Israeli AI Chipmaker Expands Into Japan With Macnica

Artificial Intelligence chipmaker Hailo has partnered with Macnica, the semiconductor distributor, to sell Hailo’s products in Japan. The agreement with Macnica is hoped to expand Hailo’s presence in Japan, extending its reach to customers in fields such as smart retail, smart cities, smart homes, industry 4.0, and beyond.

Hailo, an AI-focused, Israel-based chipmaker, has developed a specialised Artificial Intelligence processor that enables smart devices to perform sophisticated deep learning tasks such as object detection and segmentation in real-time with minimal power consumption, size, and cost. The technology can be used in smart machines and devices for a number of industries including automotive, industry 4.0, smart cities, smart homes, and retail.

The agreement is part of Hailo’s strategy to strengthen partnerships with existing customers in Japan whilst expanding further into other Asia-Pacific markets to enable companies from a wide array of industries to “accelerate AI computing performance at the edge”. Hailo will continue to offer its product line to customers in the region, including its AI processor for edge devices, the Hailo-8™, as well as its M.2 and Mini PCIe high-performance AI acceleration modules.

“Working with Macnica will significantly strengthen our presence in the Asia-Pacific region, where interest in Edge AI solutions continues to rise”, said Orr Danon, CEO of Hailo. “This comes with growing demand from Japanese customers as they seek to empower their devices with AI capabilities at the edge. We were impressed by Macnica’s mission statement, as well as their strong relationship with customers, and we are confident that with our collaboration, we will further expand our offerings in the region”.

In March 2020, Hailo raised a $60 million Series B funding round led by its existing investors, who were joined by new strategic investor ABB Technology Ventures, the venture arm of the Swiss-based multination ABB, NEC Corporation and Londons’ Latitude Ventures. In August 2020, the company established Hailo Japan G.K., Hailo’s wholly-owned subsidiary located in Tokyo, led by former Sony executive Hiro Uchida.

The Hailo-8™ delivers 26 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS) and the module is built with an architecture that enables edge devices to run sophisticated deep learning applications that could previously only run on the cloud. The company says Hailo-8’s structure translates into “higher performance, lower power, and minimal latency, enabling enhanced privacy and better reliability for smart devices operating at the edge”.

“We are excited to work with a leading company like Hailo, as we see the vast potential of their innovative AI solutions at the edge”, said Yusuke Kobayashi, Macnica Altima company president. “Our deep experience supplying semiconductors and other innovative technologies to this key market, combined with Hailo’s state-of-the-art AI products and team’s capabilities, will bring significant value to customers in Japan”.

You can find more information about AI chipmaker Hailo and its expansion into Japan via the partnership with Macnica on the company’s respective websites.

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