Two industry leaders, Hitachi Ltd. and Intel, have announced the formation of a strategic partnership today. This collaboration aims to implement projects related to physical artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and next-generation digital infrastructure within critical sectors such as manufacturing, energy, and transportation. By combining Hitachi's expertise in information technology (IT), operational technology (OT), and product manufacturing with Intel's strengths in advanced computing power and chip platforms, the alliance will develop new computing products and industry-specific solutions. This initiative is designed to help enterprises achieve operational digital upgrades, improve efficiency, reduce costs, and build intelligent, highly resilient infrastructure.
The collaboration will focus on five key areas: wafer fabrication equipment, quantum computing, energy optimization, custom chips, and edge AI applications with factory automation. The partners will work together to develop new products and optimize existing production processes.
In the wafer fabrication equipment domain, Hitachi will leverage its integrated ExTOPE platform to aggregate precise data from its high-precision measurement tools, critical dimension scanning electron microscopes, and etching equipment. Utilizing physical AI technology, the goal is to enable predictive fault diagnosis and maintenance optimization for equipment, thereby enhancing semiconductor yield, shortening product time-to-market, and improving manufacturing quality. For quantum computing, the joint R&D teams from both companies will deepen their collaborative development to accelerate the practical application of quantum technology and unlock new commercial value. In energy optimization, Hitachi's HMAX energy solutions will be deployed across Intel's major wafer fabs to provide operation and maintenance managed services for core power equipment. Intel, in turn, will supply high-voltage silicon chips to upgrade Hitachi's energy systems. Furthermore, leveraging their respective cutting-edge technologies, the partners will explore cooperation opportunities in custom chips, edge AI, and factory automation.
The President and CEO of Hitachi stated, "Hitachi and Intel share a foundation of trust built on over 40 years of collaboration, and we are delighted to establish this comprehensive strategic partnership. Physical AI is profoundly transforming society, and this collaboration will accelerate the AI transformation of industries related to various social infrastructures. By combining Hitachi's IT and OT hardware and software capabilities with Intel's advanced computing power, we have the potential to promote the large-scale deployment of AI in critical global infrastructure and create new value in frontier fields such as quantum computing."
The CEO of Intel commented, "The wave of physical AI will reshape the industrial sector through edge intelligent terminals like robots and autonomous equipment. Intel's advanced computing and AI technologies, combined with Hitachi's deep OT and top-tier IT capabilities, can help various industries capture the benefits of physical AI at scale. Together, we will accelerate the deployment of physical intelligent systems, enabling AI to empower more enterprises and industries worldwide."
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