Hitachi and Microsoft Enter Milestone Agreement to Accelerate Business and Social Innovation with Generative AI
4.6.2024 04:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501) and Microsoft Corporation announced a projected multi-billion dollar collaboration over the next three years, that will accelerate social innovation with generative AI. Through this strategic alliance, Hitachi will propel growth of the Lumada business, with a planned revenue of 2.65 trillion yen (18.9 billion USD)*1 in FY2024, and will promote operational efficiency and productivity improvements for Hitachi Group’s 270 thousand employees.
Specifically, Hitachi will embed the Microsoft cloud, Azure Open AI Service, Dynamics 365, Copilot for Microsoft 365, and GitHub Copilot into Lumada solutions to provide innovative solutions for the energy, mobility and other industries to deliver better outcomes for businesses and society. In addition, the two companies will promote joint projects to address pressing business needs such as bolstering cloud services, enhancing security, and mitigating the environmental footprint of data centers, which have become an increasing area of focus with the growing use of generative AI.
“Hitachi has been driving transformation by applying AI across the Hitachi Group to improve productivity and will invest 300 billion yen (2.1 billion USD)*1 in GenAI to capture new growth opportunities in FY2024. Hitachi and Microsoft have already been working on a variety of co-creation projects including the development of next-generation digital solutions for the manufacturing and logistics fields*2, and the development of a field-extended metaverse that runs on Microsoft Teams,” said Keiji Kojima, President and CEO of Hitachi. “Under this new agreement, we are excited to further accelerate social innovation by expanding our efforts to social infrastructure areas such as energy and mobility, and by applying generative AI, to improve the productivity of frontline workers, which will become even more important in the future. By combining our capabilities, we can help solve the issues faced by our customers and society, and contribute to a more sustainable future.”
“We are entering a new era of AI with the promise to deliver transformative business outcomes across every role and industry,” said Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Our expanded partnership with Hitachi will bring together the power of the Microsoft Cloud – including Microsoft Copilot – with Hitachi’s industry expertise to improve the productivity of 270,000 Hitachi employees and help address customers’ biggest challenges, including sustainability.”
Hitachi’s Business Transformation
Hitachi’s Generative AI Center*3 and Microsoft will collaborate to improve operational efficiency and application development within the Hitachi Group by using Copilot for Microsoft 365 and GitHub Copilot. Hitachi will also use Azure OpenAI Service to enhance its customer service. As part of Hitachi’s group-wide transformation, Hitachi will combine Azure OpenAI Service and GitHub Copilot with its systems development expertise to maintain high quality and improve productivity for mission-critical system development. Hitachi’s internal validation confirmed that when its detailed system design knowledge was incorporated with Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service and GitHub Copilot, the application source code could be properly generated 70-90% of the time, resulting in high quality output.*4
Hitachi Rail is leveraging GenAI for predictive maintenance, enhancing equipment monitoring and refining forecast accuracy. This proactive approach prevents breakdowns, increases service quality, reduces operating expenses, and augments safety. For example, a cloud-based platform on Microsoft Azure was utilized to streamline data visualization and analysis, empowered by AI to furnish data-driven insights to digitally monitor rail infrastructure. These insights were translated into actionable steps for Network Rail, enhancing decision-making for predictive maintenance of overhead lines.
Develop innovative digital solutions
Hitachi is enhancing its Lumada solutions by incorporating the capability of generative AI. As part pf the initiative, Hitachi has already started to use Microsoft’s Generative AI for JP1 Cloud Services, a SaaS version of JP1, its integrated operations management software with approximately 20 thousand customers. This will accelerate response times to address failures, and enable improved operational efficiencies for IT departments, financial and public institutions. In an internal verification test conducted earlier, Hitachi confirmed that the time required for the operator to make an initial response to an alert was reduced to approximately two-thirds by using generated AI to respond to the alert and displaying the source of the citation, such as a manual, that provided the basis for the response.
In addition to this, Hitachi and Microsoft will also support the energy transition with improved access to and strengthening of digital solutions for asset performance management, energy trading, and risk management to reduce downtime and increase profitability. Increased computing power and cloud infrastructure are both critical to scaling these applications. Hitachi Energy’s Enterprise Software Solutions technology and its partnership with Microsoft is key to optimizing the energy network, from generation, through transmission and distribution, and ultimately in delivering reliable and sustainable energy to customers.
Joint projects to promote sustainable growth
Multiple Hitachi Group Companies including GlobalLogic, Hitachi Digital Services, and Hitachi Solutions, deliver a wide range of digital engineering, IT & managed services, and application services for the cloud. Additional development efforts through this partnership will focus on enhancing this broad range of services with the aim of sustainable innovation with Microsoft.
As the impact of CO2 emissions from AI on the global environment increases, Hitachi and Microsoft will work toward zero carbon, starting with a data center project in Europe, to reduce environmental impact.
Strengthen digital skilling and talent development
Hitachi will train more than 50 thousand GenAI Professionals. As part of the partnership, Hitachi will incorporate training to acquire advanced software development skills using GitHub Copilot and Azure OpenAI Service into the program to develop GenAI Professional, talents who support customers’ transformation using AI.
*1 | Forecast as of April 26, 2024, calculated at 140 yen to the U.S. dollar. |
*2 | Hitachi News Release (June 26, 2020) “Hitachi and Microsoft form a strategic alliance to advance next-generation digital solutions for manufacturing and logistics across Southeast Asia, North America and Japan” |
*3 | Hitachi News Release (May 15, 2023) “Hitachi Establishes New ‘Generative AI Center’ to Accelerate Value Creation and Improve Productivity in the Lumada business by promoting the use of Generative AI” |
*4 | Hitachi News Release (May 21, 2024)“Hitachi to Accelerate System Development Transformation with Generative AI" |
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the 3 business sectors of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s revenues as 3 sectors for fiscal year 2023 (ended March 31, 2024) totaled 8,564.3 billion yen, with 573 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 270,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.
About Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240603649131/en/
Contact information
Media Contacts
Microsoft Media Relations, WE Communications for Microsoft, (425) 638-7777,
rapidresponse@we-worldwide.com
Corporate Communications, Digital Systems & Services, Hitachi, Ltd.
koho@itg.hitachi.co.jp
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Clene Nanomedicine Partners with Veristat to Reduce Biostatistical Output Time by 80% for ALS New Drug Application12.11.2026 19:09:00 EET | Press release
VeristatTM, a global clinical research organization (CRO) and consultancy specializing in complex studies, announced that it has partnered with Clene Nanomedicine to cut the time to deliver biostatistical outputs for a pivotal ALS drug application submission by 80%. Veristat reduced the time from study data to validated tables, listings and figures (TLFs) from up to six weeks to just one week. Clene, a late-stage biotech company, leveraged Veristat’s recently launched InStat™ platform, the industry’s first zero-code, fully automated solution to accelerate clinical trial processes. Biostatistical TLFs sit on the critical path for submissions, yet most sponsors rely on antiquated processes that involve slow, manual workflows to produce them, making post-database lock one of the biggest bottlenecks to regulatory approval. To remove this barrier, Veristat uses its AI-enhanced platform to compress the timeline to submission-ready TLFs from weeks to days, with every output validated by stati
WHOOP Launches WHOOP Humans, the Most Verifiably Human Social Network12.11.2026 19:00:00 EET | Press release
WHOOP, the human performance brand, today launched WHOOP Humans, a new feature that lets members follow friends and family, share fitness, health, and performance data they choose, and support each other's progress. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261112176779/en/ WHOOP Launches WHOOP Humans, the Most Verifiably Human Social Network For more than a decade, WHOOP has helped members better understand their own health and performance. Now, WHOOP Humans extends that experience beyond the individual, making it easier to celebrate achievements, encourage progress, and look out for the people who matter most. "In a world that's becoming increasingly artificial, we're building something deeply human,” said Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP. “This is the most verifiably human network ever launched. Every account represents a real person with a verified heartbeat. They have real goals, challenges, and achievements. T
Integrated Hubs for Green Chemistry Research Aim to Transform How Chemicals and Materials Are Designed12.11.2026 18:00:00 EET | Press release
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation today announced four Integrated Research Hubs to explore new frontiers in chemical design, from materials that respond to their surroundings to molecules designed for safety from the start. Bringing together global researchers across institutions and disciplines, the hubs will investigate fundamental principles that could enable new capabilities in chemicals and materials while improving performance and protecting human health and the environment. The research priorities emerged through extensive engagement with the scientific community to identify the questions that could transform what chemistry can achieve. Each hub will connect researchers across institutions around one of four green chemistry focus areas: Safer molecular design: Led by The George Washington University, this hub will combine artificial intelligence and quantum chemistry to embed safety into chemical design from the outset. Adaptive catalytic systems: Led by the Max Planck Insti
Roquette Highlights Scalable Excipient and Capsule Solutions for Regional and Global Pharmaceutical Markets at CPHI India 202612.11.2026 17:00:00 EET | Press release
Roquette, a global leader in plant-based ingredients and a leading provider of pharmaceutical excipients, will showcase its comprehensive portfolio of excipient and capsule solutions at CPHI India 2026, Hall 1, Booth 1I12 from November 23 to 25, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261112803410/en/ Meet Roquette at CPHI India 2026, Hall 1, Booth 1I12 At the event, Roquette will demonstrate how it helps pharmaceutical manufacturers accelerate the journey from formulation to market with confidence. By combining technical expertise, trusted quality, meaningful innovation and close collaboration, Roquette helps customers address formulation, scale-up and manufacturing challenges across a broad range of pharmaceutical applications. As India continues to play a critical role in supplying medicines to patients around the world, pharmaceutical manufacturers face increasing demands for quality, regulatory compliance,
Tigo Energy and Google Cloud Pair AI-Powered Tools for Solar Installers and Utilities12.11.2026 16:00:00 EET | Press release
Tigo Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: TYGO) (“Tigo” or “Company”), a leading provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, today announced a collaboration with Google Cloud to develop AI-enabled operational workflows for solar installers and distributed energy portfolios. By making core Tigo data and software products available through Google Cloud, Tigo aims to deliver faster deployment, simplified data integration, and additional insights with Gemini. The resulting workflows will help installers, asset managers, and energy operators more easily identify issues, prioritize actions, and automate routine operational tasks across growing fleets of distributed energy systems. As solar and storage portfolios expand, energy businesses are increasingly responsible for managing more sites, more system data, and more customer interactions without a proportional increase in operational resources. Through collaboration with Google Cloud, Tigo is developing AI-assisted workflows to help opera
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom