Tron Inc. Participates as Core Technology Partner in the Establishment of "STATION Ai Data Foundry," a Data Collection Center for Physical AI for the Manufacturing Industry

Tron Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kei Washijima, hereinafter "Tron") is pleased to announce its participation as a core technology partner responsible for data collection, processing, and model verification in the "STATION Ai Data Foundry" (hereinafter the "Center"), a data collection center for physical AI for the manufacturing industry, established by STATION Ai Inc. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture; President and CEO: Hirotaka Sahashi).

Furthermore, this initiative has been selected for the "Post-5G Information Communication System Foundation Strengthening R&D Project / R&D for Data Ecosystem Construction, etc. (GENIAC)" (hereinafter the "Project"), a subsidy project by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) (*). Tron will play a central role in the technological development at the Center as a commissioned contractor for this Project.

*Reference METI's announcement (https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2026/07/20260702001/20260702001.html) NEDO's announcement (https://www.nedo.go.jp/koubo/CD3_100430.html)

Overview of "STATION Ai Data Foundry" and the Project

"STATION Ai Data Foundry" is a data collection center for physical AI that STATION Ai Inc. aims to launch in December 2026 to accelerate the social implementation of physical AI for the manufacturing industry. Positioned as a core hub for a physical AI ecosystem where manufacturing companies, AI startups, robot-related companies, and system integrators collaborate, the Center aims to create an ecosystem where previously dispersed physical AI players can gather, and companies with challenges can meet companies with solutions to co-create. It will play a role in connecting the manufacturing industry cluster in the Tokai region with cutting-edge technologies in the AI and robotics fields.

The Center's initiative has been selected as the NEDO-solicited subsidy project "Post-5G Information Communication System Foundation Strengthening R&D Project / R&D for Data Ecosystem Construction, etc. (GENIAC)". By selecting tasks in manufacturing sites where a return on investment (ROI) can be expected, and focusing on the collection and verification of data necessary for the implementation of physical AI for those tasks, the project will establish a data collection infrastructure necessary for the implementation of physical AI for the manufacturing industry, and promote the creation of an environment that supports the development and verification of AI models and the demonstration of robot utilization in manufacturing sites.

Future information will be released on this site:

Physical AI by STATION Ai (https://stationai.co.jp/physicalai)

Tron's Participation Area in the Project

In this Project, Tron will serve as the core technology provider, building a series of mechanisms to utilize multimodal data (subjective video, wrist video, hand position and posture data, etc.) obtainable from workers in manufacturing sites for the learning and operation of robot AI for the manufacturing industry.

Through strategic partnerships with leading global companies, Tron will consistently engage in data collection, processing, and model verification for general-purpose process tasks such as assembly, picking, inspection, and parts conveyance, as follows:

(1) Collection of worker multimodal data from manufacturing sites and simulated environments (2) Processing and refinement, including data quality checks, annotation, and metadata assignment, in collaboration with advanced data preparation companies overseas (3) Development and verification of task-specific AI models through joint learning of the prepared worker multimodal data and robot operation data

Regarding the selection of target tasks and the organization of site challenges for manufacturing companies, Tron will collaborate with Boostech Inc. (Headquarters: Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture; President: Naoo Nagai *Monozukuri Taro) to prioritize tasks that are expected to yield a return on investment (ROI), such as improved productivity and labor saving, not only in terms of technical feasibility, but also to design use cases that align with the actual challenges of manufacturing sites.

Future Developments

Through this Project, Tron will tackle the highly advanced theme of utilizing on-site worker data for robot AI on a large scale, steadily accumulating knowledge, technology, and achievements related to the unique utilization of physical AI in Japan's manufacturing industry. Even after the completion of this Project, Tron will continue to accelerate and support the social implementation of physical AI in Japan's manufacturing industry, starting with on-site data, by providing the prepared data, engaging in joint development, and sharing knowledge.

Representative's Comment

Kei Washijima, President and CEO, Tron Inc.

"Japan's manufacturing industry faces structural challenges such as labor shortages and skill transfer, while simultaneously possessing sites with unparalleled diversity and quality in the world.

The biggest bottleneck for realizing robot AI is said to be data scaling. While efforts to utilize large amounts of data obtainable from workers in manufacturing sites for robot AI are gaining global momentum, many of these are still in the research stage, and there are few pioneering examples conducted systematically and on a large scale for the actual processes of the manufacturing industry.

We believe that solving this bottleneck by utilizing the high-quality worker data that Japan's manufacturing industry boasts is one of the most promising ways to demonstrate the presence of Japan's physical AI to the world.

This Project challenges this world-leading theme by bringing together the on-site knowledge of Japan's manufacturing industry and overseas cutting-edge technologies. Tron, in collaboration with STATION Ai Inc., Boostech Inc., the manufacturing companies in the Tokai region providing full cooperation, and strategic partnerships with leading global companies, will consistently work on the core technology of this Project and build a foundation for physical AI implementation originating from Japan to create tangible value for the world."

About Related Companies

STATION Ai Inc.

STATION Ai is one of Japan's largest open innovation hubs located in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture. It brings together startups, corporations, universities, local governments, and financial institutions, and provides programs, events, matching, and open innovation support to foster new business creation and business growth. It connects the industrial base of Aichi Prefecture and the Tokai region with the technologies and business ideas of startups to promote the creation of new businesses and the advancement of industry.

Boostech Inc.

Boostech Inc. supports the selection of tasks where a return on investment (ROI) can be expected through the introduction of physical AI, the structuring of site challenges, and the concretization of demonstration themes by analyzing on-site challenges in manufacturing companies. In this Project, Boostech Inc. will be responsible for the selection of target tasks and collaboration with manufacturing sites.

About Tron Inc.

Tron Inc. is a startup engaged in data collection in the physical AI domain, robot AI model development, robot implementation, and the creation and utilization of factory digital twins. Aiming to realize Japan as a nation that utilizes physical AI, Tron Inc. is working on social implementation by combining cutting-edge global technologies with on-site knowledge from Japan's manufacturing industry.

Company Name: Tron Inc.

Established: April 2024

Representative: Kei Washijima, President and CEO

Head Office Location: Miyamasuzaka Building 609, 2-19-15 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Robot Lab: 5th Floor, STATION Ai, 1-2-32 Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture

Business Activities: Data collection in the physical AI domain, robot AI model development, creation and utilization support for factory digital twins