Hitachi, Ltd. and Google Cloud have inked a multi-year partnership to accelerate enterprise innovation and productivity with generative AI.

Particularly, Hitachi will form a new business unit focused on helping businesses solve industry challenges with Gemini models, Vertex AI, and other cloud technologies. In addition, it will also adopt Google Cloud’s AI to enhance its products and services.

Through the partnership, Hitachi will further accelerate the growth of Lumada, its core digital business. At the same time, it will advance operational efficiencies for the Hitachi Group.

Led by Hitachi subsidiary GlobalLogic, the companies will establish the Hitachi Google Cloud Business Unit and the Google Cloud Center of Excellence (CoE). Accordingly, these will rapidly scale Google Cloud technology to new and existing enterprise customers. Additionally, Hitachi will collaborate with Google Cloud to incorporate training on Google Cloud’s GenAI as part of Hitachi’s GenAI Professional training program. The program will deepen the expertise and managed services available through these business units. Thus, ensuring large-scale organizations have access to the resources needed to fundamentally improve how they operate with AI.

Additional Focus Areas

New GenAI solutions for software modernization and customer service: 

Hitachi will use Gemini models to build solutions that help businesses efficiently modernize legacy software systems. Moreover, it will adopt Google Cloud Contact Center AI to power more effective and accurate customer service experiences.

For example, using Google Cloud Agent Assist, customer service representatives can get support with real-time knowledge assistance and resolution suggestions. The new solutions will be compatible with GlobalLogic’s Platform of Platforms architecture, which is designed to address the needs of intelligent enterprises.

Enabling safe, secure GenAI solutions for on-premises and cloud environments: 

In addition, Hitachi’s new solutions will support customers running both on-premises and in the cloud. Hence, enabling enterprises to modernize operations while retaining existing IT environments. The solutions will also be compatible with Virtual Storage Platform One, so that users can build GenAI applications using data stored on Hitachi Vantara’s hybrid cloud platform.

Joint go-to-market initiatives: 

Hitachi and Google Cloud will better align their sales, marketing, and engineering teams to ensure that customers across industries have access to the resources needed to optimally deploy and manage GenAI projects through Hitachi’s Google Cloud Business Unit and Google Cloud CoE. This will include the GenAI Professionals that Hitachi trains on Google Cloud technology.

Strengthen GenAI talent development: 

Hitachi’s GenAI Professionals play a critical role in supporting customers’ transformation with AI. Also, Hitachi will train more than 50,000 GenAI Professionals through its global training program.  

As part of the program, Hitachi will include training on Google Cloud’s GenAI solutions and AI technology.

Long-Standing Collaboration

GlobalLogic and Google Cloud have collaborated for more than 15 years. Thus, empowering enterprises with solutions that achieve their business objectives with efficiency and scale.

“Through this partnership, Hitachi will leverage Google Cloud’s AI capabilities to improve and enhance employee productivity and accelerate innovation. By augmenting the capabilities of our developers and customer success units with Google Cloud GenAI solutions, such as Vertex AI and Gemini models, Hitachi will be able to better serve the needs of its customers in diverse industries and across complex domains,” said Toshiaki Tokunaga, Executive Vice President and Executive Officer at Hitachi.

On the other hand, Nitesh Banga, CEO, Digital Engineering Business Unit, Hitachi, and President & CEO, GlobalLogic, added: “Through this global alliance, Hitachi is strategically aligning its go-to-market approach together with Google Cloud to drive tangible results. We are establishing clear pathways for collaboration. (Thus), ensuring enhanced efficiency and acceleration in delivering solutions to our collective clients. This investment in building our Google Cloud Business Unit will provide the necessary energy, focus, and cohesive teamwork essential for achieving the desired accelerated time-to-market, translating innovation into swift revenue growth.”

29 May 2024