Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Preferred Networks, Inc. (PFN) today revealed that they participated in a capital and service alliance arrangement on August 31, 2026. In June 2026, the 2 business revealed a preliminary organization alliance( 1) to collectively establish advanced AI innovations to improve the intelligence and autonomy of equipment and systems throughout mission-critical domains, consisting of social facilities and nationwide security. This capital and organization alliance arrangement develops a robust cooperative structure to advance MHI and PFN’s joint advancement over the medium to long term. Under the contract, MHI will finance shares provided by PFN through a third-party allocation and invest an overall of 10 billion yen in PFN, speeding up the joint advancement, based on the conclusion of all required treatments, consisting of approvals at PFN’s basic conference of investors.
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Amidst significantly complicated social obstacles, consisting of moving international characteristics, labor scarcities, and aging social facilities, need is growing to release innovative AI in mission-critical domains such as social facilities and nationwide security. These domains need high dependability and quick responsiveness to boost durability and make sure security and security. Using AI in mission-critical domains needs a deep understanding and control of AI systems, firmly incorporated with field operations, devices and control systems. To make sure that Japan can proactively and stably utilize AI innovations individually from the external environment, collecting AI innovations, information, and functional proficiency locally is significantly essential.
Releasing AI successfully under these conditions needs deep knowledge in functional websites, devices and control systems in mission-critical domains, along with a technological structure that supports whatever from AI advancement to release and operation.
MHI has actually supplied and run resistant, safe, and protected equipment and systems for years throughout sectors such as social facilities, aerospace, defense, and area. The business has actually brought innovations and know-how in style, production, control, simulation and upkeep, in addition to information connected to onsite circumstances and conditions, backed by functional field information and deep client trust.
PFN internally establishes a complete stack of innovations for AI, varying from AI chips, calculating facilities, and generative AI structure designs to items and options. On homegrown innovations, PFN has actually released safe and sustainable AI innovations throughout varied commercial environments.
Through this capital and organization alliance, the 2 business will integrate their innovations and know-how to speed up joint R&D and real-world implementation of smart, self-governing equipment and systems for social facilities and nationwide security, where high dependability and fast responsiveness are needed. As partners moving on together, MHI and PFN share a frame of mind of being nimble, quickly, and continuously developing without being bound by existing structures. Together, the 2 business intend to produce brand-new worth and add to the upkeep and advancement of a safe and protected society.
Remark from Eisaku Ito, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.:
“PFN’s dedication to executing innovative, locally established AI innovations throughout software and hardware deeply resonates with the spirit of workmanship that streams through MHI. Releasing AI in mission-critical domains is among the top-priority concerns for reinforcing social strength, and we have actually constructed these worths as we approach advancement and commercialization through our joint research study and organization alliance.
MHI supporters for ‘ITO’ (Innovative Total Optimization) and is dealing with overall optimization and domain growth with unmatched speed. This capital and company alliance with PFN lines up with ITO, because it advances amount to optimization and takes full advantage of the strengths of both business to broaden into brand-new domains. We see this alliance as a necessary action towards developing a genuinely safe and safe and secure society, and we will devote our complete efforts to the application of more ingenious next-generation facilities than ever previously.”
Remark from Daisuke Okanohara, CEO, Preferred Networks, Inc.:
“Deploying AI in mission-critical domains is a complex difficulty on a worldwide scale. To make AI useful on the ground, we need to exceed design efficiency– we should resolve field-specific restrictions, guarantee dependability, real-time responsiveness and constant operability, while enhancing software and hardware as a whole. Through our joint research study, MHI and PFN have actually lined up on this viewpoint while advancing efforts towards useful execution.
Under this capital and company alliance, we will deeply link MHI’s years of competence in field operations, devices, control systems and safe operations with PFN’s vertically incorporated innovations– from AI chips to structure designs– we will provide accomplishments that neither business might achieve alone, reinforcing social security and commercial competitiveness.”
(1) Please see the following news release relating to business alliance:
https://www.mhi.com/news/260602.html
About Preferred Networks
Directed by its objective to “Make the real world computable and create the future together,” Preferred Networks, Inc. (PFN) establishes innovative software application and hardware innovations through a vertically incorporated method covering the whole AI worth chain– from AI chips and calculating facilities to generative AI structure designs and options throughout a vast array of markets. Established in 2014 in Tokyo, PFN presently establishes and provides the MN-Core ™ series of AI processors, the PFCP ™ cloud platform for AI computing, and the Japan-developed generative AI structure design PLaMo ™. https://www.preferred.jp/en/
About MHI Group
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group is among the world’s leading commercial groups, covering energy, wise facilities, commercial equipment, aerospace and defense. MHI Group integrates advanced innovation with deep experience to provide ingenious, integrated services that assist to recognize a carbon neutral world, enhance the lifestyle and make sure a more secure world. To learn more, please go to www.mhi.com or follow our insights and stories on spectra.mhi.com.
Subject: Press release summary