TRON Inc. participates as a 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 referred to as "TRON") is pleased to announce its participation as a core technology partner responsible for data collection, processing, and model verification in "STATION Ai Data Foundry" (hereinafter referred to as "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 "Research and Development Project for Strengthening Post-5G Information Communication Systems / Research and Development on Data Ecosystem Construction, etc. (GENIAC)" (hereinafter referred to as "the Project"), a subsidized 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 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. is establishing with the goal of commencing operations 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 foster 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 subsidized project "Research and Development Project for Strengthening Post-5G Information Communication Systems / Research and Development on Data Ecosystem Construction, etc. (GENIAC)" by NEDO. By selecting tasks with expected return on investment (ROI) in manufacturing sites and focusing on collecting and demonstrating the data necessary for implementing physical AI for those tasks, the project aims to establish a data collection infrastructure necessary for implementing physical AI for the manufacturing industry, as well as to create 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 this Project

In this Project, TRON will serve as the technological core to build a series of mechanisms for utilizing multimodal data (subjective video, both-wrist video, hand position and posture data, etc.) acquired 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 prepared worker multimodal data and robot motion data

Regarding the selection of target tasks and the structuring of site challenges for manufacturing companies, TRON will collaborate with BoothTech 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 advance use case design tailored to 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 application 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.

President's Comment

Kei Washijima, President and CEO, TRON Inc.

"Japan's manufacturing industry faces structural challenges such as labor shortages and skill succession, 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 acquired from workers in manufacturing sites for robot AI are gaining global momentum, many of these are still in the research stage, with few large-scale, systematic pioneering examples targeting actual manufacturing processes.

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

This Project challenges this global frontier by bringing together the on-site knowledge of Japan's manufacturing industry and the most advanced technologies from overseas. TRON, in collaboration with STATION Ai Inc., BoothTech Inc., the manufacturing companies in the Tokai region providing full cooperation, and strategic partnerships with leading global companies, will consistently work on the technological core 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 to provide programs, events, matching, and open innovation support for 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 new business creation and industrial advancement.

BoothTech Inc.

BoothTech Inc. supports manufacturing companies by analyzing on-site challenges to select tasks where a return on investment (ROI) can be expected from the introduction of physical AI, structuring on-site challenges, and concretizing demonstration themes. In this Project, BoothTech Inc. will be responsible for selecting target tasks and collaborating 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, the company is working on social implementation by combining the world's most advanced technologies with the on-site knowledge of 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