Yokogawa acquires Danish AI firm Grazper Technologies

Japan's Yokogawa Electric Corp has announced the acquisition of Denmark's Grazper Technologies, a company which develops advanced artificial intelligence for image analysis. The Japanese firm says it will leverage these AI technologies within its existing businesses to develop new industrial solutions.

Recent advances in deep learning and related technologies have enabled the practical application of AI in industry, and it is expected that as image identification and data forecasting accuracy continue to improve, the use of AI will only expand further. In particular, by improving the recognition accuracy for moving imagery, it becomes possible to observe the overall environment and context of the whole image, opening up new applications in the security field and for image analysis and robot operations on production lines.

Founded in 2015, Grazper possesses advanced AI-based technologies for image analysis, including a solution that allows AI software to run efficiently on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a type of integrated circuit. The software employs image recognition methodologies that have been theorised using algorithms and 3D modelling, and it can be operated with limited computing resources.

Yokogawa is developing and providing AI-based solutions for plants and public infrastructure projects. The Japanese firm said in a statement: "Acquiring Grazper’s technology will enable the company to provide solutions that use AI for image analysis, such as capturing image information for robots, detecting abnormalities at plants, and monitoring security using cameras. As a first step, Yokogawa’s subsidiary, amnimo Inc., will embed Grazper’s FPGA IP core into its Edge Gateway industrial LTE gateway, which is currently under development. This will make possible solutions for smart city projects and security applications targeting airports and railways."

Yokogawa is working with customers on digital transformation initiatives that utilise technologies such as AI and IoT. Through this acquisition and the addition of new technology, Yokogawa will create new value by co-innovating with customers.

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