NEC Wins Five Awards at Newsweek AI Impact APAC & EMEA Awards

- How NEC's AI Is Creating What's Ahead in Vietnam -

TOKYO, Jan. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) recently won awards in five categories at the Newsweek AI Impact APAC & EMEA Awards, which identify and recognize organizations for their innovative use of AI to solve everyday business challenges.

As Vietnam continues to strengthen its digital economy and smart industry capabilities, the role of dependable AI systems is becoming more pronounced. NEC's recognition at the Newsweek AI Impact Awards reflects the relevance of AI technologies designed for reliability and long-term growth.

Award Summary
NEC's proprietary AI technologies and solutions were recognized in the following five categories.

1．AI Brand & Retail > Best Outcomes, Marketing and Creative

(1) Title
The taste of life created by brewers and AI - Agentic AI x Craft Beer

(2) Overview
NEC collaborated with beer artisans from Kyodo Shoji Co., Ltd.'s Coedo Brewery and AI to develop the craft beer "Life Brew Craft." NEC's core AI technology "NEC cotomi" analyzed and incorporated information on the lifestyles and values of multiple generations of modern Japanese people. Furthermore, an Agentic AI based on NEC cotomi referenced vast amounts of recipe information—approximately 1.4 million characters—to create new recipe proposals through dialogue with the brewers.

(3) Reference URL
https://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/ai/ai_craft/index.html 

2．AI Brand & Retail > Best Outcomes, Product Development and Innovation

(1)  Title
AI-Powered New Product Demand Forecasting: Driving Consensus Through Predictive Insights

(2)  Overview
In traditional new product development, insufficient historical data made it difficult to create accurate forecasts. NEC's AI-powered New Product Demand Forecasting Solution leverages proprietary AI to predict and support stakeholder consensus-building.

(3)  Reference URL
https://jpn.nec.com/press/202406/20240617_01.html (Japanese text)

3．Best of "Most Innovative AI Technology or Service" > Extraordinary Impact in AI innovation

(1)  Title
NEC's Negotiation AI: Automating Delivery Adjustments for Greater Efficiency

(2)  Overview
NEC's proprietary AI technology automates the negotiation and adjustment processes traditionally performed by humans. It automatically derives essential and desirable conditions for negotiations and proposes mutually acceptable, optimal terms. Leveraging this technology, NEC aims to automate delivery date and quantity adjustments in the procurement of parts from suppliers. A proof-of-concept applied to procurement operations within the NEC Group confirmed significant improvements in operational efficiency.

(3)  Reference URL
https://www.nec.com/en/global/solutions/ai/analyze/negotiationai.html

4．Best of "Most Innovative AI Technology or Service" > Extraordinary Impact in AI Transparency or Responsibility

(1)  Title
Fact or Fiction?  How NEC's AI Keeps LLMs Trustworthy

(2)  Overview
NEC is addressing LLM hallucination issues by providing three functions—Quality Checker, LLM Explainer, and Fact Checker—to verify LLM outputs and enhance safety. Rollout began sequentially starting in October 2024. These functions are compatible with both NEC's proprietary AI core technology NEC cotomi and the "Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service." This enables reliable generative AI across a wide range of applications.

(3)  Reference URL
https://jpn.nec.com/press/202409/20240918_04.html (Japanese text)

5．AI Workplace > Best Outcomes, Leadership and Succession Planning

(1)  Title
Client Zero: NEC Leading AI Implementation at the Forefront of Transformation

(2)  Overview
NEC positions itself as "Client Zero" (the first customer of its own solutions), building a model for corporate transformation by leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including AI. It also extends these results to its customers, with the introduction of AI into management dashboards, for example. This enables not only the visualization of actual performance data but also the incorporation of performance forecasts, facilitating rapid decision-making and swift action to anticipate future developments.

(3)  Reference URL
https://jpn.nec.com/press/202407/20240710_01.html (Japanese text)

Going forward, NEC will continue to research and develop safe and secure AI that successfully drives transformation, contributing to solving customers' business challenges.

Naoto Hamatani, General Director of NEC Vietnam, shares, "Vietnam's digital economy is growing rapidly, and AI is a critical enabler for analytics and public services. NEC's recognition showcases our dedication to safe and reliable innovation. We are Creating What's Ahead by helping Vietnam build strong digital foundations for the future."

About NEC
The NEC Group leverages technology to create social value and promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. NEC Corporation was established in 1899. Today, the NEC Group's approximately 110,000 employees utilize world-leading AI, security, and communications technologies to solve the most pressing needs of customers and society.

For more information, please visit https://www.nec.com, and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

SOURCE NEC Corporation