers.
Sumitomo Chemical is committed to becoming a company that solves societal challenges through innovative technologies. It will continue to provide solutions to challenges across a wide range of industrial fields through innovative technologies.

Overview of Research Results

Background
Ceramic separation membranes are used in a broad range of fields, including food processing, fermentation, biotechnology, chemicals, and wastewater treatment, because of their excellent mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and heat resistance properties. However, in applications involving suspensions, emulsions, and other fluids in which contaminants readily adhere to pores, membrane permeance tends to decline.

Conventionally, membrane performance has been primarily evaluated on the basis of average pore size, while the influence of membrane structure was considered limited. In practice, however, pore connectivity and the distribution of flow paths can substantially affect permeance and the behavior of contaminant adhesion within pores. This has created a need for structural indicators that go beyond average pore size alone.

Research Results
In joint research with Kobe University, Sumitomo Chemical compared the internal three-dimensional structures and filtration performance for yeast suspensions of multilayer α-alumina tubular membranes.

Despite having nearly identical average pore sizes, membranes with high through-pore density that were made with the newly developed alumina distributed permeate flow across a greater number of flow paths. This suppressed the intrusion of contaminants into the membrane pores, lowered the likelihood of internal pore blockage, and reduced resistance caused by contaminant adhesion. As a result, the membranes with high through-pore density exhibited more than three times the steady-state permeance while maintaining comparable separation performance.

These findings demonstrate that ceramic-membrane performance is influenced not only by average pore size, but is also substantially affected by how flow is distributed inside the membrane. They also show that the newly developed alumina is a material that contributes to high permeance through structural control of the membrane interior.

Societal Significance
For membrane manufacturers, these findings provide valuable insights that can support the development of higher value-added and differentiated ceramic separation membranes. For filtration system manufacturers, they can lead to proposals for higher throughput, reduced cleaning frequency, and more stable operation.

Next Steps
Based on these findings, Sumitomo Chemical will further advance structural-control technologies using alumina. The Company also plans to enhance its collaborations with membrane and filtration system manufacturers.

The Company will also pursue broader application of its material solutions. This includes applications in fields such as food processing, fermentation, biotechnology, chemicals, and wastewater treatment, in which declining permeance due to contaminant adhesion and accumulation remains a challenge.

(*1) The number of pores that pass through a membrane or porous material from one side to the other, per unit area.
(*2) The flow of fluid that passes through a membrane or porous material to the opposite side.

Publication Details

Published in: Journal of Membrane Science Letters
Title: Role of through-pore density in governing filtration performance and fouling of α-alumina microfiltration membranes
Authors: Hana Hosokawa, Tooru Kitagawa, Shuji Nakatsuka, Setsuaki Murakami, Hideto Matsuyama
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memlet.2026.100124

In recent years, materials capable of handling complex geometries, achieving weight reductions, and integrating parts have been receiving increased interest across advanced industrial fields. For this reason, design and manufacturing using 3D printers have attracted increasing attention. Amid this trend, there is a demand for not only freedom of design, but also for high functionality in resin materials themselves. LCP is a super engineering plastic that combines heat resistance, high strength, low dielectric constant and low dissipation factor, and excellent dimensional stability. As a material for 3D printers, however, its use has been limited due to difficulties in filament formation and molding.

To address these challenges, Sumitomo Chemical has developed a material design and filament formation technology for LCP suited to additive manufacturing. The Company also collaborated with Gutenberg, which develops, manufactures, and sells industrial 3D printers, to examine the molding process and establish a technology that enables stable molding while controlling the unique molecular orientation of LCP. This technology achieves high thermal conductivity and strength comparable to that of aluminum alloys ^(*2), while also maintaining lightweight properties. This makes it possible to create complex shapes that are difficult to achieve with injection molding, while also meeting the needs of low-volume, high-mix production.

Going forward, Sumitomo Chemical will expand its efforts into a wide range of fields, including peripheral components for semiconductor manufacturing, humanoid robot-related components that are expected to be put into practical use as physical AI advances, the communications field, and next-generation mobility fields such as eVTOL ^(*3). In addition, the Company will accelerate the development of new applications by advancing evaluations of its filament and molded products in collaboration with customers. The Company plans to begin providing samples of this filament in 2026, and it is also looking ahead to future expansion into the space and defense fields.

Sumitomo Chemical will continue to promote the provision of innovative materials and solutions that support next-generation manufacturing. In doing so, the Company will contribute to the creation of new value and the development of society and industry.

(*1) A 3D printing method in which thermoplastic resin is melted, extruded from a nozzle, and stacked layer by layer.
(*2) The Company evaluated the fracture strength of LCP and aluminum alloy under certain conditions using a test method compliant with standards set by the International Organization for Standardization.
(*3) Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing aircraft, commonly referred to as flying cars.

Reference

Robot hand that can operate under high-temperature conditions (video)

• Filming support and robot design by HALMONIUM
• This video was produced for demonstration purposes. The LCP robot hand shown in the video is not currently registered for food-grade applications. It may be used for food-related applications in the future if it were to obtain approval for such use.

Sumitomo Chemical has established a mass production system for 4-inch indium phosphide (InP) epitaxial wafers, a type of compound semiconductor, at its Ibaraki Works in Hitachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, and has begun selling these products. As one of the few epi houses in Japan capable of stably mass-producing InP epitaxial wafers, the Company will contribute to the societal implementation of photonic-electronic convergence^* technologies that support next-generation digital infrastructure. The Company also aims to achieve sales of around 10 billion JPY from its InP epitaxial wafer product lineup by the mid-2030s.

With the widespread adoption of generative AI, along with the expansion of IoT and cloud services, and the enhancement of communication network infrastructure, there is growing demand for data processing that is faster and capable of handling larger volumes of data across a wide range of fields. For AI data centers in particular, which handle enormous amounts of information, power consumption and information processing loads have become major global challenges. Photonic-electronic convergence technologies are attracting attention as a key solution to these problems. Among these technologies, InP epitaxial wafers are seeing rapidly expanding use in next-generation data centers and high-speed network fields as a core material for enabling high-performance optical semiconductor devices that efficiently convert electrical signals to optical signals and vice versa. Demand for InP epitaxial wafers is expected to substantially grow in the future.

On the other hand, InP epitaxial wafer manufacturing requires advanced technologies to precisely control material composition and surface conditions in the epitaxial growth process under high temperatures. In addition, sophisticated process management is necessary throughout the entire manufacturing process, including the handling of raw material gases, in order to achieve both stable operations and quality assurance.

To address these challenges, Sumitomo Chemical has brought together its proprietary composition control, thin-film stacking, and crystal growth process control technologies cultivated through its more than 25 years of mass-producing gallium arsenide (GaAs) epitaxial wafers and gallium nitride (GaN) epitaxial wafers. These technologies have enabled the Company to establish a mass production system for InP epitaxial wafers that combines high quality with high productivity.

The launch of mass production and sales of high-quality InP epitaxial wafers that feature a uniform crystal structure, reproducibility in mass production, and uniform film thickness will serve as an opportunity for the Company to build a material supply system that supports the spread of photonic-electronic convergence technologies. Through this, it will accelerate its business development in the ever-growing markets related to AI data centers and high-speed network fields.

Sumitomo Chemical positions the ICT & Mobility Solutions business as one of its growth drivers and is focusing on semiconductor-related businesses as a priority area. Going forward, the Company will add InP epitaxial wafers to its existing lineup of compound semiconductor materials, which includes GaN substrates, GaN epitaxial wafers, and GaAs epitaxial wafers, and further expand its business in growth markets, such as wireless communications, power semiconductors, and data centers. In this way, Sumitomo Chemical will contribute to developing next-generation digital infrastructure and achieving a smart society.

*A next-generation semiconductor and data center technology that enables high-speed, large-capacity data processing and communications while reducing power consumption. This is achieved by using light instead of electricity, which was conventionally used for signal exchange through wiring inside semiconductor chips and data centers, and by integrating electrical and optical circuits.