Kioxia Announces English Version of World’s First AI-Designed Manga
3.6.2020 12:30:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Kioxia Corporation today announced that an English version of “PHAEDO,” a new manga created and designed by AI and human collaboration, inspired by the artistic style of manga legend Osamu Tezuka, will be released on June 3 as part of TEZUKA 2020, the first phase of Kioxia’s #FutureMemories brand campaign. PHAEDO, which debuted in February in Japanese comic magazine “Morning,” will be made available for English-language audiences on Kioxia’s TEZUKA 2020 website. PHAEDO is the world’s first1 international manga created through human collaboration, high-speed and large-capacity memory and advanced AI technologies.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200603005356/en/
"PHAEDO" (Graphic: Business Wire)
The process of developing PHAEDO involved using AI technology to generate the story and create the characters. As a first step, to learn the essence of Tezuka’s work and his characteristics as a writer, AI analyzed 130 manga episodes, written and drawn by Osamu Tezuka, including globally famous titles such as “Astro Boy” and “Black Jack”. Based on this analysis, the AI then generated 129 candidate storylines. As a next step, the AI studied 6000 images and applied transfer learning to generate visuals for the characters.
By analyzing Tezuka’s works, AI was able to generate the physical characteristics of new characters, outlines of new stories, after which illustrators hand-drew clothing and other Tezuka inspired details and writers added dialogue. The project team consisted of engineers from Kioxia, who optimize semiconductor fab productivity and product performance using AI technology, illustrators and writers from Tezuka Productions Co., and AI researchers from Keio University and Future University Hakodate.
PHAEDO is the story of a homeless philosopher and his robot bird, Apollo, who try to solve crimes in Tokyo in 2030. This marks the first time Tezuka’s work has been recreated in 30 years.
Kioxia launched its #FutureMemories campaign last October to commemorate the company’s rebranding as Kioxia. PHAEDO is one of the many ways Kioxia intends to change the world by pursuing the potential of memory to create new value with never-before-seen experiences.
For details about PHAEDO, including videos and interviews, please visit TEZUKA 2020 website.
Notes
1. As of June 3, 2020. Kioxia Corporation research.
About Kioxia
Kioxia is a world leader in memory solutions, dedicated to the development, production and sale of flash memory and solid state drives (SSDs). In April 2017, its predecessor Toshiba Memory was spun off from Toshiba Corporation, the company that invented NAND flash memory in 1987. The company pioneers cutting-edge memory solutions and services that enrich people's lives and expand society's horizons. Kioxia's innovative 3D flash memory technology, BiCS FLASH™, is shaping the future of storage in high-density applications, including advanced smartphones, PCs, SSDs, automotive and data centers.
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/20200603005356/en/
Contact information
For more information
Sam Ghirardello (phone: +81-3-5427-7396, SGhirardello@webershandwick.com)
Satoshi Ito (phone: +81-3-5427-7309, SIto@webershandwick.com)
Weber Shandwick (Tokyo)
Natalie Telson (ntelson@webershandwick.com)
Weber Shandwick (New York)
Public Relations
Kota Yamaji (kioxia-hd-pr@kioxia.com
)
Kioxia Holdings Corporation
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
Burjeel Holdings Prices First MENA Healthcare Sukuk Since 2018, 3.2x Oversubscribed25.6.2026 20:31:00 EEST | Press release
Burjeel Holdings, a leading super-specialty healthcare group in the GCC listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, priced its inaugural USD 500 million Regulation S 5-year senior unsecured Sukuk offering due 2031 under its newly established USD 1.5 billion Senior Unsecured Sukuk Programme. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260625449702/en/ Burjeel Holdings’ inaugural Sukuk was priced at a 7.000 % profit rate and a yield of 7.125% (Photo: AETOSWire) The offering attracted significant demand from high-quality international and regional investors, with the orderbook peaking at USD 1.6 billion, representing 3.2x oversubscription. The strength of the orderbook enabled Burjeel to tighten pricing from initial price thoughts in the mid-7% area, with the Sukuk priced at a 7.000% profit rate and a yield of 7.125%, representing the lowest 5-year yield by a GCC-based private non-investment grade corporate issuer since 202
Fossil Fuels Are a Thing of the Past; The Future Is Renewable: The Smarter E Europe Concludes With a Clear Message25.6.2026 20:03:00 EEST | Press release
Packed halls, a vibrant atmosphere and a buzzing vibe – after three days, The smarter E Europe 2026, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, has come to a successful close. The event held at Messe München offered a glimpse of a future-oriented energy world powered by renewables. A strong signal with a clear message went out to the world from the Bavarian capital: The future is renewable. Renewable energies can help ensure a reliable, secure and cost-effective energy supply around the clock, seven days a week. A total of 2,650 exhibitors from 52 countries – many of whom had expanded their booth space compared with the previous year – demonstrated how this can work. More than 66 percent of exhibitors were from outside of Germany. They presented innovative and market-ready products ranging from virtual power plants, smart grid and load control, smart charging solutions, storage technologies and PV hybrid systems to digital platforms transparently and flexibly.The
HeyGen Doubles to $200M ARR in Eight Months on the Rise of Identity-First AI Video25.6.2026 19:02:00 EEST | Press release
HeyGen, the identity-first AI video platform, today announced it has surpassed $200 million in annual recurring revenue, doubling in eight months. The milestone reflects a rapid shift in how individuals, small businesses, and enterprises adopt AI video: as a scalable layer for human communication across languages, formats, and audiences. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260625305891/en/ HeyGen passes $200M in ARR HeyGen's community now spans more than 30 million users in 196 countries and 175+ languages & dialects, from solopreneurs creating professional social videos for the first time to 85% of the Fortune 100 — who together have created more than 118 million videos. That growth has come with rare capital efficiency: HeyGen generates roughly $2.70 in ARR for every dollar of equity capital raised, making it one of the most capital-efficient venture-backed AI companies in the world. "Crossing $200 million in AR
Amazfit Brings Interactive iOS Notifications to Select Smartwatches in Europe25.6.2026 17:50:00 EEST | Press release
Amazfit, a leading global smart wearable brand owned by Zepp Health, today announced its support of iOS Notification Forwarding, a new Beta feature that provides eligible iPhone users in the European Union with a more complete notification experience on select Amazfit smartwatches. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260625552705/en/ Amazfit brings interactive iOS notifications to select smartwatches in Europe, allowing users to interact with supported notifications directly from their watch. The feature goes beyond basic notification alerts, allowing users to interact with supported notifications directly from their watch. Depending on the notification type, users may be able to reply to messages, complete quick actions such as Mark as Read or Call Back, and view supported images from camera, doorbell and other alerts. iOS Notification Forwarding will initially be available on: Amazfit Cheetah 2 Ultra Amazfit Bal
Quorum Software Acquires Streamba to Extend Leadership as the AI Platform for the Energy Value Chain25.6.2026 17:35:00 EEST | Press release
Quorum Software, a global leader in energy software, today announced the acquisition of Streamba, an AI-native supply chain platform purpose-built for energy. This acquisition advances Quorum's position as the AI platform for the energy industry — embedding intelligent, real-time orchestration across upstream, midstream, measurement, SCADA and supply chain. For the first time, energy operators can connect planning, execution and back office in a single, AI-powered system. Quorum has built a comprehensive energy software platform through sustained innovation and strategic acquisitions, spanning planning, production operations, measurement, accounting, hydrocarbon management and logistics. Streamba’s Visibility, Orchestration and Response (VOR) platform adds a centralized operational intelligence layer that unifies data, workflows and cross-functional teams across the supply chain—surfacing what matters, enabling rapid response to disruptions and progressively shifting coordination from
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