Ericsson, PS Solutions Corp. (affiliated with SoftBank Group Corp.), and CKD Corporation, a supplier of actuation products, are collaborating on an update to "e-kakashi", a platform which applies artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies into agricultural processes. First introduced by PS Solutions in 2015, the second-generation "e-kakashi" platform will launch in March 2018.

The focus on self-driving technology, electrification and autonomy continues to accelerate and that was evidenced further by the investment in Silicon Valley based start-up NAUTO, by General Motors and SoftBank Group.

A Japanese conglomerate has announced that it will make an investment of $2.25bn in US car manufacturing colossus General Motors. Telecommunications giant SoftBank will invest the capital in GM's autonomous car program in exchange for a stake in the ambitious mobility venture.

PLDT, NTT Communications, PCCW Global, SoftBank, Facebook and Amazon have selected TE SubCom to install a high-capacity transpacific cable system scheduled to launch in 2020. TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. Company, is an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology.

Chinese bike-sharing provider ofo and SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp. (SoftBank C&S) announced that the two have reached a basic agreement to collaborate on the deployment of ofo's global bike-sharing business in Japan.

Japan's SoftBank and Huawei Technologies Japan teamed up to demonstrate various potential use cases for a 5G network to SoftBank's business partners. The use cases included ultra-high throughput, ultra-low latency transmission, and edge computing.

Japan's SoftBank and Huawei's Wireless X Labs recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding connected robots. SoftBank plans to offer Cube and Kibako (automated cube robots), while Huawei provides 5G wireless networks. Joint efforts will be conducted to implement 5G-based smart service robots by 2018.

Japanese telecoms and internet corporation SoftBank, a subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp., announced that it is developing an Embedded Subscriber Identity Module ("eSIM") Platform as part of its efforts to promote Internet of Things ("IoT") solutions. The platform, which is scheduled to start operating in 2017, enables remote eSIM provisioning by connecting to carrier communication networks with the required profiles.

A Silicon Valley startup working on self-driving delivery vehicles announced nearly a billion dollars in fresh funding from the SoftBank Vision Fund. The $940 million in financing from SoftBank brought the total amount of funding raised by Nuro to more than $1 billion, with investors including Greylock Partners and Gaorong Capital, according to the company.

Japan's SoftBank announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement of investment in Energy IoT Platformer, ENCORED INC. ("Encored"). On August 1, the corporate name will change from ENCORED INC. to Encored Japan Inc. ("Encored Japan"). SoftBank will also invest in Encored USA.

Indonesian property developer Lippo Karawaci and Japanese conglomerate Softbank have joined forces to develop and deploy smart city technology in Lippo village, near Jakarta.

The two Japanese giants Toyota Motor Corp and SoftBank Group Corp announced their cooperation in developing mobility services for self-driving cars.

Chinese vendor ZTE is refocusing its strategic sales plan towards Japan in a bid to secure a number of lucrative 5G contracts ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

ZTE Corporation, a major international provider of telecommunications, enterprise and consumer technology solutions for the mobile internet, helped Japan's SoftBank Hawks seal a 4-3 victory over its opponent and won the championship at the main venue Yahuoku! Dome during the 2017 Japan Series.