The new company will develop these Intelligent Edge Systems by combining Fanuc’s’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 jv, the three companies will test business potential and create business plans, and then undertake actual system development and expand application fields.

Yutaka Saito, who is currently an evp at Hitachi, will be CEO of the jv.

“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,” says Preferred Networks’ CEO Toru Nishikawa, “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.”