Major Milestones
Putting an End to the Title “Headless Computer Industry” and Building a Kingdom of Optical Disk Drives
Although Taiwan was already crowned as the kingdom of computers in the 1980s, its computer industry was often ridiculed as a “headless” industry by international companies due to the its lack of technology of disk read-and-write heads for disk drive and inkjet head for printer Accordingly, in 1984, ITRI, Tatung, Kinpo Electronics, Sampo, Far East Electronics, and Sanguangweida formed the Hard Disk Drive Research and Development Alliance, enabling Taiwan to manufacture hard disk drives. Additionally, the alliance researched and developed optoelectronic peripherals.
In 1993, ITRI developed a prototype of a 3.5-inch magneto-optical disc drive and CD-ROM. In 1995, ITRI built a CD-ROM optical pickup head and transferred CD-ROM chipset technology to UMC’s CD-ROM-related design department. Said department later established MediaTek that later became the world’s largest CD-ROM IC supplier for a period of time. In 1996, ITRI completed a thermal bubble inkjet printing head and DVD optical read-and-write head. In 1998, ITRI transferred 8x speed DVD optical pickup head technology to domestic companies, helping them establish independent key technologies and putting an end to the title “headless computer industry.”
Additionally, ITRI actively creates a favorable development environment for domestic companies. In 1998, the international DVD Forum included ITRI as a standard setting team member. Taiwan’s optoelectronic industry subsequently took off and thrived, and Taiwan became a kingdom of optical disk drives. In fact, one out of every 10 optical disk drives is from Taiwan.
As high-speed Internet, cloud, and USB flash drive technology develop, the once flourishing optical disk drive companies are forced to transform. In 2013, ITRI combined the optoelectronics and biomedical science to transform optical disk drives from data readers to diagnostic imaging-related medical devices, making them powerful tools for personalized preventive health care and innovating Taiwan’s optical disk drive industry.
ITRI, Tatung, Kinpo Electronics, Sampo, Far East Electronics, and Sanguangweida formed the Hard Disk Drive Research and Development Alliance.
ITRI researched and developed a second-generation laser printer, enabling Taiwan to possess the ability to develop and integrate an entire printer.
ITRI researched and developed a 5 1/4 inch write-once optical disk drive, laying the foundation for the development of domestically-made optical disk drives.
ITRI developed a prototype of a 3.5-inch magneto-optical disc drive and CD-ROM, building the foundation for domestically-developed optical disk drives.
ITRI built a CD-ROM optical pickup head and transferred CD-ROM chipset technology to UMC’s CD-ROM-related design department. This was UMC’s first-ever product. The aforementioned department later established MediaTek that later became the world’s largest CD-ROM IC supplier.
ITRI completed a thermal bubble inkjet printing head and DVD optical read-and-write head, helping Taiwan’s computer industry clear out the tiltle “headless computer industry.
ITRI researched and developed a DVD-ROM, which was Taiwan’s first-ever product sold in the optical disk drive market. Additionally, ITRI signed a technical licensing agreement with Panasonic Taiwan.
ITRI was selected as a core member of the DVD Forum.
ITRI established a DVD verification laboratory, which was the first Class-A DVD verification laboratory in Asia outside of Japan.
ITRI built the first-ever domestically produced DVD-ROM/DVD Player, mastering the sources of important components and lowering the dependence on international giants.
ITRI developed the first-ever optical head and optical machine module for Blu-ray optical disk drives in Taiwan, achieving system integrations, saving Taiwan from having to rely on Japanese companies, and creating a fully independent Blu-ray HD-DVD system.
ITRI and 27 companies from the Advanced Optical Storage Research Alliance jointly announced their proposal to complete new Blu-ray HD-DVD standards, serving as a reference for Taiwan to develop HD-DVDs.
ITRI built a complete class-A DVD/HD DVD verification laboratory, providing six product verification test services and becoming one of the 10 HD DVD Class-A verification laboratories in the world.
ITRI developed a Blu-ray scanning microscope technology, creating a new opportunity for Taiwan’s optical disk drive industry to enter the field of biomedical science.
