Macnica opens an open innovation base in the food and agritech field in Shin-Yokohama - A base for activities aimed at implementing cutting-edge technology in next-generation plant factories -

Macnica (Headquarters: Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, President: Kazumasa Kazumasa Hara, hereinafter referred to as Macnica) has established the "Food Agri Tech Incubation Base" next to the second headquarters building as an open innovation base in the food and agritech field. We are pleased to announce today that we have constructed the equipment and system for the development and implementation of a next-generation plant factory. While performing artificial light hydroponic cultivation of high value-added varieties in a 40ft container, the plant factory will become an open innovation base that creates new value that goes beyond the corporate framework, and will acquire environmental data and growth data / AI analysis. We will conduct PoC on various themes such as growth environment optimization and crop disease diagnosis, and work with co-creation partners to develop services for next-generation plant factories.

In a world situation where it is expected that the world's population will increase and it will be difficult to procure sufficient amounts of food, there will be a shortage of resources such as water and land necessary for food production, and a decreasing and aging population working in agriculture. The problem is emerging. Furthermore, the combination of abnormal weather and natural disasters caused by global warming has made it difficult to maintain the production base.

Regarding these social issues related to food and agriculture, Macnica positions "creating a sustainable global environment" as one of its materialities (important issues), and aims to stabilize the yield and quality of crops without depending on land or the environment. We are working to promote controlled environment agriculture (CEA), which is a cultivation method. Environmentally controlled agriculture introduces technologies such as sensors, AI, and robotics into the cultivation environment to reduce human labor, pass on cultivation know-how, and develop high-value crops that specialize in specific ingredients. is. This type of environmentally controlled agriculture is realized through a cyber-physical system ^*1 that collects data, stores and analyzes it, and feeds it back to the real world.

Food Agri Tech Incubation Base is a facility for collecting data in the food agritech field with co-creation partners. By combining the knowledge of real-world hardware such as various sensors and edge AI cultivated in the semiconductor business with the software development, data storage, and AI analysis technology in cyberspace cultivated in Network business segment and AI businesses, Macnica We will expand the scope of the system.

■About Food Agri Tech Incubation Base
It is based on NEXTAGE Co., Ltd.'s wasabi cultivation module. The interior is divided into a cultivation area, which will be jointly developed with NEXTAGE, and a co-creation area, which will serve as a place for open innovation.

<Inside Food Agri Tech Incubation Base>

<Features of Food Agri Tech Incubation Base>
·Facility
・40ft refrigerated container
・Hydroponic cultivation shelf (96 plants x 5 tiers x 4 shelves)
・Water circulation device
・Sensing system (air quality/water quality)
・Data platform (dashboard/AI model development)
・Environmental control system (air/water/light)
・LED that can output wavelengths suitable for plant cultivation
・Environmental control equipment such as CO2 cylinders/air conditioners/chillers
・Development theme (including schedule)
・Changing cultivation items and cultivating high value-added crops
・Optimization of environmental information to realize energy-saving forced cultivation
・Automatic crop pruning and harvesting
・Automatic preparation of nutrient solution
・Exploring cultivation recipes that enhance the taste, aroma, and specific components of crops

Macnica will continue to take on challenges together with co-creation partners at the Food Agri Tech Incubation Base and connect food diversity and agricultural technology to the future. In the future, we will also collaborate with other business fields to solve social issues and aim to realize a more prosperous future society.

*1: A system that creates new value by merging the real world (physical space) and cyberspace. Collect data in the real world using sensor technology, convert it into intelligence by accumulating and analyzing data in cyberspace using cloud technology and AI technology, and feed back that intelligence to the real world using robotics technology, control technology, etc. do. By looping this, the value will be amplified.

[Click here for details on Food Agri Tech Incubation Base]
URL: https://www.macnica.co.jp/business/agritech/products/145024/index.html

[Click here for inquiries regarding food and agritech]
In charge of Macnica Food Agritech Business
TEL: 045-470-9841
MAIL: mac-agritech@macnica.co.jp

*Company names and product names mentioned in this text are trademarks or registered trademarks of Macnica and each company.
*The information published in the news release (including product price, specifications, etc.) is current as of the date of announcement. Please note that the information may be subject to change without prior notice.