June 30, 2022

Creating an Efficient Society and Shifting to a Sustainable World

Creating a society that runs efficiently. That is the very vision which NEC is trying to realize through Analytics AI research and development. "Efficiency" does not mean only the pursuit of labor reduction and profit. For example, "efficiency" as conceived by NEC also includes questions such as how to allocate the demand and supply of electricity and gas across society as a whole in a well-balanced manner or how to minimize food loss. We are advancing the research and development of technologies that solve the global social problems that are also raised by SDGs and can contribute to the realization of a sustainable society.
NEC's unique algorithm development is globally recognized, its research papers continue to be accepted by the top NeurIPS international conference, and the company displays a significant presence in academia.

Realizing the Optimization of Real Issues with a Unique Modeling Approach

Currently, "optimization" is a theme which is the subject of particular focus within the Analytics AI area. This is a theme which has also been long researched in the field of mathematical engineering, and optimization itself is supported by existing algorithms. It could be said that the barriers to practical application lie instead in the first part. In other words, it is a process which expresses complex, real world events with mathematical models. In contrast, NEC is developing and advancing the practical application of useful optimization technologies which utilize the know-how and wisdom of many work sites.

Primary research technologies

Online optimization

This is a technology which optimizes by incrementally advancing the target modeling in parallel while operating with a small start. In contrast to reinforcement learning, which requires a high data volume and learning time, this technology can provide optimization services in a short time period even for varied targets. Our goal is to utilize this technology in dynamic pricing and product lineup optimization as well as various recommendation actions.

Intentional learning

Negotiation AI

This technology assists with the negotiation of business transactions between independent organizations such as the ordering party and the receiving party. Instead of having a relationship is which one party profits while the other loses, it derives points which achieve a win-win outcome with the goal of optimization across society as a whole. For example, it is expected to be utilized in the automation of material procurement and logistics carpooling which uses available truck transportation slots.