Tsuzuki Denki and IBM Japan Sign AI Partnership

Tsuzuki Denki Co., Ltd. IBM Japan, Ltd.

Tsuzuki Denki Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Katsuyuki Yoshida; hereinafter "Tsuzuki Denki") and IBM Japan, Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Akio Yamaguchi; hereinafter "IBM Japan") signed an AI partnership agreement on March 12.

Background As social issues such as labor shortages, environmental concerns, and security risks become more apparent, companies are required to transform with speed. In particular, how to incorporate AI into business and IT strategies has become a priority. Tsuzuki Denki has been focusing on the practical application and utilization of advanced technologies, including AI, as part of its journey toward its long-term vision, "Growth Navigator." Since May 2024, the company has established a Generative AI Working Group and is promoting the implementation of generative AI into its own services and the modernization of development styles through AI, in collaboration with various partners. Meanwhile, IBM Japan, based on its extensive domestic and international track record, aims to contribute to society through new value creation, promoting co-creation with customers and business partners by utilizing advanced technologies such as AI. With rising expectations for corporate growth through AI utilization, the two companies have entered into this partnership to further accelerate collaboration and co-creation, leveraging their respective strengths to enhance the value provided to society.

AI Partnership Details Moving forward, the two companies will work on the co-creation of services covering everything from strategy and planning to environment construction, implementation, and operation/maintenance, focusing on "AI x Voice Communication" and "AI x Modernization." They will also promote multifaceted collaboration based on co-creation, with an eye toward joint service proposals and personnel exchanges. (1) AI x Voice Communication Regarding this domain, the companies began discussions in July 2025 aimed at advancing industry-specific services. Using the real estate rental industry as a use case, they have completed the construction and verification of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) for a "Voice AI solution that combines Tsuzuki Denki's voice infrastructure technology with IBM's AI agent product, watsonx Orchestrate." Both companies will continue development and verification, with plans to launch the service around July of this year. Through this, customer service representatives at adopting companies can automate post-conversation tasks (such as creating conversation records and querying contract information), which is expected to significantly improve efficiency. Furthermore, by standardizing telephone response quality and improving responsiveness, improvements in customer satisfaction and business operations, including compliance, are anticipated. (2) AI x Modernization The "2025 Digital Cliff" identified by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry highlights issues such as soaring maintenance costs, depletion of management personnel, and the black-boxing of systems caused by leaving legacy systems unaddressed...