Tokyo, Japan, January 31, 2018 --- FANUC CORPORATION (TSE: 6594, FANUC ), Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, Hitachi ), and Preferred Networks, Inc. ( PFN ) today announced that they have reached an agreement to establish a joint venture company (the new company ) on April 2, 2018, to develop Intelligent Edge Systems(1) that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in edge devices in the industrial and social infrastructure field. Yutaka Saito, who is currently Executive Vice President and Executive Officer at Hitachi, and who will be appointed Senior Executive Vice President at FANUC on April 1, will hold a concurrent position as CEO of the new company(2).
(1) Intelligent Edge Systems: Systems that use AI as an intermediary between the Cloud and edge devices such as machine tools, industrial machinery, and robots to achieve cyclic, real-time control
(2) Yutaka Saito is scheduled to resign as Executive Vice President at Hitachi on March 31.
In recent years, innovations using AI technologies have been expanding rapidly in a variety of fields. In the field of industrial and social infrastructures in particular, AI technologies are expected to play an important role in the part close to edge devices, for example in the case of vehicles and robots.
In this backdrop, FANUC, Hitachi, and PFN have agreed to undertake joint development of the world's most advanced Intelligent Edge Systems in the industrial and social infrastructure field, and to establish a joint venture company for that purpose. The new company will develop these Intelligent Edge Systems by combining FANUC's technologies and expertise in machine tools and robots, Hitachi's knowledge of control technologies and other aspects of OT and IT in the front lines of manufacturing, and PFN's deep learning and distributed computing technologies. After establishing a joint venture company, the three companies will test business potential and create business plans, and then undertake actual system development and expand application fields.
Through the new company's activities, FANUC, Hitachi, and PFN will develop Intelligent Edge Systems and other next-generation control systems as part of efforts to promote collaborative creation aimed at the realization of Society 5.0(3).
(3) A human-centered society that balances economic advancement with the resolution of social problems by a system that highly integrates cyberspace and physical space.
Comment from Yoshiharu Inaba, Representative Member of the Board, Chairman and CEO of FANUC
FANUC is planning to continue investing efforts into the development of FIELD systems as part of its activities targeting IoT. We believe that the activities of the joint venture company, as it strives to achieve faster, cyclic, real-time control, will have a positive effect on these development activities. As a company that has specialized in the field of factory automation, we will respond quickly and flexibly to the rapid introduction of IoT in the manufacturing industry, and continue to contribute to the growth and development of this industry in the future. We have great expectations for this joint venture company as a new phase of these activities.
Comment from Toshiaki Higashihara, President and CEO of Hitachi
It is a great honor to work with FANUC and PFN in establishing this joint venture company. Through the Social Innovation Business, where we combine knowledge and expertise accumulated through more than 100 years of experience in OT and more than 50 years in IT, Hitachi strives to resolve issues faced by society, and achieve safer, more secure, and more comfortable lifestyles for everyone. Now, by merging the strengths of these three companies, we will develop and offer the world's most advanced Intelligent Edge Systems, to contribute to advancements in the field of industrial and social infrastructures.
Comment from Toru Nishikawa, President & CEO of Preferred Networks
I am very pleased that we are able to begin these new activities so soon after the announcement of our capital tie-up with Hitachi in December of last year. PFN entered a capital tie-up with FANUC in 2015, and since then, we have been working together to create innovative manufacturing bases where machine learning and deep learning technologies are used to establish intelligent links between machine tools, robots, and other devices. Now, by establishing this joint venture company, our three companies will accelerate the development and provision of innovative technologies that leverage each of our respective specialty fields, to further advance this trend on a global scale.
Outline of the joint venture company (Plan)
Corporate Name
Intelligent Edge System, LLC
Capital
30 million yen
Investments
FANUC: 10 million yen; Hitachi: 10 million yen;
PFN: 10 million yen
CEO
Yutaka Saito
Head Office
3580, Shibokusa Aza-Komanba, Oshino-mura, Minamitsuru-gun, Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan
Established
April 2, 2018
Outline of Business
Conceptual testing and development of Intelligent Edge Systems
About FANUC CORPORATION
FANUC CORPORATION, headquartered at the foot of Mt. Fuji, Japan, is the global leader and the most innovative manufacturer of FA, ROBOT and ROBOMACHINE in the world. More than 260 offices in 45 countries, FANUC provides world-class customer service and support. Since its inception in 1972, FANUC has contributed to the automation of machine tools as a pioneer in the development of computer numerical control equipment. FANUC technology has been a leading force in a worldwide manufacturing revolution, which evolved from the automation of a single machine to the automation of entire production lines. For more information visit: http://www.fanuc.co.jp/eindex.htm.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, delivers innovations that answer socie
Most recent headlines
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/08/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted its FY 2025 Regulatory Fees Order that establishes the regulatory fee rates for the broadcast stati...
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
29/08/2025
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
29/08/2025
L3Harris Technologies has concentrated decades of expertise across the entire enterprise to develop affordable and reliable best-of-breed solutions to rapidly c...
29/08/2025
BURBANK, Calif. The CW Network and the Pac-12 Conference have announced a new media rights deal that will extend their broadcast partnership beginning with the ...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK Gracenote has released a new analysis of its global video dataset showing that the number of FAST channels grew nearly 14% from Q1 2025 and 76% since 2...
29/08/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Harmonic has announced a series of improvements to its live sports streaming solution that the company said will improve fan engagement, protec...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES Fox Corp. and YouTube TV last night announced a renewal of the full portfolio of Fox networks, including Fox News Channel, Fox Business...
29/08/2025
Budapest, Hungary, August 2025 - The integration of Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) with Lightware's Taurus universal matrix switchers delivers a new level of f...
29/08/2025
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's best-known streaming television channels, today announced it will launch Studio Live, a next-generation uni...
29/08/2025
In an era when AI and cyber resilience are essential, Scality will mark the 10th anniversary of Scality Day on October 16, 2025 in Paris. This flagship global e...
29/08/2025
Disguise's In-House Creative and Technical Teams Pre-Visualised, Programmed and Delivered Content for the Experience, All Powered by EX 3+
Technology solu...
29/08/2025
Disguise will be demonstrating the latest workflows for TV, film and live events on a number of partner booths at the show
Disguise, the industry-leading tech...
29/08/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Accedo will showcase Accedo Compose, its AI agent-powered modular orchestration layer that assists streaming providers in transitioning client...
29/08/2025
LOS ANGELES Cineverse has announced that it is working with Xperi to bring four of its streaming channels to automobiles for the first time as part of the DTS A...
29/08/2025
DALLAS & ATLANTA Gray Media has announced an agreement with the sports streaming service Victory+ to simulcast 17 Dallas Stars NHL games in 15 television market...
29/08/2025
NEW YORK AND CULVER CITY Comcast NBCUniversal and Amazon have announced new and extended distribution agreements that will expand the content available on their...
29/08/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. RED Digital Cinema will feature its Cine-Broadcast Module supporting live broadcast workflows during IBC2025, Sept. 12-15, at the RAI Ams...
29/08/2025
29 Aug 2025
Kyivstar Rings Opening Bell at Nasdaq Marking Landmark Listing and ...
29/08/2025
More than half of all NFL games live on Sky for the first timeFriday 29 August 2025
Sky Sports has announced a new three-year deal with the NFL, extending its ...
29/08/2025
Back to All News
RIV4LRIES: The Trailer of the New Series With Samuele Carrino ...
29/08/2025
Get ready for an inspiring and emotional insight into the world of competitive Irish dancing with My Story: Tomi Champion of the World airing on RT 2 this monda...
29/08/2025
RT has today announced that David McCullagh is to be the new presenter of RT Radio 1's flagship Today programme, which airs every weekday at 10am, replaci...
28/08/2025
By Kristin Feeley, Director, Documentary Film & Artist Programs
If you want to tell untold stories, if you want to give voice to the voiceless, you've got ...
28/08/2025
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, Sundance Institute-supported Amer...
28/08/2025
Corridos have been a cornerstone of M sica Mexicana for generations, telling stories rooted in everyday life. Now, a new chapter is taking shape: motivational c...
28/08/2025
Los corridos han sido un pilar de la M sica Mexicana durante generaciones, contando historias enraizadas en la vida cotidiana. Ahora, un nuevo cap tulo est tom...
28/08/2025
Earlier this month, we promised our Verano Forever party would bring the heat, a...
28/08/2025
L3Harris will provide the Polish F-16V fleet with the Viper Shield electronic warfare system as part of an upgrade program....
28/08/2025
Bilbao, August 26, 2025 - AgileTV, an international television and video technol...
28/08/2025
Ken Wilkinson is an Emmy Awards nominated New York audio engineer who specialises in production sound mixing for film, commercial, episodic and documentary work...
28/08/2025
NEW YORK FuboTV today announced that it will launch Fubo Sports, a skinny bundle that focuses on sports with a subscription price of $56 monthly....
28/08/2025
NEVADA City, Calif. At IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam, Telestream will debut its new Global Ingest strategy, introducing a next-generation ingest arc...
28/08/2025
Dr. Rhoda Bernard Releases Groundbreaking Debut Book on Accessible Arts Educatio...
28/08/2025
TAG Video Systems, the leader in software-based IP end-to-end workflow monitoring, deep probing, and real-time visualization, has named Oliver Gappa as Sales Di...
28/08/2025
AI-based voice enhancement will be among a series of innovations making their IBC 2025 debut on the DHD stand B46 in Hall 8 at the RAI Amsterdam Convention Cent...
28/08/2025
Telef nica Servicios Audiovisuales (TSA), the leading system integrator and service provider in the media sector in Spain, with the support of Appear, the globa...
28/08/2025
To fully immerse sailing fans in the world's biggest offshore yacht race, production company, Optical Media turned to LiveU's On-site Production solutio...
28/08/2025
Working with Calrec on its most recent overhaul, radio and television broadcaster, WNED has migrated to a fully IP infrastructure with multiple Type R consoles,...
28/08/2025
Cleeng, the Subscriber Retention Management (SRM ) inventor, has unveiled Cleeng Pro, the first-ever direct-to-consumer (D2C) subscription management platform t...
28/08/2025
Zixi, the industry leader in live broadcast-quality video over IP, today announced that French media distribution platform OKAST has selected Zixi to enable rel...
28/08/2025
Solution offers a streamlined, speaker-free architecture to optimize integration with premium external loudspeakers and advanced loudness metering
Nixer Pro Au...
28/08/2025
Cinegy, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, has announced a strategic partnership with Vision One Touch Film Production Services L.L...
28/08/2025
Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will debut its new Global Ingest strategy at IBC2025, introducing a next-generation ingest architect...
28/08/2025
Tier 1 operator selects Broadpeak to power high-performance, unified CDN solution across Norway, Sweden and Finland
Broadpeak, a leader in streaming and moneti...
28/08/2025
Leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that 24 Frames Digital, one of India's leading live event streaming service providers, has chose...
28/08/2025
Meet VisualOn at IBC2025: See What's Next in AI-Powered Video Streaming Join VisualOn at IBC2025 and discover how our AI-driven Optimizer and advanced media...
Tokyo, Japan, January 31, 2018 --- FANUC CORPORATION (TSE: 6594, FANUC ), Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, Hitachi ), and Preferred Networks, Inc. ( PFN ) today announced that they have reached an agreement to establish a joint venture company (the new company ) on April 2, 2018, to develop Intelligent Edge Systems(1) that utilize artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in edge devices in the industrial and social infrastructure field. Yutaka Saito, who is currently Executive Vice President and Executive Officer at Hitachi, and who will be appointed Senior Executive Vice President at FANUC on April 1, will hold a concurrent position as CEO of the new company(2).
