The Japanese government will collaborate with top machinery manufacturers in the country to collect data for machine learning to build physical AI applications such as autonomous robots.
According to a Nikkei Asia report, DMG Mori and Komatsu will partner with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to collect data, including operating status from industrial robots and machine tools, as early as this fiscal year.
DMG Mori is the world's second-largest machine tool manufacturer, while Komatsu is a major producer of industrial press machines and machine tools. AIST operates under Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The two companies plan to solicit more than 100 clients to participate in this project, with plans to assign unique IDs to around 1,600 pieces of industrial machinery currently in use at factories. Meanwhile, AIST will oversee the standardization of data format and information management, the report said.
The collected data will be turned into anonymous data sets, which the economy ministry plans to use exclusively for developing domestic AI to prevent leaks overseas. Physical AI developed from the initiative may benefit local robot makers such as Fanuc and Yaskawa Electric, Nikkei said.
While the U.S. and China have taken an early lead in generative AI models, Japan seeks to grow its strengths in the AI sector through physical AI, the report said. Its government aims to scale its AI robot industry to 20 trillion yen ($127 billion) and capture more than a 30% share of the global market by 2040.