Flywheel Selected for METI/NEDO AI Development Support Project 'GENIAC'

Flywheel Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Naoto Yokoyama; hereinafter 'Flywheel') has been selected as a contractor for the 'Post-5G Information and Communication System Infrastructure Enhancement R&D Project / R&D on AI-Ready Conversion of Manufacturing Data, etc.' publicly solicited by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization). This project is conducted as part of the domestic generative AI development support program 'GENIAC (Generative AI Accelerator Challenge)' promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and NEDO.

In this project, Flywheel will conduct R&D on a general-purpose tool that converts 'unstructured data' such as drawings and specifications accumulated on manufacturing sites into a format immediately usable by AI (AI-Ready). IHI Corporation (hereinafter 'IHI') and Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. (hereinafter 'Sekisui Chemical') will participate as demonstration partners (in Japanese syllabary order). The project aims to establish a prototype of an 'AI-Ready data infrastructure suitable for Japanese companies' data utilization' that is not overly dependent on specific AI models or platforms, thereby accelerating the social implementation of AI in Japanese manufacturing.

■ Background: Liberating the 'Knowledge' of Japanese Manufacturing to AI and Ensuring Data Sovereignty

Japanese manufacturing possesses some of the world's best on-site data. However, over 90% of this data is 'unstructured data' (*) such as drawings and handwritten notes, which AI cannot read in its raw state. This is the biggest barrier to AI adoption in Japanese companies (a state of not being AI-Ready).

Furthermore, currently prevalent AI platforms often have a high degree of dependency on specific vendors or foundations, making it difficult for customers to flexibly choose models or infrastructure. This leads to the issue of 'vendor lock-in,' where future AI model switching and cost optimization become challenging. Flywheel provides an architecture that leverages existing systems while flexibly adapting to future changes in AI models and infrastructure, enabling customers to advance AI utilization while maintaining their own 'data sovereignty.'

(*) Unstructured data: Data not organized in rows and columns like Excel, such as emails, drawings, and images.

Source: IDC White Paper, Box Inc. 'The Untapped Value: What Every Executive Needs to Know About Unstructured Data' (Doc.US51128223, August 2023)

■ Verification of Effectiveness Across Different Industries

In this project, the impact on actual operations will be verified together with two companies possessing different data characteristics. The target areas below are current plans and are subject to flexible updates to the most optimal areas according to project progress.

IHI Corporation: Will verify business advancement through AI utilization in information retrieval tasks targeting drawings and specifications.

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.: Will verify the structuring of operational knowledge in design and manufacturing processes and the potential for AI utilization.

■ Comments from Demonstration Partners

IHI Corporation:

'We view this project, which aims to pass on the vast on-site knowledge accumulated in Japanese manufacturing to the next generation in an AI-Ready form, as the creation of a public infrastructure that should be shared by society as a whole. We believe that organizing on-site-originated unstructured data, such as drawings and specifications, in a way that leads to AI utilization in actual operations is the key to disseminating the importance of data supporting manufacturing and opening up opportunities for future generations of engineers. We look forward to collaborating with great expectations to transform the knowledge of the entire Japanese manufacturing industry into a societal asset through this project.'

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.:

'We will verify whether business transformation that reduces reliance on specific individuals and rework can be achieved by structuring unstructured data, such as drawings and manuals in the housing business, making it usable by AI. Furthermore, by fusing the industrialized housing technologies honed in development, design, and manufacturing with AI, we will explore the potential for deepening the technological capabilities of the manufacturing industry and enhancing product value. We expect the results of this demonstration to be widely deployed to other businesses and lead to new co-creation initiatives, contributing to the overall development of Japanese manufacturing.'

■ Future Outlook: Towards the Mission of 'Turning Data into Energy for People'

The deliverables of this project (evaluation indicators, specifications, etc.) are planned to be partially released to the public as a 'coordination area' to contribute to the advancement of Japanese industry as a whole. Through this project, Flywheel will transform data into 'energy' that accelerates corporate growth.

■ About Flywheel Inc.

With the mission 'Turning Data into Energy for People,' Flywheel provides the data utilization platform 'Conata®' that solves management challenges in data utilization for enterprise companies. It transforms data not merely as information but into 'energy' for optimizing decision-making and actions, supporting the sustainable growth of companies.

[ Company Overview ]

Company Name: Flywheel Inc.

Representative: Naoto Yokoyama, President and CEO

Location: Garden Air Tower 31F, 3-10-10 Iidabashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Established: February 9, 2018

URL: https://www.flywheel.jp/