June 13, 2023

Microsoft (MS) will Open a Development Hub in the Field of "IoT" Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Kobe in the Summer of 2023

dvoevnore - stock.adobe.com

This hub is the first in Japan and the fourth in the world. In collaboration with a consortium of companies, including Kawasaki Heavy Industries and the City of Kobe, the project will boost the digitalization of small and midsize manufacturing companies that need more specialized human resources.

MS and Microsoft Japan will dispatch five engineers. It develops hardware and software with IoT technology and AI in cooperation with the client company's personnel, which the company then deploys.

For small and midsize companies suffering from a shortage of human resources to promote digital transformation (DX), this could lead to an increase in their development capabilities.

In April, MS President Brad Smith analyzed that there is a high need for the introduction of AI among Japanese SMEs facing labor shortages and other issues and expressed the person's intention to accelerate investment in the Japanese market.

The City of Kobe and Microsoft Japan signed a comprehensive collaboration agreement to promote the digitization of public administration and other activities during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020.