Raising Salary Ranges and Implementing Company-Wide Wage Increases of Approximately 9.5% on Average, Increasing Starting Salaries for New Graduates by Up to Approximately 14% to Accelerate Investment in AI Talent

Advanced Media Inc. (Headquarters: Toshima-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kiyoyuki Suzuki, hereinafter referred to as Advanced Media) will increase starting salaries for new graduates by up to approximately 14% and raise salary ranges for all employees starting in April 2026, resulting in a company-wide average wage increase of approximately 9.5%, in order to strengthen investment in human resources for further growth in its AI business. In addition, the total amount of bonuses will be significantly increased compared to the previous fiscal year, with the annual payment level expected to be approximately double the current level.

Advanced Media has created and led the AI market with AmiVoice, the No. 1 AI speech recognition software in Japan (*1). Going forward, with the goal of achieving 10 billion yen in sales in fiscal year 2026, the company will evolve its business to become a "Voice AI Enabler" that comprehensively supports companies' AI utilization starting from voice. To accelerate this AI growth strategy, we will open a data center in 2025, promote the integration of generative AI and platformization of existing services, and actively utilize external resources, including M&A.

This revision of the salary system is being implemented with the positioning of proactive investment in human resources as a top management priority for this business growth.

Under this revision, starting salaries for new graduates will be 300,000 yen for bachelor's degree holders, 330,000 yen for master's degree holders, and 350,000 yen for doctoral degree holders. The increase for doctoral degree holders is approximately 14%, raising the level to compete for highly skilled talent in the AI field. Furthermore, by raising the salary ranges for all employees, we will create an environment where younger employees can feel their growth from an early stage. Through these initiatives, we will achieve a company-wide average wage increase of approximately 9.5%, significantly exceeding the national average of approximately 4.7% for 2026 announced by the Labor Administration Research Institute (*2). In addition, we will improve the evaluation system to clearly reflect employee performance, roles, and responsibilities in their compensation, and create an environment that supports the growth and challenges of younger employees.

In addition, we will introduce a new "AI Engineer Allowance" for AI engineers within five years of joining the company who are responsible for research and development of AI technology and support our core technologies with their high expertise. The "AI Engineer Allowance" is rarely introduced in Japan and will accelerate the acquisition and development of highly skilled talent through proactive investment in the technological fields that are the source of our competitiveness.

With the vision of "Realizing HCI (Human Communication Integration)," Advanced Media is engaged in business centered on AmiVoice AI speech recognition, aiming to usher in an era where humans can communicate naturally with machines. We will continue to strive to create a work environment where employees can work comfortably as we aim for further business growth.

Overview of Remuneration System Revision

Target: All regular employees

Implementation Details: Revision of salary levels

Revised Amounts:

・Bachelor's degree: Previously 275,000 yen (annual salary 3,300,000 yen) → 300,000 yen (annual salary 3,600,000 yen)

・Master's degree: Previously 290,000 yen (annual salary 3,480,000 yen) → 330,000 yen (annual salary 3,960,000 yen)

・Doctorate degree: Previously 308,000 yen (annual salary 3,600,000 yen) → 350,000 yen (annual salary 4,200,000 yen)

・Company-wide average wage increase rate: Approximately 9.5%

・Total bonus amount: Increased from the previous fiscal year

・"AI Engineer Allowance": For AI Engineer positions (up to 5 years after joining the company in development roles)

Implementation Period: Applicable from April 2026 admissions

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