TOKYO: Hitachi Ltd. said Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with Microsoft Corp. to collaborate in expanding the use of generative artificial intelligence to improve business productivity and efficiency.

The two companies said that the multibillion-dollar strategic partnership over the next three years will focus on creating innovative industry solutions that deliver transformative outcomes for businesses and society.

The Japanese electronics company will embed Microsoft’s solutions such as its cloud service Azure Open AI Service on Hitachi’s internet of things platform Lumada.

The technology will be utilized to improve productivity inside Hitachi, including at British unit Hitachi Rail Ltd., which will use generative AI for device monitoring.

Hitachi will train more than 50,000 experts on advanced AI skills using Microsoft’s services.

The two companies will also promote joint projects to address challenges related to the spread of generative AI, such as massive electricity consumption at data centers and security.

JIJI Press