Under this alliance, both companies will create a new joint venture (“JV”), Advanced Vision Solutions Co., Ltd., which is scheduled to begin operations in October 2026, provided that the necessary authorizations and approvals are obtained from the relevant authorities.
In the future, through the joint venture, the companies will develop and offer vision sensor solutions*1 leveraging cutting-edge technologies that enable AI-based analysis of visual data directly on the image sensors. The solutions will accurately capture conditions and changes across a wide range of manufacturing environments that have traditionally been difficult to visualize, and connect them to decision-making and control. They will facilitate the automation and autonomous operation of a broad range of manufacturing equipment, contributing to labor savings and unmanned operations.
This collaboration will allow both companies to integrate Sony's industry-leading image sensors and edge AI technologies with Mitsubishi Electric's extensive experience in industrial automation control systems, cultivated over many years. The solutions will accurately capture plant conditions, product quality, equipment performance, and maintenance-related information that was previously difficult to understand and fully utilize. Furthermore, they will efficiently extract the necessary information from the acquired data and link it to the appropriate decision-making and subsequent control processes, enabling timely and autonomous improvements tailored to the equipment and operating conditions with minimal manual intervention.
In addition to vision data, the solutions will be integrated with a variety of data from manufacturing plants, contributing to the development of multimodal production systems capable of detecting changes, early signs, and other conditions that cannot be fully identified from a single data type alone. Through this initiative, the companies aim to drive the implementation of physical AI in industrial automation (IA) and offer solutions that can be used without specialized knowledge of optics or AI, across a wide range of sectors seeking reduced labor, autonomous operations, improved quality, and more advanced maintenance in production environments.
*1 Vision sensor: A high-precision sensor that captures images of products and parts on manufacturing lines using a camera and detects the status and positional information of the target objects in real time. When used in conjunction with IA equipment, it enables automation in manufacturing plants.
“Mitsubishi Electric has long supplied a wide range of AF equipment to its customers, primarily in the manufacturing sector,” said Takayuki Tsuzuki, Executive Director (Deputy) and President of the Industrial Automation Systems Group at Mitsubishi Electric Corporation. “Today, the need for autonomous, labor-saving systems and autonomous optimization in production plants is greater than ever. Through this collaboration with Sony Semiconductor Solutions, we will develop AI-powered vision sensors as a new key component and create a new business of digital AF solutions by integrating vision data with our digital platform, Serendie™.*2 Furthermore, by realizing advanced autonomous control through physical AI and other applications, we aim to deliver new value to customers and address societal challenges such as labor shortages.”.
“Sony has helped solve challenges and create new value across a wide range of industries by accurately capturing real-world information through edge AI sensing technologies centered on image sensors,” said Shinji Sashida, president and CEO of Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corporation. “Image sensors, which act as the ‘eyes’ generating vision data, play a vital role in enabling AI to understand on-site conditions and relate them to decision-making and control. Through this collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric, which has extensive experience and a strong customer base in industrial automation (IA), we will bring solutions to market that leverage our sensing technologies, create value across an even broader range of industries, and further accelerate the evolution of our sensing technologies.”.
