Home Retail & Consumer Panasonic Acquires Hot Silicon Valley AI Startup

Panasonic Acquires Hot Silicon Valley AI Startup

Japanese electronics giant, Panasonic will purchase an American startup this month in an attempt to acquire more artificial intelligence expertise. The startup that’s been purchased is called Arimo and is based over in California’s Silicon Valley region. Founded back in 2013 the company currently employs 16 people including some alumni of Google as well as other technological experts.

Panasonic isn’t alone in tapping into young AI companies looking for talent in order to develop new technologies in this emerging field. Others also in the AI startup investment business include Toyota motor and robot manufacturer Fanuc.

In the four years that Arimo’s been around it’s managed to establish itself quite well in the deep learning analysis field. Some of the companies more famous clients include NASDAQ. Here it’s AI technology is used to perform market analysis, but it’s also used by several of the major American department stores in which to predict its customers buying trends.

Another area the startup is skilled in is handling dynamic data including the Internet of Things. For example, the company’s AI can predict when certain devices in factories will break down by simply tracking changes in their activity. The first thing the company is aiming for is to use AI in business refrigerators for chains that include convenience stores and supermarkets To provide optimal operating patterns based on previous data, the internal temperature of the refrigerators, and energy usage.

A new maintenance service will also be launched that will be able to track the usage of industrial air conditioners. This will enable companies to predict when parts are likely to break down and tackle the problem in advance. Other applications that could benefit from this technology include those that focus on managing the physical health of the elderly based on sensors and data obtained from various sources.

Since earlier this year Panasonic has been collecting various pieces of data from household equipment, auto-related services, and appliances from the cloud in a trial study. Its goal is to come up with a system that improves its products’ efficiency by analysing information gathered by Arimo’s AI. It will also use this cloud data to improve productivity in its own factories as well as to help create new business opportunities.

On a separate note, Panasonic is currently developing AI technology that relates to its current businesses and products including image recognition software for cameras. However, it has very few experts in the data analysis field and therefore intends to use tech staff from Arimo in which to strengthen these areas.

Original source Nikkei

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KC Cheung
KC Cheung has over 18 years experience in the technology industry including media, payments, and software and has a keen interest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, deep learning, neural networks and its applications in business. Over the years he has worked with some of the leading technology companies, building and growing dynamic teams in a fast moving international environment.
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