Future Tech
Future Tech
Stories on advanced technologies that offer a glimpse into the future.Robots are increasingly taking on tasks once reserved exclusively for humans. Recognizing this trend, in September 2025 SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it developed a new “robot-friendly” server rack with a cable-less architecture t…
A next-generation smart building where building management data is comprehensively managed and integrated through AI, IoT and a Building OS A new style of building management, powered by data and AI “Autonomous Building” refers to a “self-…
Due to its declining birthrate and aging population, Japan is facing a severe labor shortage. Accordingly, the need for automation and labor-saving solutions is growing across many industries, and the use of AI and robotics is becoming inc…
SoftBank’s network vision for building a communications infrastructure that keeps people and things connected anytime, anywhere Taking on the challenge of realizing a world where everyone and everything stays connected “UTX (Ubiquitous Tra…
On September 26, 2025, a press briefing was held at SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) Tokyo headquarters to unveil new startup support initiatives led by STATION Ai, a SoftBank-affiliated startup support hub based in Nagoya, and SoftBank. The…
Japan’s National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Kiyohara Optics, ArkEdge Space and SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) recently announced a collaborative agreement to demonstrate optical wireless communications bet…
A 5G communication standard streamlined and optimized for wearables and other IoT devices Lower-cost, lower-power 5G optimized for IoT devices A streamlined version of New Radio (NR) 5G radio communication technology, “RedCap”— short for “…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) s…
A digital platform that manages and coordinates different city functions and services such as transportation, disaster prevention, welfare and administration in an integrated fashion. Integrating data across sectors to address complex urba…
In the advertising industry, words continue to carry a lot of weight. From catchy headlines to persuasive product descriptions, effective copywriting forms the backbone of successful advertising campaigns. The creative process that goes in…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) s…
eSIM—short for “embedded Subscriber Identity Module”—is seeing increased adoption in smartphones as it offers a number of advantages over traditional plastic SIM cards. For instance, eSIM can be provisioned remotely, eliminating the need t…
Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai (Expo 2025), which runs from April 13 to October 13, is welcoming millions of visitors from around the world, offering them a glimpse into the future of a society powered by AI, robotics and other advanced technolog…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation (UTX),” which aims to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by combining terrestrial mobile networks with non-terrestrial networks (NTN) s…
A technology that enables base stations to run on software Virtualized radio networks that allow efficient operations and flexible expansion vRAN, short for “virtualized Radio Access Network,” is a technology that implements some of the fu…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is promoting a “Ubiquitous Transformation” (UTX) for communications—an aim to create a world where people can stay connected anytime and anywhere by integrating Terrestrial Networks (TN) on the ground with Non-…
A cloud computing environment governed domestically to ensure that data storage, management, access rights and operational policies stay within national boundaries. Data sovereignty and national security Sovereign cloud refers to a cloud s…
On July 16, 2025, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) hosted SoftBank World 2025, a major event for enterprise customers. In addition to keynotes and talk sessions, visitors were invited to explore advanced technologies and services in the neighb…
The ability of nations or companies to develop and operate AI within their own borders in line with their legal systems and cultural values. Right to control AI becoming an important security consideration As AI technology rapidly evolves …
While the average turnover among employees is 8.7% in Japan’s tightening labor market, employees working at customer contact centers are contending with a much higher turnover rate of approximately 30%*. This high churn at contact centers …
As AI-RAN emerges as a next-generation social infrastructure for the AI era, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is taking the lead with the development of its pioneering solution: AITRAS. AITRAS integrates AI and radio access networks (RAN) on a…
A metric that measures power usage efficiency at IT facilities, such as data centers A key metric to measure energy efficiency at IT facilities PUE—an abbreviation for Power Usage Effectiveness—is a key metric used to assess energy efficie…
Agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock farming are often practiced in remote areas far from urban centers. Coastal and mountainous areas like these often lack reliable connectivity, and this has hindered the adoption of digital and AI tec…
When employees use their own personal AI tools for work tasks Leveraging personal-use AI tools at work to improve productivity BYOAI, short for “Bring Your Own AI” refers to the practice of employees utilizing AI tools that they use privat…
To help bridge the digital divide and provide emergency communications during disasters, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has been actively conducting research and development for its High Altitude Platform Station (HAPS) stratospheric telecom…
SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) Research Institute of Advanced Technology, in collaboration project with artist Daito Manabe and Laboratory of Yoshiho Ikeuchi at the Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, have been conduc…
As vehicles increasingly become digital platforms, reliable, seamless connectivity will be crucial for them to remain connected to the Internet, even in areas that ground-based cellular networks can't reach. This will ensure that over-the-…
The rapid spread of generative AI has spurred the widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs) across various industries. The datasets used by these general-purpose LLMs remain broad and non-specialized, however. This means they are…
As a facility key to SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) next-generation social infrastructure initiative, the “Hokkaido Tomakomai AI Data Center” is designed to house a large-scale computing platform and operate entirely on renewable energy pr…
In March 2025, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it deployed its converged AI-RAN solution, called AITRAS, at NVIDIA headquarters in Santa Clara, California. In this collaboration, SoftBank and NVIDIA are utilizing NVIDIA’s accelerate…
Since it first announced its AI-RAN concept in 2023 as a foundation for next-generation mobile networks to support a society that coexists with AI, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has made significant progress in bringing its vision to realit…
As a major telecommunications operator with over 40 million mobile subscribers, SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) generates large amounts of data on its network traffic and operations every day. To make its network operations more efficient and …
In February 2025, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) demonstrated its “remote autonomous driving support system” at the Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus (“SFC”) located in Fujisawa City, Kanagawa Prefecture. SoftBank’s system, designed to …
During SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) Q3 FY2024 earnings briefing held on February 10, 2025, President & CEO Junichi Miyakawa noted that after the announcement of a new collaboration with OpenAI on February 3, the company received numerous…
MWC Barcelona 2025 (MWC25), one of the world's largest mobile-related exhibitions, is bringing together the latest technologies, products and services in the communications industry. The event – which takes place from Monday, March 3 to 6 …
On February 3, 2025, OpenAI, Inc., SoftBank Group Corp., Arm and SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) hosted a special event in Tokyo for enterprises based in Japan. Attended by top business leaders and the press, the session featured OpenAI CEO S…
With the spread of generative AI, power consumption at data centers is rapidly increasing. For example, training GPT-4 requires over 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity, the equivalent to the monthly electricity usage of about 55,600 av…
A program that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to autonomously assess and execute tasks on a user’s behalf A program that can execute tasks and learn on its own using AI and data An AI agent is a program designed to autonomously pla…
Almost a year has passed since a powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula, located in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. The natural disaster caused severe damage to local infrastructure and homes in the area, and SoftBank Cor…
AI is driving transformative change across industries and enterprises, significantly enhancing productivity and convenience. As applications expand beyond chatbots to other applications, such as the real-time control of robots, drones and …
Connected vehicle technology, which enables vehicles to be constantly connected to communication networks, is expected to be essential to next-generation forms of mobility, including autonomous driving. By connecting vehicles to various th…
On December 13, 2024, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) announced it is planning to open “EBC STATION Ai” – an experiential facility that showcases new technology solutions – in January 2025. EBC STATION Ai will be operated by SoftBank and loca…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) and Silicon Valley-based Aizip, Inc. jointly developed a machine learning application capable of counting fish in real time with smartphones and other edge devices. The technology was selected for a CES® 2025 I…
To build next-generation infrastructure for the AI era, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is advancing the construction of AI computing platforms and data centers, and, to meet the increased demand for AI-driven data processing while taking ste…
Anticipating an era where AI-based services are ubiquitous in daily life, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is advancing initiatives to deploy distributed AI computing infrastructure across Japan while seeking an optimal balance between central…
In Japan, traffic regulations stipulate that when a vehicle approaches an unsignalized crosswalk with a vehicle stopped in front of it, the driver needs to come to a complete stop before proceeding. This presents a challenge to human opera…
After first announcing its “AI-RAN” concept in 2023 as a foundation for next-generation mobile networks to support a society that coexists with AI, SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) has made significant progress in bringing its vision to realit…
SoftBank Corp.’s (TOKYO: 9434) “STATION Ai,” a startup support hub based in the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan’s industrial heartland, officially opened its doors on October 1, 2024. Since then new member companies have been suc…
Looking beyond 5G to the 6G era, there will likely be greater demand for communication with and between objects – not to mention more communication between people – and this will lead to an increase in mobile communication traffic. To acco…
SoftBank Corp. (TOKYO: 9434) is actively conducting research and development for its HAPS business to help bridge the digital divide and provide emergency communications during disasters. After first its HAPS business in 2017, SoftBank has…
