Tokyo, Minato Ward
SonicAI is a startup established with the aim of resolving the serious labor shortage in small-lot, non-automated production lines in Japan's largest industry, manufacturing. The company is revolutionizing manufacturing sites by combining hardware and AI to automate transport and inspection in areas that were difficult for existing major FA companies to address.
Our company focuses on the research and development of AI software and hardware for 2D image processing technology specialized for multi-product, small-lot manufacturing sites. We achieve this through the development of lightweight AI models that balance high precision with real-time processing, and GPU-based edge hardware that enables high-speed AI learning and inference. Furthermore, with an eye toward the stable supply of processors in the medium term, we are conducting research and development on products that achieve an optimal balance of precision, processing speed, and scalability through our proprietary circuit design, which includes the use of FPGAs rather than GPUs.
| Representative |
Hiroyuki Tanaka After graduating from Keio University's Faculty of Economics, he worked in image processing system sales at Keyence, where he realized that many small and medium-sized manufacturing companies continue to rely on manual labor due to their small-lot, high-mix production, and that labor shortages and quality requirements are putting pressure on management. At A.T. Carney, he experienced the reality of subcontractors being forced into structurally disadvantageous price negotiations. Against this backdrop, he made the decision to tackle the challenges of manufacturing sites that are difficult to automate with technology that combines software and hardware, and established SonicAI Co., Ltd. in 2024. |
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| Main Achievements | Completed 90 million yen in pre-seed funding in 2025 |
| Childhood Dream | My childhood dream was to become a novelist or essayist. From an early age, I was aware that I tended to see things from a different perspective than my peers, and I vaguely envisioned a life of expressing that unique perspective through writing and helping others. |
| Influential People, Things, and Events | People who influenced me during my student days: Hiroki Hirota (32nd Prime Minister of Japan) Things: Beta version currently under development at SonicAI Events: Withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan |
| Motivation, Goals, and Ideal World | The reasons for starting this business are clear. First, the market size. Manufacturing is the largest industry in Japan, accounting for about 20% of GDP, and most of it is not back-office work but on-site work such as manufacturing, inspection, and shipping. The size of the market in this area is self-evident. Second, the depth of demand. Japan is facing a serious labor shortage, ahead of the rest of the world, and the sustainability of manufacturing in rural areas in particular is threatened by an aging population and recruitment difficulties. Third, my suitability as a founder. I grew up in an area with a concentration of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, so I have a deep understanding of their human nature and challenges. At Keyence, I visited more small-lot, high-variety transport and inspection processes than anyone else, and at A.T. Carney, I gained a deep understanding of the structural challenges in the supply chain and the difficulties on the ground that cannot be seen from financial data. I am confident that I am the best person to tackle this issue in Japan. Fourth, the inevitability of originating in Japan. With its strengths in manufacturing and its challenges in human resources, I believe that Japan is uniquely positioned to create products that cannot be created in Silicon Valley. My goal is to become the most recognized company in this domain within five years and to deliver products that are loved by manufacturing sites around the world, transcending culture and language. |
| Company Name | SonicAI.inc |
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| Representative Name | Hiroyuki Tanaka |
| Address | Sumitomo Realty Tokyo Mita South Tower 10F, 3-5-27 Mita, Minato-ku, Tokyo |
| Official Site and Social Media |
Official Website |
| Founding Date | June 25, 2024 |
