FANUC has partnered with NVIDIA and Google, shifting from an in-house model to an open strategy that involves collaboration with external partners. It is developing an open platform and building an ecosystem to address the increasingly diverse needs of worksites facing labor shortages.
After a period of approximately six months, FANUC shifted from its longstanding policy of relying on its own resources to an open strategy. The company had previously met market demand using internal resources, but explained that the growing use of robots across a wider range of industries has made it difficult to respond on its own.
The labor shortages at manufacturing sites worldwide and increasingly diverse needs were cited as the background to the open strategy. FANUC indicated that it aims to address automation needs across a range of industries by strengthening an ecosystem that makes it easier to incorporate external technologies and AI.
Specifically, the company plans to expand external collaboration that does not rely solely on internal resources by advancing partnerships with NVIDIA and Google and opening up its software. It emphasized the development of an open platform and the creation of a structure for collaboration with a diverse range of partners.
The shift is being led by Kenichiro Abe (安部健一郎), General Manager of FANUC's Robot Research and Development Division. He said that the change to the company's internal structure was decided as a natural progression.