Toshiba, the Japanese technology conglomerate with a lineage dating back to the 19th century, is looking for growth in a whole new way. In a sterilized clean room about 35 miles outside of Tokyo, where Toshiba used to make floppy disks in the 1980s and 90s, the company is now starting to grow thousands of lettuce plants as it expands into indoor agriculture. …
One of the first things you notice is the Toshiba logo everywhere. That’s because indoor farming isn’t just a fluke industry that someone here decided to enter. Toshiba already makes several of the components for its clean room farm, including lighting, water disinfection, power generation equipment, and tablets, which workers use to control the entire operation. It also, of course, operates clean rooms—this specific one had been dormant for many years. And it even makes the acid- and alkaline-water generation systems that everyone must use to wash their hands before entering the farm in special suits.
Why plant lettuce in a clean room? The obvious answer: Because it’s clean. Everything is tightly controlled, including air pressure, temperature, lighting, bacteria, and dust. The result is a crop that doesn’t need pesticides, doesn’t have bugs, and doesn’t need washing.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member