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
NIKE, Inc. Announces Planned CFO Transition23.6.2026 23:17:00 EEST | Press release
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) today announced that David M. Denton will join the company as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective August 17. Matthew Friend will step down as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at that time and remain with the company through September 4 to support an orderly transition. Friend will participate in the company’s fourth quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call on June 30, as planned. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260623328558/en/ David M. Denton | Incoming Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, NIKE, Inc. Denton will lead Nike’s global finance organization, partnering with President and Chief Executive Officer Elliott Hill and the Senior Leadership Team to support disciplined execution, capital allocation, and long-term value creation. “Dave is a proven public-company CFO who knows how to help great consumer brands operate with disciplin
Grid Dynamics Hosted XT26, Convening Capital Markets Technology Leaders on the Volatility of AI in Financial Services23.6.2026 23:05:00 EEST | Press release
Grid Dynamics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: GDYN) (“Grid Dynamics”), a premier AI transformation partner for the Fortune 1000, hosted XT26. The invite-only conference convened over 250 senior technology leaders from banking, hedge funds, and capital markets at Tower Hill, London. Now in its 10th year, the XT conference series has grown into one of financial services engineering's most respected peer forums in London, built on a single premise: pure thought leadership grounded in real-world experience, with no sales pitches, and no vendor presentations. Just practitioners who are actually doing the work. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260623112231/en/ Simone Steel speaking at XT26 The event included speakers and delegates from organizations including Bank of America, Citi, HSBC, UBS, RBC, Barclays, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, NatWest, Meta, FINOS, and Griffin Bank, among others. With a focus on the volatility of AI i
Thales Secures Significant U.S. Army LOCODA Radio Order Following Rapid Development Push23.6.2026 20:42:00 EEST | Press release
Delivering capability at mission speed, Thales subsidiary, Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI), has secured an order for up to 5,000 Low Cost Data Architecture (LOCODA) Radio Adaptable Transport (RAT) platforms. The Thales RAT solution, which was conceived, developed and field-ready less than four months, modernizes voice and data communications and integrates effortlessly into radio mounts across all current and future U.S. Army vehicle platforms. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260623043996/en/ Thales Radio Adaptable Transport (c)Thales The LOCODA RAT platform provides soldiers with a reliable, adaptable communications capability they can depend on across any mission and environment. By reusing existing vehicle radio mounts and supporting a wide range of radios and mission modules, it reduces setup time and simplifies integration in the field. Soldiers gain secure, flexible voice and data connectivity tha
Epicor Prism Launches Across European Markets, Bringing Embedded, Industry-Specific AI to Manufacturers23.6.2026 18:55:00 EEST | Press release
Epicor has expanded its AI-driven ERP strategy in the UK and select European markets with the general availability of Epicor Prism, a portfolio of vertical AI agents designed specifically for the supply chain industries. Embedded directly in Epicor Kinetic, Epicor Prism gives customers conversational access to live ERP data and related documents without needing specialised analytics skills or separate AI tools. The launch reflects a broader shift in ERP from systems of record to systems of outcomes that help users interpret data, make decisions and take action in real time — a transformation Epicor calls Cognitive ERP. Responding to pressure on productivity and skills European manufacturers are under growing pressure to raise productivity, strengthen supply chain resilience and remain globally competitive despite workforce constraints and ongoing digital skills shortages. While many organisations continue to invest heavily in ERP, turning operational data into timely insight at the poi
Airship Appoints Laura Zwahlen as Chief Revenue Officer23.6.2026 18:00:00 EEST | Press release
Airship, the mobile-first customer experience company, today announced the appointment of Laura Zwahlen as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). Zwahlen will oversee all global revenue-generating activities, driving the alignment, execution, and strategy across Airship’s sales, account management, and customer success teams to accelerate the company’s market leadership and customer impact. She will report directly to CEO Brett Caine. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260623145620/en/ Laura Zwahlen, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Airship Zwahlen brings more than 20 years of go-to-market and revenue leadership experience, with a proven track record of guiding technology organizations through rapid growth, strategic acquisitions, and public offerings. Previously, she served as CRO at NextRoll (the parent company of AdRoll and AdRoll ABM) where she led global revenue teams and drove initiatives centered on sustainable growth
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