Latest news with #NTTData
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 Microsoft Build 開發者大會：智慧代理崛起，開啟開放式 Agentic Web 新時代
AI 智慧代理（AI agents）的時代正式登場。隨著推理與知識管理技術突飛猛進，AI 模型不只變得更強大，效率也更高，展現出能用嶄新方式協助解決問題的潛力。像是 GitHub Copilot，已吸引 1,500 萬名開發者使用，其內建的代理模式和程式碼審查功能，正逐步改變開發者撰寫、檢查、部署及除錯程式碼的流程。 在企業領域，數十萬名使用者已開始透過 Microsoft 365 Copilot 進行資料研究、激盪想法與開發解方。目前已有超過 23 萬家企業組織——包含九成財星 500 大企業——使用 Copilot Studio 打造 AI agents 和自動化工作流程。 例如，富士通與 NTT Data 運用 Azure AI Foundry 協助潛在客戶排序，加快提案進度，並提供市場洞察；Stanford Health Care 則透過 healthcare agent orchestrator 建構 AI agents，進一步簡化行政作業及醫療討論會議的準備流程。 微軟在今年的 Build 開發者大會中展示了一系列針對平台、產品與基礎架構的創新，目的是讓 AI 智慧代理不只存在於概念，更實際落地在開發、研究與產業應用中。這些變革圍繞著「Agentic Web」——一種讓 AI agents 成為日常任務與決策助手的網路架構，並且是一個開放式、生態系整合的未來網路藍圖。 這樣的願景背後，有一個清楚的方向：協助開發者與組織發揮創意，驅動未來的數位轉型與創新。 在技術方面，微軟透過 GitHub、Azure AI Foundry 與 Windows 等平台，帶來多項全新工具與功能。GitHub Copilot 升級為具備智慧代理能力的程式助手，加入非同步代理功能，還新增提示管理、評估工具與控管機制；此外，GitHub Copilot Chat 在 VS Code 中也正式開放原始碼，促進更多開放式協作。 Windows AI Foundry 則成為一個從模型訓練到推論都能涵蓋的完整開發平台，支援在裝置端或雲端部署大型語言模型。Azure AI Foundry 也進一步引入模型排行榜與智能模型路由器，可根據需求自動選擇合適的模型，強化使用彈性。 在 AI agents 的建置與部署方面，微軟也推出一系列安全又容易擴展的方案，包括預設代理、客製化模組與多代理協作等功能。新登場的 Azure AI Foundry Agent Service 整合 Semantic Kernel 與 AutoGen，提供開發者友善的 SDK，同時支援模型上下文協定（Model Context Protocol, MCP）與代理互動機制（A2A）。 企業在部署 AI agents 時的資料安全與身份管理，也是本次更新的重點。Microsoft Entra Agent ID 為每個代理自動產生唯一身分識別，結合 Microsoft Purview 的資料治理機制與報告工具，有助於防堵無序擴張與潛在風險。 在 Microsoft 365 的應用層面，Copilot Tuning 功能讓企業能簡易訓練模型、建構專屬代理；同時多代理協作功能也已正式支援，可以讓不同專長的代理協同完成複雜任務，例如律師事務所就可設計專門生成法律文件的代理。 為了推動整個 AI 生態更進一步走向開放，微軟也全面支援 Model Context Protocol，並與 GitHub 共同加入其指導委員會。此外，全新開放專案 NLWeb 正式發表，未來網站可以透過 NLWeb 建立互動式對話介面，同時成為 AI agents 可探索與應用的資料端點。 最後，在 AI 加速科研應用上，微軟發表 Microsoft Discovery 平台，讓研究人員能以智慧代理技術重新設計研發流程，從藥物研發到永續發展議題都能加快探索與解決的腳步。 更多3C資訊Motorola razr 60 Ultra 實測vivo X200 Ultra 比 X200 Pro 強很多？
Yomiuri Shimbun
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Is Japanese Really Needed for Doing Business in Japan? / Startups Often Deal with Big Corporations in English
Courtesy of Mike Kim Mike Kim Late in 2023, a Japanese executive of a major Japanese corporation took me out to a sushi dinner at one of his favorite spots in Tokyo. During the dinner, I updated him on the progress of my Japanese studies, mentioning that I was at a basic conversational level. He responded, 'You don't need Japanese anymore to do business in Japan.' His comment surprised me. However, several other Japanese business leaders have since conveyed similar views to me. One of them said, 'Mike, Japanese is good to know for convenience and your personal life in Tokyo, but it is not needed for your business in Japan.' These comments from Japanese businesspeople led me to ponder the question: Is Japanese necessary to do business in Japan? My answer is 'no.' No language issue with trading house I run a Tokyo-based consultancy helping foreign AI startups build lasting customer relationships with corporations in Japan. I also cover other countries in Asia, but the majority of my work is in the Japan market. And in fact, all of my work is done in English. When I was an early employee at a startup in the San Francisco Bay Area, someone from the local office of a major Japanese trading house reached out to us. He had learned about the startup's technology and sent an email in English to the startup's general email address introducing himself and his corporation. All of the email communications, meetings, materials, and contracts with the trading house were conducted in English. There was never a request by them for communication or materials in Japanese. Fast forward to several years later, and the corporation became the first Japanese investor in the startup, became a distributor, and introduced their Japanese customers. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to work so closely with them. Language was not a barrier to collaboration. Digital teams key to connections Large Japanese companies today are impressive for their ability to conduct business in English. I believe we'll see the English capabilities of these large companies trickle down to smaller companies. This may happen as smaller and mid-sized companies increasingly adopt AI and require more English-language collaboration in the process. It may also occur as employees from large corporations take on leadership roles at smaller firms. I advise foreign startups that digital and innovation teams within Japanese corporations are your best friends. They are excellent entry points and can help you efficiently navigate the large company as these sections often have the role of scouting and sourcing startup technology while maintaining connections with internal business units. In my experience, all or almost all of these departments at large Japanese corporations have been able to support business in English. All of the business between NTT Data, a Tokyo-based IT services provider, and my client Bifrost AI, a U.S. startup specializing in 3D synthetic data generation for AI training, has been conducted in English, without the need for interpretation or translation. The NTT Data team we work with has members from Japan, Romania, Italy and India. English is their common language. We have collaborated solely in English. To further highlight the global nature of NTT Data, in March they hosted a conference in Milan for their European and global customers. They invited Bifrost AI and me to attend and present. At the conference, I spoke with NTT Data employees from all over the world. It was a mixture of people from various countries, as well as globally minded Japanese professionals based outside of Japan. Language as proxy for cultural fluency Language functions as a proxy for cultural fluency. Those who don't speak the language are unlikely to fully grasp the culture or its nuances. If a Japanese customer you're working with can't speak English, it's a good indicator that they may also lack exposure to the business culture of the United States, Britain, Australia or other countries. Since U.S. startups also tend to lack familiarity with Japanese business culture, it's a recipe for friction — particularly in communication and expectations. I've seen this firsthand. Instead of taking on non-English-speaking customers, what I tell my clients is save themselves the pain. As a strategy, I recommend they start with the many Japanese corporations today that can conduct business in English. Then once they gain critical momentum, they can hire Japanese staff as part of their growth plan so that they can expand support to Japanese customers in Japanese. English becoming ecosystem Of course, there are areas of business in Japan that absolutely require Japanese language skills. But there are many areas of business in Japan where Japanese is no longer a necessity. This wasn't the case when I first started doing business here in 2016, but the landscape has changed. I'm grateful that in 2025, a consulting business like mine is possible in Japan. I'm especially thankful that English is becoming an ecosystem of Japanese corporations. My wife is from Brazil and also doesn't speak much Japanese, but Tokyo has become our favorite city in the world. Both of our sons were born here. Our older son, now 3 years old, attends a Japanese preschool. Unsurprisingly, he's picking up the language much faster than I am. Just the other day, my wife and I reflected on how our sons might one day be well positioned to work at the intersection of U.S.-Japan business. They're on track to be fluent in Japanese — but chances are they might not even need it for business. Mike Kim is the founder of Gradient Consulting, a consultancy specializing in accelerating the Japan and Asia business of AI technology companies and startups. He has over 20 years of experience across nine countries in the Asia Pacific region and is based in Tokyo.
Wall Street Journal
13-05-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
NTT Data Group Plans Key Investor Meetings Ahead of IPO, Sources Say
Japan's NTT Data Group 9613 0.03%increase; green up pointing triangle is set to start meeting select investors soon ahead of its proposed listing of a new Singapore real-estate investment trust, people familiar with the process said. Meetings with cornerstone investors are likely to start in a week or two, one of the people said. The initial public offering could raise up to US$650 million, but those numbers could change, one of the people said.
Reuters
09-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Breakingviews - NTT generously models Japan's next wave of buyouts
HONG KONG, May 9 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (9432.T), opens new tab is doing its state backers a favour. The Japanese telecom company, in which the Ministry of Finance holds a roughly one-third stake, is offering to buy out the 42% it doesn't already own of its subsidiary NTT Data (9613.T), opens new tab for 2.37 trillion yen ($16.4 billion). That's a chunky premium for minority shareholders. But it models a type of dealmaking officials want to see more of in Japan. The $86 billion acquirer says its cash flow and financing capabilities will help the subsidiary, which was listed in 1995, strengthen its presence in North America and upgrade data centre infrastructure as demand for artificial intelligence increases. Official pressure may also be a factor driving the deal. The government wants Japan Inc. to use capital more efficiently to ultimately support the economy. Bourse operator Japan Exchange Group has been running a campaign to remove conflicts of interest between parent companies and their subsidiaries' minority shareholders. These messy dual-listing structures are common in Japan; Nippon Telegraph admits, opens new tab the deal to absorb its subsidiary will simplify the relationship. This type of consolidation will drive the next wave of Japanese buyouts. Of all the large M&A deals currently on the table in the country, Nippon Telegraph's deal is the most likely to succeed. By contrast, a potential $42 billion offer from Toyota Motors Chair Akio Toyoda to buy Toyota Industries (6201.T), opens new tab looks like scrap value. Nippon Telegraph is offering, at 4,000 yen per share, a price the stock last hit around the dotcom bubble. Getting up there this time involved the subsidiary pushing back against its parent. Filings released, opens new tab on Thursday show the buyer initially proposed to pay 3,200 yen per share last month and increased the amount on four occasions: on Friday morning the target's shares were trading just below the buyout price. It all means that Nippon Telegraph is paying a huge 67% premium, or $6.6 billion, to when it started negotiating with its target. Covering that might mean finding annual savings of about 140 billion yen, almost $1 billion, or a punchy 15% of NTT Data's operating expenses in the year to the end of March 2025, once taxed – at the 31% rate the company tends to pay – and capitalised. NTT has a track record of making generous buyout offers, such as when it absorbed NTT Docomo five years ago in a larger deal. However, companies are so undervalued in Japan that high premiums are likely to be a feature of the many more deals to come. It's fitting that a state-backed company is devising a model for how to get deals done. Japanese telecom provider Nippon Telegraph and Telephone on May 8 announced a tender offer to buy all the shares of NTT Data that it doesn't already own, valuing the information technology services company at 5.6 trillion yen ($38.8 billion). At 4,000 yen per share, the offer represents a premium of 34% to NTT Data's closing share price on May 7, and of 67% to the closing price on April 7 before the two parties started negotiating a deal. NTT currently owns 57.7% of NTT Data. The tender offer period will run from May 9 to June 19.
Business Recorder
09-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Japan's Nikkei hits more than one-month high on optimism around trade talks
TOKYO: Japan's Nikkei share average hit a more than one-month high on Friday, as risk appetite was lifted by hopes of progress in US trade talks and domestic firms' better-than-expected outlook. The Nikkei rose 1.49% to 37,478.58 by the midday break, its highest level since March 27, and is set to post a 1.76% weekly gain. The broader Topix rose 1.46% to 2,738, and was set for an 11-session rally - its longest since October 2017. 'Investors see that the market slump in April was the worst, and the environment not just for equities but for bonds is only getting better as more compromises on trade talks could be possible,' said Hiroyuki Ueno, chief strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management. US President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday announced a limited bilateral trade agreement that leaves in place Trump's 10% tariffs on British exports. Financial markets are now awaiting the outcome of preliminary US-China trade talks due to begin on Saturday in Switzerland. Trump said on Thursday he expects there to be substantive negotiations between the two countries, and predicted that punitive US tariffs on Beijing of 145% would likely come down. 'The market was also relieved that the outlook of Japanese firms, including Toyota, is not severely affected by the US tariffs,' said Ueno. Investors were once pessimistic about the corporate outlook amid uncertainties about the impact of US tariffs. Japan's Nikkei rises; NTT Data set to surge on takeover report Among individual stocks, NTT Data surged 14% after NTT said it would take the subsidiary private by purchasing the shares it does not already own at 4,000 yen per share. Ajinomoto rose 6.24% after the food and healthcare company announced a 100-billion-yen ($686.2 million) share buyback. On the other hand, air-conditioning maker Daikin Industries fell 5.03% to become the worst percentage loser on the Nikkei, and also weighed on the Nikkei the most.
