Microsoft is reinforcing its commitment to advancing AI research and innovation across the Asia-Pacific region with the opening of Microsoft Research Asia – Tokyo. The Tokyo lab will focus on critical areas that reflect Japan’s socioeconomic priorities, including embodied AI, well-being and neuroscience, societal AI, and industry innovation. These research efforts aim to leverage advanced technologies to foster societal progress and contribute to the region’s innovation ecosystem.

As the fundamental research arm of Microsoft in the Asia-Pacific region, Microsoft Research Asia has a long-standing collaboration with Japan, which began in 2005. The establishment of the Tokyo lab will enhance Microsoft Research Asia’s ability to forge deeper collaborations with local partners, enabling cross-cultural and interdisciplinary exchanges that promote technological advancements.

Our current key focus and initiatives includes:

• Embodied AI: Developing intelligent systems that can perform complex tasks and understand and interact in physical and virtual environments.
• Societal AI: Exploring the implications of AI on society, ensuring that technology serves humanity’s best interests.
• Well-being and neuroscience: Drawing inspiration from neuroscience to re-imagine human-AI interfaces, applying AI to enhance well-being.
• Industry innovation: Embracing interdisciplinary and cross-boundary research to understand real-world needs, empowering industry transformation in collaboration with industry partners.