Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) held the "NTT R&D FORUM 2024 - IOWN INTEGRAL" over five days from Monday, November 25 to Friday, November 29, 2024. The event featured a total of 122 exhibits on a wide range of topics including generative AI, networking, quantum, and space-related technologies based on IOWN (Innovative Optical and Wireless Network), which is steadily expanding from networking to AI and continuing to evolve toward the realization of a sustainable society of the future. This report introduces the highlights of the "NTT R&D Forum 2024 - IOWN INTEGRAL," including key exhibits and keynote speeches, showcasing the latest achievements of NTT Group R&D.

The theme of "NTT R&D FORUM 2024 - IOWN INTEGRAL" is "INTEGRAL," a word with two meanings. One refers to the concept of "integration," representing the accumulation of IOWN applications across various fields. The other signifies that IOWN is becoming "indispensable" for both the planet and humanity. This theme reflects NTT's commitment to expanding the scope of IOWN across a wide range of domains, from networks to AI, in its pursuit of a sustainable future society.

The technology exhibits at the "NTT R&D Forum 2024 - IOWN INTEGRAL" were divided into three areas—Research, Development, and Business—featuring a total of 122 displays. In the "Research" area, 49 research achievements were showcased, covering topics such as networks, UI/UX, sustainability, security, bio/medical fields, and quantum technology. The "Development" area focused on IOWN, presenting 52 exhibits that included the latest research and practical applications of technologies such as generative AI and space-related innovations. Meanwhile, the "Business" area highlighted 21 initiatives by NTT Group companies, offering insights into various efforts aimed at the societal implementation of IOWN.

Refining Golf Shot Power with IoT

This technology measures and analyzes the mechanical characteristics of a player's swing in golf. Using a non-contact sensor, it tracks changes in the center of gravity in the feet and the motion of the club. The measurement results are displayed on a smartphone, where they can be easily reviewed through graphs and other visualizations. The system focuses on analyzing how force is applied and released, allowing for a detailed examination of muscle use and body mechanics.

Unlike traditional video analysis, a key feature of this system is that it allows players to connect their physical sensations with the outcomes of their swings. It can be easily used in daily practice and on the course, thereby improving the quality of self-training and also leading to better communication with coaches by providing shared, data-driven insights.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/G01-03-j.pdf

Dance Generation Technology with Customizable Styles and Structures

This technology automatically generates dance motions tailored to a specific song, dance category, genre, or technique specified by the user. Users can provide detailed preferences, such as "like dancer [Name]," "similar to [Group]," or "incorporating elements of [Dance Style]." The AI, trained on a diverse range of dance genres and techniques, creates and presents the choreography through an avatar on a monitor.

By analyzing the chosen music and user-defined parameters, the system crafts movements that align with the desired style and rhythm. This enables precise customization, whether emulating a particular dancer's flair, capturing the essence of a specific group, or blending unique elements into the routine. The result is a visually compelling dance motion that reflects the user's vision.

This technology can serve as a valuable tool for dance beginners to practice and learn, as well as for choreographers seeking inspiration for new routines. It also holds potential for future applications in the entertainment industry, such as AI-generated dancers performing alongside humans, opening up new possibilities for collaborative performances and innovative stage productions.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/G02-03-j.pdf

Optical Device Technology for Photonic Quantum Computers

A quantum computer is a next-generation computing system that operates on principles fundamentally different from conventional computers. While traditional computers process information in binary units called "bits," which represent 0 or 1, quantum computers use "quantum bits" or "qubits." Qubits can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously, thanks to the quantum phenomenon known as superposition. This enables quantum computers to perform calculations at speeds that are unattainable with classical computers, opening up possibilities for solving problems that were previously deemed impossible.

Among quantum computers, photonic quantum computers utilize the properties of light (photons) to perform computations. They are known for their speed and stability, making them particularly promising for applications such as solving large-scale computational problems, accelerating the development of new materials, and more.

The technology introduced here employs advanced optical devices, developed through expertise in optical communications, to create a continuous-variable photonic quantum computer capable of large-scale computation at room temperature. This system not only achieves world-class suppression of quantum noise—one of the primary challenges in continuous-variable quantum computing—but also operates at room temperature and uses commercially available optical communication components. These features greatly improve its practicality. Using this technology, it becomes possible to solve computational problems that are infeasible for traditional computer systems, creating the potential to contribute to addressing complex societal challenges and advancing innovation across various fields.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/G08-02-j.pdf

Digital Humans That Behave Naturally

This technology enables the creation of AI-powered digital humans designed for more natural, approachable, and responsive conversations. Traditional digital humans have often struggled to account for conversational context, the behaviors of their interlocutors, or environmental factors, resulting in rigid and mechanical interactions. By integrating NTT's proprietary dialogue context recognition, speech recognition, image recognition, and speech synthesis technologies, this system adapts dynamically to conversational cues and the surrounding situation. A key feature is its ability to handle interruptions smoothly. Even when the conversation partner interrupts the AI while the AI is speaking, the conversation can still be carried out smoothly.

The potential applications of this technology are broad, including exhibition and product demonstrations, counseling, digital signage, and other communication-intensive scenarios. Its versatility makes it valuable in any setting where engaging and effective communication is essential.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/D01-21-j.pdf

Photoelectric Fusion Devices (PEC)

This technology utilizes advanced optoelectronic devices to reduce power consumption across applications ranging from telecommunications to computing. It aims to enable low-latency, high-speed, and energy-efficient communication for various scenarios: long-distance communication between data centers (PEC-1), board-to-board communication within data centers (PEC-2), and interconnection between semiconductor packages (PEC-3).

Traditional electrical wiring has limitations in communication distance and struggles to connect a large number of LSIs (large-scale integrated circuits). By leveraging this technology, which achieves ultra-fast signal transmission of 1.6 terabits per second, LSIs can be connected over longer distances using optical signals with significantly lower power consumption.

By fundamentally rethinking conventional computer architectures and fully integrating optical technologies, this innovation will contribute to the realization of faster and more flexible computing systems, such as optical disaggregated computers.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/D03-02-j.pdf

A Metaverse Experience Across Countries Using IOWNAPN/DCI Technology

This technology enables users from different countries to interact in the metaverse using holographic imagery, facilitated by communication systems leveraging APN (All-Photonics Network) and DCI (Data-Centric Infrastructure).

During the R&D Forum, a demonstration showcased real-time communication between Taiwan and Japan using VR goggles. The system distributed video streaming servers, AI translation servers, and rendering servers, achieving ultra-low latency of just 17 milliseconds over a 3,000 km distance via APN. This setup allowed seamless conversations, overcoming both physical distance and language barriers.

This technology can be applied to a variety of applications, including live streaming events and business communications, and also addresses challenges in distributed server deployment, enhancing the flexibility of system design and expanding possibilities for real-time global interactions.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/D03-05-j.pdf

New Wireless Energy Transmission Technology

This technology enables efficient, contactless power transmission to lunar rovers that traverse the moon's surface for various exploration activities, using lunar regolith (moon dust) as a transmission medium. Unlike conventional wireless charging methods used for devices like smartphones, this system allows power to be transmitted as long as a dielectric material exists between the transmitting and receiving antennas.

Since batteries are difficult to use on the Moon due to the highly variable environment and the cost of transporting cables from the Earth, it is necessary to wirelessly supply stable power that is unaffected by temperature and sunlight. This technology will enable highly efficient and contactless energy transmission using materials readily available on the Moon.

Future advancements could extend its applications to the far side of the Moon or power delivery using lasers. Additionally, its potential use for charging electric vehicles on Earth is being explored, demonstrating its versatility both in space and terrestrial environments.

https://www.rd.ntt/forum/2024/doc/D05-09-j.pdf

Akira Shimada, President & CEO, NTT

New Wireless Energy Transmission Technology

In his keynote speech, Akira Shimada, President and Representative Director of NTT, discussed the rapid proliferation of generative AI and its impact, highlighting the current state of AI utilization in businesses, the challenges faced, and NTT's innovative solutions.

NTT has proposed the "Industry AI Cloud," a platform tailored to the specialized needs of various industries, aiming to solve societal challenges through AI, particularly in Japan, where AI adoption has been relatively slow. Shimada-san also touched on concerns regarding energy demands associated with the widespread use of AI. To address these issues, NTT is advancing the development of "tsuzumi," a lightweight and energy-efficient AI system, and promoting "IOWN," an energy-efficient computing infrastructure. These initiatives aim to address societal challenges in a sustainable and impactful way.

Viewing URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uwlWCsoLl4

Unlimited Innovation for a Global Sustainable Society by IOWN

NTT Representative Director and Executive Vice President, Yukihiko Kawazoe

Yukihiko Kawazoe, Vice President and Representative Director of NTT, delivered an English presentation on NTT's current status as a global company and its core technologies. He highlighted NTT Group's evolution into a global enterprise with over 900 companies worldwide, 45% of its employees working overseas, and a robust R&D ecosystem consisting of 17 research labs and 2,300 researchers driving cutting-edge innovation.

Kawazoe-san addressed pressing global issues such as climate change, natural disasters, and societal divisions, emphasizing the critical role of ICT in tackling these challenges. However, he also noted the problem of rising energy consumption caused by the exponential growth of internet traffic. To address this, NTT is advocating for IOWN, an innovative optical network. IOWN promises strengthened cybersecurity, the creation of a safer mobility society, and even the realization of a comprehensive space computing network, opening up numerous new possibilities for the future.

Viewing URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRpPiROJdOM
(Japanese dubbing)

IOWN INTEGRAL

Shingo Kinoshita, Executive Officer and General Manager, Research Planning Division, NTT

Shingo Kinoshita, NTT Executive Officer and General Manager of Research Planning Division, began his keynote speech by providing an overview of the forum and introducing the roadmap for IOWN.

IOWN is advancing step-by-step from its initial focus on networking in "IOWN 1.0" to integrating optical technologies into computing domains. This progress is achieving world-class bandwidth, ultra-low latency, and significant reductions in power consumption. Additionally, NTT's proprietary large language model (LLM), "tsuzumi," is accelerating advancements in multimodal capabilities and contextual understanding.

Building on these two core technologies, NTT aims to establish itself as the world's leading research institution, ensure the practical implementation of IOWN, and drive meaningful societal applications that deliver tangible value.

Viewing URL:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTU_w2dhu7w

NTT R&D FORUM 2024
https://www.rd.ntt/e/forum/2024/

Focusing on IOWN application cases & NTT-generated AI large-scale language models! Latest results presented at NTT R&D FORUM 2023 - IOWN ACCELERATION.
https://group.ntt/en/magazine/blog/rd-forum2023/