Physical AI research hub to be set up in Kumamoto in southwestern Japan

TOKYO - Major real estate firm Mitsui Fudosan Co. said Monday it will work with the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto to set up a center to support research and development into physical AI, which uses artificial intelligence to autonomously operate machines.

The plan to build the physical AI center from 2027 onward in Koshi, Kumamoto Prefecture, comes amid expectations for market growth, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker, planning to mass-produce advanced semiconductors used for AI and other applications in the prefecture from 2028.