AIST – JICA signs partnership agreement on digital technology

TOKYO, Japan – On May 20, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) signed a partnership agreement to promote cooperation on utilization of digital technology.

The objective of the agreement is to promote utilization of digital technology such as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create new business and value in developing countries and regions. In addition, it promotes implementation of a digital environment, which enables advanced data collaboration.

The two institutions will also work at digital co-creation to contribute to solving global issues by further utilizing their respective unique features.

The automated analysis is conducted based on local information on geographic, nature-related, socioeconomic, and specific theme-related information and satellite data provided by JICA, utilizing the large-scale AI cloud computing system of AIST (ABCI).

Then, JICA and AIST will promote the establishment of an advanced digital system for monitoring and a projection system on the displacement or change of infrastructure such as bridges, roads, airports, and banks, deforestation, illegal fishery ships, etc. in developing countries or areas. In addition, JICA and AIST will start activities to solve global issues such as climate change, natural resources, energy, environment, and food.

Based on the agreement, JICA and AIST will work together to create open innovation solving social problems and global issues in developing countries or regions. This will contribute to the achievement of SDGs Goals 9, 11, 15 and others.