Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Preferred Networks have signed a capital and business alliance agreement and will invest ¥10 billion in total to step up joint development. The companies plan to accelerate the deployment of intelligent and autonomous machinery and systems in mission-critical domains.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Preferred Networks announced that they had signed a capital and business alliance agreement as of 31 August 2026. The agreement will enable the companies to establish a medium- to long-term cooperation framework and step up joint research and development aimed at making machinery and systems more intelligent and autonomous, primarily in the social infrastructure and national security fields.
Under the agreement, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will invest ¥10 billion in total in PFN. The investment is subject to the subscription of shares issued through a private placement, and the companies aim to strengthen and further advance their existing collaboration. The agreement is expected to take effect once procedures such as shareholder approval have been completed.
PFN has a technology platform that covers the entire process in Japan, from developing AI semiconductors, computing infrastructure and generative AI foundation models through to commercialising them. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, meanwhile, has provided decades of expertise in design, manufacturing, control, simulation and maintenance, along with operational data and highly reliable machinery and systems.
The companies plan to combine their operational, equipment and control expertise with their AI development and implementation expertise, primarily in mission-critical domains, to accelerate the deployment of intelligent and autonomous systems in the social infrastructure and national security fields.