Insider Brief
- Hitachi and Intel have formed a strategic partnership focused on physical AI, advanced computing and digital infrastructure, with plans to develop technologies for manufacturing, energy, mobility and other industrial sectors.
- The collaboration will combine Hitachi’s industrial and operational technology expertise with Intel’s computing and semiconductor platforms across five areas: foundry tools, quantum computing, energy optimization, custom silicon and edge AI, and factory automation.
- Key initiatives include applying physical AI to semiconductor manufacturing data, expanding joint quantum computing research, deploying energy management technologies in Intel fabrication facilities and developing AI-powered industrial automation systems designed to improve efficiency and resilience.
Hitachi and Intel have formed a strategic partnership focused on physical AI, quantum computing and digital infrastructure, as the two companies look to develop technologies for manufacturing, energy, mobility and other industrial sectors.
According to the companies, the collaboration will combine Hitachi’s expertise in information technology, operational technology and industrial systems with Intel’s computing platforms and semiconductor technologies to develop new AI-driven industrial applications and infrastructure solutions.
Hitachi president and CEO Toshiaki Tokunaga noted the agreement builds on more than four decades of collaboration between the two companies
“As the emergence of Physical AI brings a significant impact on our society, this collaboration will accelerate AI transformation across a wide range of industries that support social infrastructure,” Tokunaga said. “By combining Hitachi’s IT, OT, and products with Intel’s advanced computing capabilities, we are well positioned to advance the deployment of AI in mission-critical social infrastructure worldwide. We will also create new value in frontier fields such as quantum computing.”
The companies said the partnership will focus on five areas:
- Foundry tools: Applying physical AI to data generated by Hitachi’s metrology and etching systems to support predictive diagnostics, maintenance optimization, improved yield and faster semiconductor manufacturing.
- Quantum computing: Expanding joint research efforts to advance quantum technologies and explore new industrial applications.
- Energy optimization: Deploying Hitachi’s HMAX Energy platform in Intel fabrication facilities and integrating Intel’s high-voltage semiconductor technologies into energy infrastructure.
- Custom silicon and edge AI: Exploring new computing platforms and AI applications designed for industrial environments.
- Factory automation: Developing technologies that combine AI, automation and operational technology to improve manufacturing efficiency and industrial operations.
“The coming wave of physical AI will transform the industrial edge of our economy through new advances in robotics, autonomous machines, and other AI edge devices,” Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan said. “By combining Intel’s advanced computing and AI capabilities with Hitachi’s deep OT expertise and world class IT capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to help industries capture the enormous opportunity represented by physical AI at industrial scale.”
