
Casio to release new MT-G featuring original frame co-created by humans and AI
Casio Computer Co Ltd has announced the latest addition to the G-SHOCK brand of shock-resistant watches: the MTG-B4000. This new timepiece features a distinctive frame developed in a process of collaboration between human designers and AI technology. The MTG-B4000 joins the MT-G line of timepieces, all of which utilize a unique construction that makes the most of the properties of both metal and resin.
Driven by its Purpose — 'Through the power to put wonder at hand, bring new levels of joy to lives one by one' — Casio continues to create new value the world has never seen before. With the G-SHOCK MT-G line, Casio continues to push the boundaries of shock-resistant construction by combining different materials, resulting in practical and original designs that go beyond conventional norms.
The new MTG-B4000 is a shock-resistant watch featuring a distinctive frame that was developed in a process of collaboration between human designers and generative AI and uses a combination of different materials. For the first time in a Casio consumer timepiece, generative AI technology was integrated into the development process. In pursuit of innovative craftsmanship, designers employed this advanced technology as a creative tool to explore new design possibilities and conquer the challenge of realizing a complex, unconventional structure which would have been difficult to achieve using traditional methods.
Starting with design proposals from human designers, AI conducted load simulations using decades of accumulated data on shock-resistant construction for G-SHOCK. It then proposed optimal structural configurations by evaluating factors such as structural strength, material characteristics, and machinability. These AI-generated designs were refined through repeated testing and adjustments by skilled human hands, resulting in a frame that delivers the G-SHOCK signature ruggedness with a distinctive, unconventional aesthetic only achievable through AI collaboration. A new approach was also introduced by integrating the band connection parts into the frame. This allows the frame to directly absorb loads applied to the band, reducing impact on the center case and further enhancing shock resistance.
The frame is cut out from a base material consisting of laminated carbon and glass fiber sheets, resulting in a beautiful layered pattern visible from the side. The top of the bezel features finely finished surfaces, including areas treated with Sallaz polishing, giving the watch a refined appearance with a strong sense of depth and detail from every angle.
Price: 176,000 yen
© Japan Today

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
Government adopts new intellectual property program to enhance competitiveness
The government adopted a new intellectual property promotion program at a meeting of a relevant council on Tuesday, with an aim to boost the country's presence in the international arena. The 2025 version is designed to enhance Japan's international competitiveness in the field of intellectual property through utilizing advanced digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence, and attracting foreign talent. "Intellectual property is an important revenue source for Japan and plays a critical role in bolstering Japanese companies' competitiveness," Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the intellectual property strategy headquarters, said at the meeting. "To create competitive intellectual properties, we will thoroughly reinforce AI utilization." The government aims to raise the country's ranking in the World Intellectual Property Organization's annual Global Innovation Index to fourth or higher by 2035. Japan was 13th in the 2024 rankings, while Switzerland ranked first, followed by Sweden and the United States. Japan was at its highest on the rankings in 2007, at fourth place. Under the new program, the government will create an environment to draw top-level researchers in AI and other fields from abroad. It will also support intellectual property-related human resources development for startups and improve productivity in the intellectual property field using AI. The measures are aimed at boosting scores on evaluation criteria for which Japan is currently poorly rated, such as the amount of foreign investment. The program also includes a policy to promote the overseas expansion of domestic industries related to "Cool Japan" soft power, including anime in which Japan has strength. It calls for accelerating anime tourism, or travel to real-life locations that appear in anime. The government hopes to expand the economic impact of related industries to ¥50 trillion ($347 billion) by 2033. The program said that a conclusion needs to be swiftly reached on various issues regarding defining inventors, amid controversy over whether AI developers should be recognized as the creators of related inventions. It also sought a study on revising legislation, including the design law, to strengthen protecting designs in the "metaverse" virtual world. At the headquarters meeting, the government also adopted a fresh strategy aimed at having Japanese product standards adopted around the world. The first revision to the strategy in 19 years includes establishing a new public-private command center and intensive support in eight fields, including digital and AI technology and disaster management.


Japan Times
2 days ago
- Japan Times
TSMC flags delays in Japan expansion while U.S. plans advance
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company CEO C. C. Wei blamed worsening traffic snarls for delays in expanding its base in southwest Japan, even while a parallel U.S. effort races ahead. Wei reaffirmed TSMC's commitment to spend another $100 billion to ramp up manufacturing in Arizona over the next half-decade, while saying a plan to build a second plant in Japan was experiencing slight delays. He stressed productive discussions with Donald Trump earlier this year, even after telling the U.S. president it will be "very, very difficult' for TSMC to complete the massive buildout in five years due to a shortage of skilled labor. Trump was "warm' during their exchange, Wei said. The twin projects embody TSMC's impetus to produce abroad as geopolitical tensions rise and demand grows for Nvidia chips essential for developing AI. TSMC has long operated mostly from its home turf of Taiwan but built a plant in Japan after securing a raft of commitments and incentives from Tokyo. It then announced plans to dramatically increase its U.S. investment days after Trump took office. TSMC's first Japan factory, which began operating last year, has been a boon to the local economy. But it's also overwhelming the community's farm-town infrastructure, causing shortages in housing and services and stretching commute times. "We have created too big an impact on the local traffic. I have experienced that in person. For what used to take a 10-15 min drive, it now takes almost an hour,' the CEO told reporters after hosting a shareholders' meeting in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Tuesday. "We told the Japanese government we'll delay the construction until the traffic improves. They said they'll make improvements as soon as possible.' But Wei did not specify the length of the delay, which he characterized as minor. TSMC said in an emailed statement late Tuesday that it is starting construction of the second plant within this year, reiterating the revised schedule offered by Wei during an earnings conference in April. The world's largest contract chipmaker sits at the heart of that technology supply chain, producing cutting-edge chips for Apple's iPhones and Nvidia's AI servers. Governments from Washington to Brussels have for years courted the company, particularly after shortages of certain types of semiconductors during the pandemic halted production of cars, smartphones, power tools, home appliances and other electronics. TSMC's plan to build a second factory in Kumamoto Prefecture — with construction widely expected to have started in the first quarter of this year — is key to Japan's ambitions to regain leadership in semiconductors and attract engineers to an aging country. The local community has not been able to fully absorb the sudden influx of workers from TSMC's first plant, however, even as the chipmaker's plans in the United States lowers the urgency of production in Japan. "This will become negative for the area, for the local government, but I am most worried it will become negative for local residents,' Wei said. "So we told the Japanese government to improve the traffic first.' In response to Wei's comments, Japan's chief government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a regular news conference, "Heightened uncertainty in the global economy, along with challenges including the lack of domestic infrastructure and labor can lead to hesitation among private companies thinking of investing.' Tokyo recognizes the need to create an environment that attracts talent and investment from overseas, he said. The holdup in Japan recalls earlier hitches in getting production up and running at TSMC's newest U.S. facilities in Arizona — though TSMC has made significant headway since. There also remain questions about the longer-term outlook for AI demand. Even before Washington slapped additional tariffs on much of the world — only to roll them back shortly after — investors had questioned whether big tech firms from Microsoft to Meta will continue to buy Nvidia chips and build data centers at the same pace. Executives on Tuesday said demand for AI chips still outstripped supply. Wei reaffirmed the chipmaker was still looking for 2025 revenue growth in the mid-20% range, an outlook it delivered during quarterly earnings calls in April. But the executive also warned that the strengthening Taiwanese dollar was pressuring its margins, even though the company expects record profit this year. TSMC executives have stressed that demand — particularly for high-end chips critical to developing artificial intelligence — has remained resilient. That's helped reassure investors fearful of the Trump administration's escalating campaign to curtail China's tech ambitions and impose sky-high tariffs on goods around the world. For 2025, the market remains nervous about the fallout for the global economy and a sector that supplies critical components to just about every industry on the planet. Taiwan's largest company is also reportedly evaluating building an advanced production facility in the United Arab Emirates. The project — discussed with the Trump administration — is said to be a substantial investment in what's called a gigafab, a complex of six factories similar to what TSMC is building in Arizona. On Tuesday, Wei said TSMC didn't harbor plans to build a chip fab in the region due to a lack of customers there.


Yomiuri Shimbun
2 days ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Meta Becomes the Latest Big Tech Company Turning to Nuclear Power for AI Needs
John Dixon/The News-Gazette via AP, File This June 2, 2016 file photo shows the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Clinton, Ill. WASHINGTON (AP) — Meta has cut a 20-year deal to secure nuclear power to help meet surging demand for artificial intelligence and other computing needs at Facebook's parent company. The investment with Meta will also expand the output of a Constellation Energy Illinois nuclear plant. The agreement announced Tuesday is just the latest in a string of tech-nuclear partnerships as the use of AI expands. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. Constellation's Clinton Clean Energy Center was actually slated to close in 2017 after years of financial losses but was saved by legislation in Illinois establishing a zero-emission credit program to support the plant into 2027. The agreement deal takes effect in June of 2027, when the state's taxpayer funded zero-emission credit program expires. With the arrival of Meta, Clinton's clean energy output will expand by 30 megawatts, preserve 1,100 local jobs and bring in $13.5 million in annual tax revenue, according to the companies. The plant currently powers the equivalent of about 800,000 U.S. homes. George Gross, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Illinois. estimates that 30 additional megawatts would be enough to power a city with about 30,00 residents for one year. 'Securing clean, reliable energy is necessary to continue advancing our AI ambitions,' said Urvi Parekh, Meta's head of global energy. Surging investments in small nuclear reactors comes at a time when large tech companies are facing two major demands: a need to increase their energy supply for AI and data centers, among other needs, while also trying to meet their long-term goals to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Constellation, the owner of the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, said in September that it planned to restart the reactor so tech giant Microsoft could secure power to supply its data centers. Three Mile Island, located on the Susquehanna River just outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was the site of the nation's worst commercial nuclear power accident in 1979. Also last fall, Amazon said it was investing in small nuclear reactors, two days after a similar announcement by Google. Additionally, Google announced last month that it was investing in three advanced nuclear energy projects with Elementl Power. U.S. states have been positioning themselves to meet the tech industry's power needs as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and gutting regulatory obstacles. Last year, 25 states passed legislation to support advanced nuclear energy, and lawmakers this year have introduced over 200 bills supportive of nuclear energy, according to the trade association Nuclear Energy Institute. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government's regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. Still, it's unlikely the U.S. could quadruple its nuclear production within the next 25 years, like the White House wants. The United States lacks any next-generation reactors operating commercially and only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in nearly 50 years. Those two reactors, at a nuclear plant in Georgia, were completed years late and at least $17 billion over budget. Additionally, Gross recommends that the U.S. invest more in the transmission grid that moves that power around. 'That's my biggest concern,' Gross said, adding that spending on the grid has actually fallen off in recent years, despite the voracious demand for energy. Amazon, Google and Microsoft also have been investing in solar and wind technologies, which make electricity without producing greenhouse gas emissions. Shares of Constellation Energy Corp., based in Baltimore, were flat Tuesday.