Tokyo Artisan Intelligence raises 1.27 billion yen in Series C first close

Tokyo Artisan Intelligence, a developer of edge AI solutions and AI semiconductor chips, announced on the 26th that it secured 1.27 billion yen in a first close of its Series C funding round. The company, which emerged from AI and semiconductor research at Tohoku University, develops its own software, dedicated computers, and semiconductor chips. Its product lineup includes SEASIDE, an edge AI computer with configurable sensor and camera connections, and HARBOR, an on-premises AI server that manages field data and AI models while performing relearning. For the railway and infrastructure sectors, the company provides monitoring devices that use edge AI on vehicles and fixed cameras to detect track or equipment anomalies and obstacles in real time. It handles the design of installed equipment and integration into existing cameras, having conducted demonstrations and deployments with railway operators including JR Kyushu.

The company states that its anomaly detection accuracy exceeds 99 percent. For local governments, it offers AI cameras that capture pedestrian age, gender, and dwell time to support commercial district revitalization and tourist congestion management, extracting only statistical data without storing video. For factories, it focuses on detecting minute defects on production lines and automating hazardous tasks in combination with robots. In edge environments with strict power, heat dissipation, and chassis size constraints, general-purpose AI computing platforms may not meet deployment conditions. The company reflects field data and AI application expertise into its semiconductor chip design, optimizing solutions and semiconductors together. In July of this year, it completed evaluation of its in-house developed test chip, StingRay, and formally launched the project for the mass-production-oriented AI semiconductor chip, Manta Ray.

In June, it signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Malaysian semiconductor company Oppstar. The raised funds will be used to build the production system and supply chain for Manta Ray under Japan-Malaysia cooperation, expand the productization and deployment of physical AI solutions, and hire engineers and business personnel for AI algorithms, AI semiconductor design, and embedded software. The company plans to integrate its own chips into its solution platform and advance field demonstrations in harsh environments. BRIDGE reported the story.