NEC Establishes "Design Center" for Promoting Business Development

Tokyo, June 23, 2015 - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) announced today the establishment of a "Design Center" team in order to promote business development through information and communications technologies (ICT) that strengthen its social solutions business, improve social infrastructure and reinforce its global competitiveness.

The Design Center will make use of creative sensibilities and expert technological methods in order to co-develop visions and business concepts with customers and to develop solutions that promote NEC's social solutions business. NEC has already capitalized on the Design Center concept with the city of Tigre in Argentina to shape a future vision for the city. Efforts towards the realization of this vision include the introduction of city-wide surveillance systems that employ advanced technologies such as facial recognition (*1). With the establishment of the Design Center, approximately fifty business designers from throughout the NEC Group will assemble in order to commence activities and gradually reinforce its systems.

In June 2014, NEC identified six megatrends facing economies and societies around the world over the next ten years. In light of these, NEC formulated seven themes for social value creation (*2), including "Safer Cities & Public Services" and "Lifeline Infrastructure," that it is seeking to realize.

"Through the establishment of the Design Center, NEC aims to grasp the essence of the complex and diverse factors behind current issues, create innovative business concepts and accelerate the creation of social solutions," said Osamu Fujikawa, General Manager, Corporate Business Development Division, NEC Corporation.

Notes:

([*1) City of Tigre renews use of NEC's face recognition technology http://www.nec.com/en/press/201408/global_20140818_03.html

([*2) NEC Formulates Seven Themes for Social Value Creation in Line with Global Megatrends http://www.nec.com/en/press/201411/global_20141119_02.html