Voice Conversational AI Solution through a Capital and Business Alliance with フュートレック

「The Company and 株式会社フュートレック (hereinafter, “フュートレック”) received approval for the merger effective 1 October 2024 at the Company’s 21st Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on 20 June 2024 and フュートレック’s 24th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on 18 June 2024, and completed the absorption-type merger effective 1 October 2024.」

「At meetings of the Boards of Directors held on 14 May 2024, the Company and フュートレック resolved to merge effective 1 October 2024 (予定) and entered into a merger agreement for an absorption-type merger, with the Company as the surviving company and フュートレック as the absorbed company.」

「As a result, the Company concluded that pursuing an integration of the two companies’ management was the best course of action to accelerate research and development, strengthen technological development capabilities, improve the ability to provide services to customers, promote information exchange and personnel interaction among engineers in each business, and maximize improvements in profitability and operating efficiency, leading to the execution of a memorandum of basic agreement.」

「The tender offer under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act for common shares of フュートレック, conducted pursuant to a resolution of the same Board of Directors from 12 May 2023, ended on 8 June 2023. As of the end of the first-quarter accounting period, フュートレック had become an equity-method affiliate of the Company.」

「In April 2019, the Company entered into a business alliance agreement with the aim of enhancing corporate value through synergies by sharing its know-how and solutions relating to speech synthesis technology with the know-how and solutions relating to speech recognition technology held by 株式会社フュートレック, jointly researching new technologies that combine the technologies of both companies, jointly developing new products and services such as voice interaction, and conducting joint sales. Since then, the companies have promoted projects each year involving joint research, technology verification and joint development of applications aimed at commercialization based on specific themes. By deepening the alliance into a capital and business alliance, the companies believe they can realize synergies including “the realization of voice interaction AI solutions,” “stronger sales collaboration” and “enhanced research and development capabilities” through faster personnel exchanges and closer collaboration in sharing know-how, including intellectual property.」