【AI×Regional Revitalization】Fukushima University, Katsura Village, and ORENDA WORLD Collaborate to Host 'Advanced IT Human Resource Development Internship'

ORENDA WORLD Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director: Yoichi Shibuya, hereinafter 'ORENDA WORLD') will hold an 'Advanced IT Human Resource Development Internship Program' for students of Fukushima University (mainly in the Department of Food and Agricultural Sciences) based on a tripartite agreement with Katsura Village, Fukushima Prefecture (Village Mayor: Hiroshi Shinogi, hereinafter 'Katsura Village') and Fukushima University's Regional Future Design Center (Center Director: Katsuhiko Yaguchi, hereinafter 'Fukushima University').

This internship, in preparation for the start of operations of the 'Katsura Digital Innovation LAB,' an advanced DX human resource development data center being constructed by ORENDA WORLD in Katsura Village (scheduled for the end of June 2026), aims to provide a practical learning environment that combines cutting-edge 'AI technology' and 'regional revitalization.' Students will experience smart agriculture and livestock AI analysis that are actually operating in Katsura Village, as well as AI education businesses through the AI-accompanied implementation service 'A.I.KEN (AIKEN),' and experience the real process of AI×regional revitalization aimed at solving regional issues. Details of the implementation will be discussed among the three parties in the future.

■ Background and Purpose of the Internship

ORENDA WORLD, Katsura Village, and Fukushima University signed a tripartite agreement in September 2024 regarding the development of human resources for reconstruction and AI. Subsequently, in May 2025, the 'Katsura Future Design School,' a program that balances regional issue resolution and human resource development, was recognized as a regular course (2 credits) at Fukushima University, among other efforts to build the foundation for advanced IT education through industry-academia-government collaboration.

This internship aims to advance the educational collaboration so far and provide students with overwhelming 'hands-on experience' on-site as an advanced example of 'Data Center×Regional Revitalization.' While advancing reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake, Katsura Village is facing challenges such as a shortage of successors in primary industries. By combining ORENDA WORLD's AI and CG technology, Fukushima University's expertise, and Katsura Village's field, we will embody a sustainable digital innovation model rooted in the region.

■ Overall Image of the Internship Program

Based on the tripartite agreement (signed in September 2024), Fukushima University (educational institution), ORENDA WORLD (hosting company), and Katsura Village/Katsura Digital Innovation LAB (field site) will work together to promote an advanced IT human resource development program.

■ 'Three Core Experiences' of the Internship Program

This program is not just classroom learning or office work but a 'practical' curriculum that deeply involves the field in Katsura Village.

Curriculum Area
Specific Experience/Research Content
Expected Learning Effects
① Practical Research on Livestock AI Analysis
Learn the process of constructing and operating AI analysis models of cattle behavior data and health status under the guidance of livestock workers employed in Katsura Village.
Acquisition of practical skills in the implementation of AI in primary industry sites and from data collection to analysis.
② Practical Experience in Smart Agriculture
Optimize cultivation management using agricultural IoT monitoring system 'Mimamori Farm' and sensors to measure environmental data in greenhouses and fields.
Experience the forefront of agricultural efficiency improvement (AgriTech) using technology.
③ Practical AI Education through AIKEN
Experience planning and operating AI education for local residents and elementary/junior high school students using the framework of the AI-accompanied implementation service 'A.I.KEN.'
Shift in perspective from 'using AI' to 'teaching and implementing AI,' and development of communication skills.
1. 'Livestock AI Analysis' under the guidance of professionals working in Katsura Village

ORENDA WORLD has already directly employed livestock and agricultural workers in the region as its own employees in Katsura Village and is advancing initiatives that directly connect the primary industry site with cutting-edge technology. Interns will participate in data collection and analysis of AI systems for livestock behavior analysis and health management under the guidance of professionals on-site and AI engineers.
2. The forefront of AgriTech 'Smart Agriculture'

Using agricultural IoT systems such as 'Mimamori Farm,' which utilizes sensors inside greenhouses, learn how AI analyzes data such as temperature, humidity, and solar radiation and links it to increased yield and improved work efficiency through actual field work.
3. Practical implementation of 'A.I.KEN' to establish AI in society

Learn the know-how of the accompanying service 'A.I.KEN,' which successfully leads the introduction of AI to small and medium-sized enterprises and local governments to 'introduction→establishment→self-sufficiency.' Students themselves will become 'producers' who popularize AI and implement AI education programs for the regional community and educational sites.
■ The future of Fukushima depicted by 'Data Center×Regional Revitalization'

The 'Katsura Digital Innovation LAB' to be born in Katsura Village is an advanced DX human resource development data center that can accommodate up to 800 AI GPUs (H200, etc.) and is established with the largest subsidy in Japan.

Located in a mountainous area, Katsura Village, with its abundant water, cool climate, and solid ground, is also an ideal location for a data center.

This data center is not just a data storage warehouse.

'Cutting-edge computing power'
'Primary industry sites in the region (Smart Agriculture, Livestock AI)'
'Digital community space where young people gather and learn'

These three elements function in an integrated manner, creating a 'regional revitalization-type data center' unparalleled in the world. Through this internship, students will fully utilize this cutting-edge infrastructure and become stakeholders in innovation that can be communicated from Fukushima to the world.
■ Comments from Related Parties

ORENDA WORLD Co., Ltd. Representative Director Yoichi Shibuya

'I am very pleased that we can provide an internship in this place for students of Fukushima University as we prepare for the operation of the data center in Katsura Village. The site where our directly employed livestock and agricultural professionals in Katsura Village and AI engineers work together is the very forefront of 'AI×Regional Revitalization.' I hope you will not only learn cutting-edge AI technology but also feel with your skin how it enriches the region and changes people's lives. I am confident that advanced IT human resources who will lead the future of Japan's DX will be nurtured here.'

Professor Yoshihiro Koyama, Department of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Fukushima University

'In solving structural challenges such as the shortage of successors and aging in Fukushima's agriculture and livestock industry, the implementation of digital technology including AI has become indispensable. This internship is an ideal form of industry-academia-government collaboration where students in the Department of Food and Agricultural Sciences can directly experience ORENDA WORLD's cutting-edge AI technology in the field of Katsura Village while having a perspective on agricultural and regional economies. I greatly expect that students will carve out the possibilities of 'AI×Primary Industry' with their own hands in Katsura Village, which is advancing reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake and the nuclear accident. I am confident that the insights and human resources born here will become a new model for the revival of Fukushima's agriculture and regional revitalization.'
■ Overview of Participating Organizations and Companies

【ORENDA WORLD Co., Ltd.