With an estimated GDP of USD 2.2 trillion in 2018, the Japanese Artificial Intelligence technology (ICT) sector is one of the largest in the nation. By 2025, the government wants to raise this to 3.4 trillion. Artificial Intelligence encompasses Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Cognitive Computing, Chatbots, Robotics, and more, and is the area of expertise for leading IT businesses in Japan. Japanese Artificial Intelligence (AI) services, including data analysis, virtual assistants, AR/VR development, and natural language processing, are transforming whole sectors and opening up new opportunities. Data science, big data analytics, sales automation, and Japanese Artificial Intelligence are frequently combined to build a potent ecosystem of intelligent solutions.
Hitachi
The multinational company Hitachi has made great strides in Japanese Artificial Intelligence, fostering digital transformation across a range of industries, including energy, transportation, and healthcare. Hitachi provides a wide range of goods and services through its eleven business segments, which include digital media and consumer goods, construction machinery, power systems, electronic systems, automotive systems, social infrastructure, high-functional materials and components, financial services, and railway and urban systems.
While the company’s Digital Media and Consumer Product sector sells refrigerators and optical disc drives, its Information and Telecommunication System section handles system integration. Hitachi is a major participant in the Japanese Artificial Intelligence industry thanks to its vast expertise and AI capabilities.
Company Funding: $600M
Abeja
Established in 2012, Abeja is a Tokyo-based firm that has secured $45.4 million from investors, including Nvidia and Google, to create big data analytics for data from Internet of Things sensors. The analytics platform offers valuable information and may be implemented in a variety of organisations. In addition, Abeja provides specialised products for manufacturing, infrastructure, and retail. It does this by tracking customer behaviour in-store to enhance operations and manage inventories.
The infrastructure solution eliminates failures by anticipating future defects and coordinating maintenance, while the production module automates product inspection and anticipates machine problems. Abeja intends to enter foreign markets with its Japanese Artificial Intelligence analytics company.
Company Funding: $45.4M
Cinnamon
Tokyo-based firm Cinnamon raised a total of $17 million since its founding in 2012, and its most recent $6 million funding round closed late last year. Cinnamon offers a clever scanning algorithm for optical character recognition (OCR) that can decipher and comprehend handwritten and written text. The Flax Scanner can process nearly any type of paper with 99.2% accuracy in a matter of seconds, freeing up administrative and support staff to work on more worthwhile projects. The organisation plans to expand to the United States with its latest financing round. It currently has operations in Vietnam and Japan.
Company Funding: $39M
Ubie
A medical institution-specific AI-driven medical questionnaire programme called AI Monshin has been unveiled by Ubie, a top AI startup in Japan. AI Monshin makes it easier to create healthcare records under the supervision of a doctor. Clinical Decision Support (CDS) and workflow enhancements are integrated into the SaaS system. In the waiting area, patients respond to inquiries, summarising their responses and converting them into text that complies with the EHR. Before doing an examination and making a diagnosis on a patient, doctors verify the data in the examination room. In January 2020, AI Monshin was being used by over 200 medical facilities in Japan.
Company Funding: $22M
Ascent Robotics
The Japanese Artificial Intelligence startup Ascent Robotics, situated in Tokyo, has raised $17.9 million to create software for industrial robots and driverless cars. The foundation of the company’s approach is its AI learning architecture, Atlas, which generates input and circumstances from the actual world in a virtual environment. By the end of 2020, Ascent Robotics hopes to have completely autonomous car software developed, and it has plans to go public.
The “skeleton” of the Japanese Artificial Intelligence training simulations, Atlas, is the foundation of the company’s technique. Remarkably, Ascent Robotics is a dominant force in robotics with a learning productivity that is fifty times more than when real-life data is taken into account. Ken Kutaragi, a former CEO of PlayStation developer and Sony Computer Entertainment, is leading the firm.
Company Funding: $10M
Preferred Networks
Leading Japanese Artificial Intelligence firm in Japan, Preferred Networks specialises in robotics and deep learning to develop cutting-edge technologies for industries including manufacturing, healthcare, and autonomous vehicles. The Tokyo business, which was founded in 2014, raised $130 million from Hitachi, Toyota, and Fanuc to apply machine learning to the Internet of Things. Experts at CB Insights claim that Preferred Networks, with a $2 billion valuation, is Japan’s first unicorn. Autonomous vehicles, robotic and machine tools, machine intelligence, and medical diagnostics are the company’s primary areas of activity.
Company Funding $129.9M
SoftBank Robotics
Renowned for creating humanoid robots, SoftBank Robotics is a division of SoftBank Group. Their main offering, Pepper, is a multipurpose robot that can help in a variety of settings and engage with people. SoftBank Robotics strives to push technological limits and improve human-robot interactions with an emphasis on robotics and artificial intelligence.
Company Funding: $37 million
NEC Corporation
The international information technology corporation NEC Corporation, which is headquartered in Japan, is well-known in the AI industry. They have been actively engaged in the creation of Japanese Artificial Intelligence solutions and technology for a variety of sectors, such as banking, transportation, and healthcare. Because of its AI capabilities, NEC can provide cutting-edge goods and services to meet the changing demands of its customers.
Company Funding: $19.19 Billion
Cyberdyne
The goal of Japanese robotics and Japanese Artificial Intelligence startup Cyberdyne is to create solutions that improve people with physical disabilities’ quality of life. They have developed cutting-edge robotic solutions that help patients with mobility issues, such as the Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL). Cyberdyne stands apart in the business due to its dedication to leveraging AI for societal improvement.
Company Funding: $284.82M
Conclusion
Many AI businesses are based in Japan, a nation renowned for its technological innovation and environment. Recognising AI’s promise, the Japanese government wants to see the business grow. Japan’s ICT industry is expected to be valued at USD 3.4 trillion by 2025, up from USD 2.2 trillion in 2018. At the vanguard of AI innovation, businesses like Ascent Robotics, Preferred Networks, SoftBank Robotics, NEC Corporation, Cyberdyne, and Hitachi are revolutionising industries and enhancing lives all around the world. Japan is well-positioned to maintain its leadership in the Japanese Artificial Intelligence sector because of the backing of the Japanese government and its extensive technical legacy.
