Hitachi and Google Cloud expand strategic alliance
Hitachi, Ltd. announced the expansion of its strategic alliance with Google Cloud to support customers by accelerating the real-world
deployment of physical AI and cybersecurity solutions to protect against AI
generated threats. Garnering increasing attention, physical AI is a technology
that connects AI-driven analysis and decision-making—derived from frontline
data—to concrete actions such as autonomous control and operation of various
devices and equipment. Continuously repeating this cycle enables optimal AI
decision-making and execution tailored to each specific situation. Through the
real-world deployment of physical AI, Hitachi is driving the transformation of
social infrastructure.
To
realize this critical mission, through the strategic alliance, Hitachi will
establish and globally deploy Hitachi's Forward Deployed Engineers (FDEs) model
that leverages its strengths in IT, OT, and products cultivated through Lumada,
together with Google Cloud’s advanced AI.
FDEs
are specialists that embed directly with customers, providing end-to-end
support. Their work can include everything from identifying management
challenges, to early validation of value through building proof-of-concepts
(PoCs), to agile implementation to helping deploy projects into operations.
Hitachi’s DNA includes a long history of practicing “on-site-oriented
engineering,” working closely with customers to identify and solve challenges
together, from discovery through resolution—an approach with strong similarities
to the FDE model. Hitachi’s consultants and AI Transformation (AX) experts with
deep expertise across a wide range of industries, together with Hitachi’s U.S.
subsidiary Global Logic’s AI-native software engineers, will collaborate with
Google Cloud’s leading engineers to support customers.
The
teams will work closely with Hitachi’s Frontier AI Deployment Center to further
enhance HMAX by Hitachi, a next-generation suite of AI-powered solutions that
helps drive social infrastructure innovation, by leveraging Gemini Enterprise,
an advanced agentic platform that brings the best of Google AI to employees.
Leveraging the enhanced HMAX as a core platform, the two companies will help
frontline workers through the autonomous execution of complex operations.
Furthermore, a data platform that allows domain knowledge gained from FDE
activities to be reused as assets will enable Hitachi to deliver value to a
wide range of customers at scale.
In
the field of physical AI, where AI directly connects with the real world, more
robust security than ever before is essential. AI is also changing the
cybersecurity landscape. Adversaries are actively leveraging AI models to
accelerate vulnerability discovery and automate exploit generation at an
unprecedented scale. In fact, research from Mandiant M-Trends 2026*2 by Google
Cloud reveals that AI advancements have compressed cyberattack timelines
significantly. To mitigate these risks, Hitachi’s Cyber Center of Excellence
will partner with Google Cloud to deliver Google Cloud Security, including its
Google AI Threat Defense*3 platform alongside Hitachi’s mission-critical domain
knowledge to support customer security operations.
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