Japan’s 7 telecommunications companies have achieved the international standardization of ITU-T’s new design guideline Y.3335, paving the way for lower latency and power consumption in AI infrastructure through the adoption of all-photonics networks (APNs), it has been reported.
Japan’s KDDI, NTT, 1FINITY, NEC, Rakuten Mobile, Oki Electric Industry and Sumitomo Electric Industries achieved the international standardization of a new design guideline under the International Telecommunication Union’s ITU-T sector on 13 August 2026. The initiative is intended to support the adoption of all-photonics networks (APNs), in line with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ Beyond 5G Promotion Strategy 2.0.
The Y.3335 standardization recommendation will enable low-latency, low-power communications paths to be built between different operators without relying on any particular company or technology. This is expected to accelerate the deployment of physical AI for the immediate processing of data from remote robots and sensors.
Going forward, work will proceed toward the development of recommendations covering more detailed functional architectures by October 2028. The companies have indicated a policy of pooling the technological expertise developed in Japan to lead the construction of next-generation infrastructure worldwide.
The significance of 7 domestic competitors working together to secure a global standard is substantial, and Japanese technologies are expected to form a global foundation for addressing the communications load and power challenges accompanying the spread of AI. They are also expected to drive global digital transformation going forward.