International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) said Monday that it is joining with Tokyo Ohka Kogyo Co., Ltd. to set up new, low-cost methods to market the next generation of solar energy products. The companies have greed to jointly develop processes, materials, and equipment suitable for the production of Copper-Indium-Gallium-Selenide or CIGS solar cell modules.
IBM Research has developed new, non-vacuum, solution-based manufacturing processes for CIGS solar cells and is targeting efficiencies around 15% and higher. Current thin-film product efficiencies vary from around 6% to less than 12%.
Merging IBM's technology with the coating technique and high purity chemicals of Tokyo Ohka has the potential to bring the large-scale production of thin-film solar cells to market, IBM noted.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.