NEC opens first Advanced Centre for Experimentation (ACE) in Singapore

Facility will serve as
a “living lab” and allow co-creation of innovative solutions with
customers and partners

in areas of public safety,
transportation and healthcare

NEC – Advanced Centre for Experimentation ACE – co working space

Singapore, 3
August 2017 – NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) and
NEC Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. today announced the opening
of NEC’s first Advanced Centre for Experimentation
(ACE), aiming to facilitate the company’s global Research &
Development capabilities.

The ACE is
strategically located in Singapore, with its favorable research ecosystem
and infrastructure, and forms a key component of NEC’s growth
strategy in the Asia Pacific region. Operated by NEC Laboratories
Singapore (NLS), the ACE leverages NEC’s core technologies
and advanced solutions, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and ICT platforms,
to create new value and contribute to a safer, smarter living environment for
people and communities.

The facility
allows co-creation of solutions and provides a “living lab” for
proof-of-concepts for advanced solutions that help
customers and partners, includinggovernments and enterprises, in
areas such as public safety, transportation and healthcare. This enables
close collaboration with NEC researchers in a real world
environment, and makes it possible to
clearly understand the benefits of new solutions
before commercial deployment and operation.

In conjunction
with the opening of the ACE, NLS, which currently is staffed with 33
researchers/solution engineers, will hire an additional 50 researchers/solution
engineers within the next three years, mainly specializing in
AI, the Internet-of-Things, Cognition and cyber security, thereby
contributing to the further development ofSingapore’s R&D talent pool.

“We are delighted that NEC has chosen to establish their ACE in
Singapore. This investment by NEC is a strong testament of Singapore’s talent
pool and innovation capabilities to drive the digital transformation of
industries.  The ACE will enrich Singapore’s digital ecosystem, and will
foster new partnerships for the co-creation and commercialization of new
solutions from Singapore,” said Tung Meng Fai, Director, Infocomms and Media,
Singapore Economic Development Board.

“The
establishment of the ACE is a significant milestone for us as it is
the first of its kind for NEC globally. NEC is investing more than
S$100 million in the Asia Pacific region over the next five years mainly
for research and development, and the set-up of the ACE in Singapore
is the heart of this investment. This experiment facility underscores NEC’s
strong commitment to business in Asia Pacific,” said Tetsuro Akagi, Senior
Vice President of NEC Corporation and Chief Executive Officer of NEC Asia
Pacific. “Leveraging NEC’s technological innovation in AI and big data
analytics, we hope to innovatively help governments and enterprises across the
region in their digital transformation journey.”

Established in
September 2013, NLS aims to accelerate time-to-market of NEC’s solutions for
society. NLS core expertise is in the study of social concerns jointly with
government, enterprises, and research institutes, and proposing a combination
of advanced information communication technologies to form new solutions to
solve a broad range of business and social challenges.

NLS has
conducted joint research projects with partners and customers around the world.
This includes SMRT Buses, a public bus transport operator in Singapore. SMRT
Buses and NEC launched Singapore’s first telematics monitoring system
consisting of eco-drive sensors that monitor and analyze bus captains’ driving
behavior in 2014. This has led to another innovative project with SMRT Buses to
develop the Professional Learning and Training Management System (PROLEARN).
PROLEARN provides a comprehensive approach to constantly monitor, proactively
manage, and provide customized training for drivers with relevant operational
and industry-specific competencies using NEC’s big data analytics technology.

***

NEC
Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that
benefit businesses and people around the world. By providing a combination of
products and solutions that cross utilize the company’s experience and global
resources, NEC’s advanced technologies meet the complex and ever-changing needs
of its customers. NEC brings more than 100 years of expertise in technological
innovation to empower people, businesses and society.  For more
information, visit NEC athttp://www.nec.com.

The NEC Group
globally provides “Solutions for Society” that promote the safety,
security, efficiency and equality of society. Under the company’s corporate
message of “Orchestrating a brighter world,” NEC aims to help solve a
wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the
changing world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.nec.com/en/global/about/vision/message.html

Singapore-based
NEC Asia Pacific (NEC APAC) is the regional headquarters for NEC Corporation
(HQ: Japan) in the Asia Pacific region (South and Southeast Asia and Oceania).
As a leading information and communications technology provider, NEC APAC
provides innovative solutions and infrastructure to promote safety, security
and enhance the quality of life for individuals and the community. NEC APAC’s
expertise includes solutions for carrier networks, biometric identification,
enterprise applications and infrastructure, unified communications,
transportation solutions, multimedia displays and smart energy, as well as the
provision of managed services and contact centre services.

Our regional
competency centres, together with our research laboratories, provide
cutting-edge public safety, cybersecurity technologies and enterprise solutions
to enable safer cities, with a vision to create a brighter future. For more
information, please visit http://sg.nec.com.