Technology

Reports that Sony will not take part in CES have sent ripples through the technology industry. Its presence at exhibitions focused on semiconductors and manufacturing has remained strong, drawing attention for both its buzz value and its practical benefits.

In the enterprise IT sector, Fujitsu announced a shift to a pricing model suited to the AI era, moving decisively into a transformation of its business model. NEC increased its visibility through the construction of autonomous organizations powered by AI and its work in defense and quantum technologies, while NTT took the lead in building domestic AI infrastructure by launching a cloud service that provides GPU resources. In the consumer sphere, reports that Apple Japan had tightened access controls on Mac drew attention, and Google Japan raised its profile by hosting AI-related events and changing the quality of its search results. Telecom giant KDDI stood out with event programming that combines AI, communications, and payments, while Panasonic and Hitachi strengthened their positions in DX for the manufacturing industry and in the areas of AI and data infrastructure, respectively. Semiconductor company NVIDIA Japan also frequently appeared in domestic technology news through its AI collaborations with Japanese companies, including Fujitsu.

From hardware to cloud and AI infrastructure, the moves of individual companies are converging, suggesting that Japan's technology industry has entered a restructuring phase centered on adapting to generative AI.