Rakuten Technology Conference 2024: Empowering the Future with AI

On November 16, 2024, Rakuten Technology Conference returned for its 16th edition, transforming the company’s Tokyo HQ, and eight satellite locations globally, into a hub of innovation and tech exploration. 

As usual, the engineer-led event brought together a diverse community of tech business leaders, engineers and enthusiasts from across the globe to participate in informative stage sessions, interactive booths and a special Kids Park for families.

Unified by the year’s theme, “AI-nization 4.all,” the conference highlighted Rakuten’s commitment to integrating AI into every aspect of its business and making its benefits accessible to all. 

Exploring AI’s transformative power 

Rakuten Technology Conference 2024 featured an impressive lineup of expert speakers across 19 illuminating sessions.   

Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani delivered the event’s opening keynote, where he underscored the role of AI in augmenting human creativity, accelerating productivity and driving further growth. 

Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO speaks about the transformative potential of AI at Rakuten Technology Conference 2024. 
Rakuten Group Chairman and CEO Mickey Mikitani speaks about the transformative potential of AI at Rakuten Technology Conference 2024. 

In a discussion about “The Future of Responsible AI Compute,” Ampere Computing Chief Evangelist and Vice President of Business Development Sean Varley was joined by Qualcomm Marketing Director Hiroshi Izumi and Rakuten Group Executive Officer and CTO of the Technology Platforms Division Rohit Dewan to speak about sustainable AI computing and its implications on energy consumption. Rakuten later announced it would expand its collaboration with Ampere to reduce power consumption for efficient AI compute, making it the first company in Japan to deploy Ampere-based platforms at scale. 

Ampere Computing Chief Evangelist and Vice President of Business Development Sean Varley, Qualcomm Marketing Director Hiroshi Izumi and Rakuten Group Executive Officer and Division CTO of the Technology Platforms Division Rohit Dewan discuss AI computing and energy sustainability. 
Left to right: Rakuten Group Executive Officer and CTO of the Technology Platforms Division Rohit Dewan, Ampere Computing Chief Evangelist and Vice President of Business Development Sean Varley, and Qualcomm Marketing Director Hiroshi Izumi discuss AI computing and energy sustainability. 

Another highly anticipated session was “Enterprise Application AI,” hosted by Tomas Moreno, Outbound Product Manager of Cloud AI at Google, and Taku Okoshi, Executive Officer and Director at Rakuten Group’s AI Services Supervisory Department. In front of an enthusiastic crowd, they spoke about the empowerment of AI and how Rakuten is implementing AI to maximize productivity within its enterprises. 

To wrap up the day’s speaker sessions, Rakuten Group’s Chief AI & Data Officer Ting Cai took to the main stage to discuss AI-nization at Rakuten, sharing the company’s latest AI initiatives and announcing the private preview of “Rakuten AI Assistant.” This new function leverages AI to provide personalized shopping, search and conversation features across the entire Rakuten ecosystem.

Rakuten Group’s Chief AI and Data Officer Ting Cai shares Rakuten’s AI advancements and introduces “Rakuten AI Assistant.”
Rakuten Group Chief AI & Data Officer Ting Cai shares Rakuten’s AI advancements and introduces “Rakuten AI Assistant.”

Celebrating innovation and community 

The conference closed with the Rakuten Technology Excellence Awards, which recognize individuals and organizations that drive societal innovation through advanced technologies. This year’s awards celebrated contributions that have significantly impacted the tech landscape and were presented based on the theme of “AI-nization 4.all.” 

The award was presented to three parties: GMO Cybersecurity by Ierae, Inc., a leading cybersecurity company known for its exceptional technical skill in cyberattack countermeasures; Preferred Networks, Inc., an AI company renowned for developing advanced AI products; and LlamaIndex, an AI company recognized for its development of a Retrieval-Augmented Generation framework that integrates generative AI models with external data. 

Winners of the 2024 Rakuten Technology Excellence Awards were selected for their contributions, based on the theme “AI-nization 4.all.”
Winners of the 2024 Rakuten Technology Excellence Awards were selected for their contributions, based on the theme “AI-nization 4.all.”

Inspiring the next generation at the Kids Park 

As per tradition, the Rakuten Technology Conference Kids Park offered a dynamic and interactive space for children of all ages, to have fun and immerse themselves in the exciting world of technology. 

One of the most popular attractions was the power generation experience, organized by the Environmental Management Promotion Department. There, children had the opportunity to learn about renewable energy by pedaling on stationary bicycles that generated electricity to move a mini steam locomotive. This hands-on activity taught the importance of sustainable practices for energy, while also fostering friendly competition among participants.

Children discover the importance of sustainable energy with electricity-generating bicycles at the power generation experience.
Children discover the importance of sustainable energy with electricity-generating bicycles at the power generation experience.

The Rakuten Robot Club also hosted a robotics showcase that captivated young attendees. Children had a chance to interact with various robots, each designed to demonstrate different aspects of robotics technology. From simple programmable bots to more complex machines, this interactive booth provided an educational yet entertaining experience.

One new and exciting addition to this year’s event was the Jankenpon booth, which quickly became a favorite among attendees. This innovative booth featured a game of rock-paper-scissors, but with a high-tech twist: the AI opponent used computer vision programming to play against the participants. Children were fascinated by how the computer could “see” their hand gestures and respond in real-time, making the game both challenging and fun. 

Children interact with various robots at the Rakuten Robot Club showcase.
Children interact with various robots at the Rakuten Robot Club showcase.

Another major hit was the drone piloting booth, drawing in crowds of eager young participants. This booth allowed children to navigate AI-equipped drones and learn about the technology behind these fascinating devices. As they piloted the drones, children learned about remote control systems and the role of AI in enhancing drone capabilities. 

The Kids Park featured a wide range of activities for families.
The Kids Park featured a wide range of activities for families.

Rakuten Technology Conference 2024 was a resounding success, offering a vibrant environment for learning and exploring the future of AI. 

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