HANOI, Vietnam, Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FPT Corporation and SBI Holdings - The leading financial service group in Japan, signed the Memorandum of Understanding, planning to invest in targeting up to 35% of shares of FPT Smart Cloud Japan Company Limited to develop high-performing computing infrastructure and accelerate AI adoption for Japanese enterprises and organizations.
If the co-investment is realized, SBI Holdings will contribute to FPT's initiatives to foster AI innovation in Japan, especially Generative AI with FPT AI Factory. The contract fulfillment is expected to occur by the end of January 2025.
Research indicates that the global Generative AI market will reach 130 billion USD in 2024 and further grow to 1.3 trillion USD in 2032. In Japan, the AI market value is rising to 5.9 billion USD this year with a growth rate of 31.2%, according to IDC. This enormous market potential offers an opportunity for the new company of FPT to cultivate its AI research and development capabilities, enabling Japanese businesses and organizations to create a quantum leap in operation efficiency.
Recently, FPT Corporation launched AI Factory in November 2024 and established the new company focused on AI and Cloud in Japan to develop a comprehensive ecosystem of products and services fueled by AI and Cloud technologies, aiming to achieve Sovereign AI and transform Japan into an AI Nation.
The FPT representative denotes, AI Factory provides Cloud services leveraging thousands of NVIDIA Hopper GPUs and the latest NVIDIA AI Enterprises software and frameworks, consisting of three main components: FPT AI Infrastructure offers accelerated computing GPU cloud services to accelerate large AI model development; FPT AI Studio provides a set of smart tools to effortlessly develop, train, and fine-tune AI models; FPT AI Inference enables deployment and scalability in terms of size and number of usages with high efficiency.
About SBI Group
Founded in 1999, the SBI Group is a comprehensive internet financial group that operates Financial Services Business, centering on securities, banking, and insurance, as the pioneer of internet-based financial services in Japan. The Group is committed to providing lower-cost and highly convenient products and services through the internet. In addition to its core financial services operations, the SBI Group also engages in Asset Management Business, Investment Business, and Next Gen Business on a global scale.
About FPT
As the global leading technology corporation, FPT pioneer in consulting, providing, and deploying advanced technology solutions and services. FPT has been focusing on AI as the strategic technology for research and development. The corporation has been transforming AI as an integral part of life and integrating it across products and solutions within the Made by FPT ecosystem. FPT has partnered with NVIDIA, Landing AI, Mila… and joined the AI Alliance founded by IBM and Meta, striving to accelerate AI research and development in the region and provide AI & Cloud solutions to the global market.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
FPT and SBI Holdings signed the Memorandum of Understanding to invest in FPT Smart Cloud Japan
Kimberly-Clark Expanding Investments in India
BENGALURU, India, Dec. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark, a global leader in essential personal and family care products, continues to increase its commitment to India through its Global Digital Technology Center (GDTC) in Bengaluru.
Established in 2018 with an initial investment of $2.5 million, the Bengaluru GDTC has seen remarkable growth, expanding its size by eight times in just five years. The center focuses on key areas and digital capabilities such as Data and Analytics, Artificial Intelligence (AI) including Generative AI, Machine Learning (ML), Cloud Transformation, Global Digital Operations & Automation, Digital Sales and Marketing, and Digital Supply Chain – all of which help drive efficiencies and improve customer experiences. Over the next three years, the GDTC plans to continue its expansion, focusing on advancing AI/ML capabilities and developing innovative digital solutions to boost operational efficiency and customer engagement. These capabilities further enhance Kimberly-Clark's ability to deliver on its global Powering Care strategy – shared earlier this year – and, in turn, strengthen its longstanding commitment to consumer-centricity.
While the Bengaluru GDTC is driving Kimberly-Clark's technological advancements, it's also contributing to India's broader tech and innovation ecosystem. By collaborating with local startups, academic institutions, and industry partners, the center aims to foster cutting-edge solutions.
"Our Bengaluru GDTC is a testament to Kimberly-Clark's deep-rooted commitment to innovation and the immense breadth of Indian talent," said Zack Hicks, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Kimberly-Clark. "In just five years, the center has evolved into a key growth engine for our digital strategies, delivering AI-powered commercial and supply chain solutions, and pioneering advancements in modern manufacturing. Looking ahead, we remain focused on further investing in India, leveraging the country's outstanding talent and technological expertise to shape the future of Kimberly-Clark and pioneer industry-leading innovation in our core categories."
The integration of data and advanced analytics is at the core of the Bengaluru GDTC's success. By leveraging AI/ML algorithms built on their enterprise data lake, the team is also optimizing sales predictions, refining pricing strategies for e-commerce, and automating routine tasks such as order entry and invoice processing. In 2024, efforts in Gen AI platforms originating from the GDTC improved the employee productivity by up to 25%, and the development of AI-powered sales and revenue analytics drove a 10% improvement in sales execution across regions like Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. These innovations not only streamline operations and reduce costs but also boost accuracy and efficiency.
One of the center's major achievements is the development of Maestro, an AI-powered supply chain orchestration platform that has delivered more than $20 million in global savings for Kimberly-Clark. Another transformative innovation is the Warehouse Automation Platform, which seamlessly integrates warehouse robotics with supply chain systems, reducing new solution deployment timelines from 18 months to 4 months, and generating savings exceeding $50 million. The GDTC's collaborative efforts have also resulted in the creation of Procuree 3.0, an inhouse Source-to-Pay chatbot powered by Generative AI that enhances Kimberly-Clark's procurement processes across 42 countries and 14 languages.
Recently, the GDTC held its third Digital Hackathon under the theme 'UNLOKC 2024,' bringing together Kimberly-Clark employees and technology partners to develop digital solutions that contribute to business opportunities in areas such as supply chain, marketing, and finance. Over 130 innovative ideas were submitted within four weeks, and the 7 project finalists were awarded by the Digital Technology global leadership team during the Hackathon's final event in Bangalore. These finalists will receive support to develop their projects in the near future.
As Kimberly-Clark's largest technology hub, the Bengaluru GDTC is positioned to remain a critical driver of growth and innovation on a global scale. With plans to continue attracting top-tier talent and expanding its technological capabilities, the center is set to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the company and its global tech ecosystem.
About Kimberly-Clark:
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 70 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies(R) by Ethisphere for the sixth year in a row and one of Fortune's Most Innovative Companies in America in 2024. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 150-year history of innovation, visit the Kimberly-Clark website.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
India's Thriving Tech Hub Fuels Kimberly-Clark's Digital Transformation
