NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) recently won awards in five categories at the Newsweek AI Impact APAC & EMEA Awards, which identify and recognize organizations for their innovative use of AI to solve everyday business challenges.

“As Singapore strengthens its focus on AI governance, the need for transparent and accountable AI continues to grow,” said Mr. Takayuki Inaba, CEO and Managing Director of NEC APAC. “NEC’s recognition at the Newsweek AI Impact Awards exemplifies how robust AI technologies are creating what’s ahead by enabling secure, large-scale digital ecosystems and driving trust in AI innovation.”

Award Summary

NEC's proprietary AI technologies and solutions were recognized in the following five categories.

1) AI Brand & Retail > Best Outcomes, Marketing and Creative

I) Title: The taste of life created by brewers and AI - Agentic AI x Craft Beer

II) Overview: NEC collaborated with beer artisans from Kyodo Shoji Co., Ltd.'s Coedo Brewery and AI to develop the craft beer “Life Brew Craft.” NEC's core AI technology “NEC cotomi” analyzed and incorporated information on the lifestyles and values of multiple generations of modern Japanese people. Furthermore, an Agentic AI based on NEC cotomi referenced vast amounts of recipe information—approximately 1.4 million characters—to create new recipe proposals through dialogue with the brewers.

III) Reference URL: https://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/ai/ai_craft/index.html

2) AI Brand & Retail > Best Outcomes, Product Development and Innovation

I) Title: AI-Powered New Product Demand Forecasting: Driving Consensus Through Predictive Insights

II) Overview: In traditional new product development, insufficient historical data made it difficult to create accurate forecasts. NEC’s AI-powered New Product Demand Forecasting Solution leverages proprietary AI to predict and support stakeholder consensus-building.

III) Reference URL: https://jpn.nec.com/press/202406/20240617_01.html (Japanese text)

3) Best of “Most Innovative AI Technology or Service” > Extraordinary Impact in AI innovation

I) Title: NEC’s Negotiation AI: Automating Delivery Adjustments for Greater Efficiency

II) Overview: NEC’s proprietary AI technology automates the negotiation and adjustment processes traditionally performed by humans. It automatically derives essential and desirable conditions for negotiations and proposes mutually acceptable, optimal terms. Leveraging this technology, NEC aims to automate delivery date and quantity adjustments in the procurement of parts from suppliers. A proof-of-concept applied to procurement operations within the NEC Group confirmed significant improvements in operational efficiency.

III) Reference URL: https://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/ai/analyze/negotiationai.html

4) Best of “Most Innovative AI Technology or Service” > Extraordinary Impact in AI Transparency or Responsibility

I) Title: Fact or Fiction? How NEC's AI Keeps LLMs Trustworthy

II) Overview: NEC is addressing LLM hallucination issues by providing three functions—Quality Checker, LLM Explainer, and Fact Checker—to verify LLM outputs and enhance safety. Rollout began sequentially starting in October 2024. These functions are compatible with both NEC's proprietary AI core technology NEC cotomi and the “Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service.” This enables reliable generative AI across a wide range of applications.

III) Reference URL: https://jpn.nec.com/press/202409/20240918_04.html (Japanese text)

5) AI Workplace > Best Outcomes, Leadership and Succession Planning

I) Title: Client Zero: NEC Leading AI Implementation at the Forefront of Transformation

II) Overview: NEC positions itself as “Client Zero” (the first customer of its own solutions), building a model for corporate transformation by leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including AI. It also extends these results to its customers, with the introduction of AI into management dashboards, for example. This enables not only the visualization of actual performance data but also the incorporation of performance forecasts, facilitating rapid decision-making and swift action to anticipate future developments.

III) Reference URL: https://jpn.nec.com/press/202407/20240710_01.html (Japanese text)

 

Going forward, NEC will continue to research and develop safe and secure AI that successfully drives transformation, contributing to solving customers' business challenges.

About NEC

NEC Asia Pacific leads in propelling Singapore's Smart Nation initiatives, integrating trusted technology with social responsibility. As a leading information and communications technology provider, NEC APAC is creating what’s ahead with innovative solutions through AI, analytics, data, digital services, enterprise infrastructure, and Managed Services to promote safety, security, and enhance the quality of life for individuals and the community.

NEC APAC’s technological advancements, dedicated to privacy and ethical usage, solidify trust among businesses and citizens. Together with NEC’s research laboratories, NEC APAC provides cutting-edge public safety, cybersecurity technologies, and enterprise solutions to enable smart and sustainable cities, with a vision to create a brighter future.

For more information and to learn more about NEC APAC’s innovative solutions, visit https://sg.nec.com/.

 

For enquiries, please contact:

QUAH Sae Soon

NEC APAC Regional Marketing & Communications

regionalpr@nec.com.sg