Upgrade 2026: Research to Reality

Opening Remarks

Speakers:

Kazu Gomi, President and Chief Executive Officer, NTT Research
Akira Shimada, President and Chief Executive Officer, NTT

Summary

Opening Remarks
 

Welcome to Upgrade 2026, an event centered around the theme of bringing “Research to Reality”. Hosted by NTT Research, this conference emphasizes the crucial role of basic, foundational research in solving the world’s most urgent problems, distinguishing it from short-term applied product development.

  • Hear leading insights from Kazu Gomi, President and CEO of NTT Research, alongside Akira Shimada, President and CEO of NTT Inc..

  • Learn how the CIS lab is building new privacy architectures tailored for a world where AI is everywhere.

  • Discover the PAI group’s foundational investigations into how artificial intelligence models actually function.

  • Explore the future of energy-efficient computing with the Phi lab. They are developing hardware like the world’s first programmable nonlinear photonics chip, which processes information using light rather than electricity.

  • See how the Mei lab is advancing healthcare accessibility through the development of cardiovascular bio-digital twins.

  • Experience real-world technology born from basic science, such as “Salt Grain,” a robust data security and privacy platform built on advanced cryptography research.

Our Research

News & Media

Events

Your Privacy

When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.