NEC and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have signed a memorandum of understanding in the defense sector. The companies will strengthen collaboration in operational planning, command and control, and unmanned assets, with the aim of establishing data and AI sovereignty.
NEC and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding toward a strategic partnership in the defense sector. The companies will strengthen collaboration in areas including operational planning, command and control, and unmanned assets, with the aim of strengthening Japan’s defense industrial base and establishing data and AI sovereignty.
As the security environment surrounding defense undergoes major changes, the Ministry of Defense and the Self-Defense Forces are advancing efforts to strengthen and transform Japan’s defense capabilities. Securing the sovereignty and reliability of data and AI is being prioritized, while efforts to accelerate improvements in the capabilities of defense equipment are also being sought.
As efforts advance to operate defense equipment and cloud systems in an integrated manner and to use AI, the two companies will combine their advanced technologies and expertise to develop a new command-and-control system. The companies expect this to lead to the provision of products and services offering a high degree of sovereignty and reliability.
NEC President Takayuki Morita (森田隆之) described the realization of a truly sovereign and highly reliable defense system, built by bringing together the two companies’ technologies and expertise, as an important step. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries President and CEO Eisaku Ito (伊藤栄作) also indicated that the company intends to maximize the use of both companies’ technological advantages.