NEC’s 2024 vision to revolutionize generative AI applications. (Source – Shutterstock).
- NEC is making progress in the field of AI, targeting generative AI applications and LLMs for industrial innovation by 2024.
- NEC’s AI shift will include the launch of new services and partnerships for industry-specific AI models, targeting growth and technological advancement.
- NEC’s AI goal for 2023 is to develop a single LLM and AI hub to improve efficiency in healthcare, finance and manufacturing.
With a strong focus, NEC is riding the wave of enthusiasm for AI this year. Its product portfolio is distinguished by its tailor-made LLM, specially designed for the Japanese market. The model works with a significant number of 13 billion parameters, in stark contrast to the trillion parameters used by GPT-4 from OpenAI.
Overview of the NEC Generative AI Service
The company announced the launch of its NEC generative AI service, which will begin by offering licenses for its unique LLM, as well as specialist hardware, software and consultancy services. This initiative is expected to expand to new markets beyond fiscal 2024.
As part of a strategic move, NEC has partnered with around ten companies and universities to launch the NEC Generative AI Advanced Customer Program starting in July. This program is designed to collaborate with clients in the development of bespoke models and advancement of software and organizational structures for effective use of the LLM.
NEC has also begun development of the NEC Generative AI Hub. This hub promotes business transformation by offering clients access to a pool of researchers, engineers and consultants. These experts are responsible for providing precise advice for creating tailor-made AI systems.
The introduction of these services is poised to significantly expand opportunities for operational transformation across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, municipal government and manufacturing. Additionally, NEC focuses on creating specialized models to drive business transformation and improve generative AI applications from individual businesses to entire industry sectors through its managed API services.
NEC’s impact across all sectors
NEC has made significant progress in its LLM by doubling the quality of training data, resulting in a model outperforming several leading LLMs in domestic and international markets, particularly in Japanese dialogue capabilities (Rakuda*) . The LLM’s ability to process up to 300,000 Japanese characters, up to 150 times more than other third-party LLMs, positions it as a versatile tool for managing large-scale document operations, including business textbooks.
NEC has made significant progress in its LLM. (Source – NEC)
NEC is developing a “new architecture” that promises to “revolutionize” the creation of AI models. This architecture allows flexible combinations of models based on input data and specific tasks.
NEC aims to establish a scalable fundamental model to effectively expand parameters and functionality. This model promises scalability without compromising performance and can be seamlessly integrated with various AI models, including those specialized in legal and medical fields and those of other companies and partners. Its compact size and low power consumption make it suitable for cutting-edge devices. Using NEC’s cutting-edge image recognition, audio processing, and sensing technologies, these LLMs can process real-world events with high accuracy and autonomy.
At the same time, NEC is developing a much larger-scale model with 100 billion parameters, far exceeding the conventional 13 billion parameters. These efforts are part of NEC’s ambition to achieve approximately 50 billion yen in revenue from its generative AI businesses within three years.
The development and application of generative AI has recently seen rapid acceleration. Companies and public institutions are actively exploring and testing business reforms using various LLMs, and the demand for such transformations is expected to increase.
However, challenges remain in its implementation, including the need for precise and rapid engineering to guide AI, security concerns such as data leaks and vulnerabilities, and the integration of business data during the implementation and operation phases.
Since the launch of the NEC Generative AI service in July 2023, NEC has been capitalizing on the NEC Inzai data center. This center provides a secure, low latency LLM environment. NEC has accumulated expertise in building and delivering “Individual Business Models” and “Sector Specific Models” that are ahead of the industry curve, using its proprietary LLM.
NEC uses this accumulated expertise to provide optimal solutions to various industries. These solutions include a scalable foundational model for LLM and an environment tailored to clients’ specific business needs for effective use of generative AI.
NEC’s Generative AI Business Strategy for Other Potential Applications
NEC’s generative AI business strategy revolves around a three-step development process using managed API services. The core of this strategy is a managed API service that uses large-scale language models such as LLM developed by NEC for dialog and search functions. Business strategy should take place in three phases: first, building industry and business models specific to individual companies; second, by integrating these models into business packages and solutions; and third, by developing business packages and solutions through partnerships with other companies.
The development of generative AI at NEC is expected to fascinate the industry.
NEC is also improving its technology development and sales framework. This initiative includes the NEC Generative AI Hub, which operates under the direct supervision of the Chief Digital Officer (CDO), and the Digital Trust Promotion Management Department. In addition, to defend the generative AI sector, “ambassadors” have been appointed within the company’s sales department.
To further strengthen its generative AI initiatives, NEC has created a new Generative AI Center. This center oversees the generative AI technology essential to these activities. It brings together around 100 cutting-edge researchers from global research centers specializing in generative AI. The goal is to accelerate the commercialization of generative AI research by fostering seamless collaboration between the research and business segments.
NEC’s generative AI business strategy. (Source – NEC).
As part of its commitment to providing safe and reliable LLMs, NEC is collaborating with Robust Intelligence on the LLM Risk Assessment Project. This initiative aims to ensure that industry and company-specific models offered by NEC are evaluated and meet global standards for risk assessment.
As NEC continues to pioneer AI innovations, the company remains dedicated to advising customers to improve the value of its services, including expanding service functions. NEC’s commitment extends to providing secure and reliable generative AI solutions aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by its customers.
