Driving joint efforts for creation and global rollout of new metaverse businesses

Tokyo – TOPPAN Inc. (TOPPAN), a TOPPAN Group company and wholly owned subsidiary of TOPPAN Holdings Inc., leading Vietnamese system integrator FPT Information System Corporation (FIS), and FPT Japan Holdings Co., Ltd. (FPT Japan Holdings) are launching a collaboration focused on creating new services and driving global expansion in the metaverse business.

The collaboration will fuse the TOPPAN Group’s rendering technologies for metaverse spaces and the XR field as well as its communication design know-how with the FPT Group’s system development capabilities and XR solutions to develop metaverse services that will be rolled out in Southeast Asia and global markets.

Background

The metaverse is expected to be a major part of next-generation information infrastructure. It is anticipated that the market in Japan will be worth approximately one trillion yen in 2026, with the global market reaching 124 trillion yen in 2030 (from 2023 White Paper on Information & Communications in Japan). Pilot projects and the provision of services are expanding in various fields, including business, entertainment, education, and the arts and culture. Because the metaverse is not constrained by distance or time, it is seen as a platform for potentially enabling global communities and economic zones, but there are currently numerous challenges to address for the provision of practicable services as part of global expansion, such as the development of infrastructure and local user support.

As part of the group operated by FPT Corporation, a leader in the Vietnamese ICT industry, FIS primarily develops systems and provides solutions to diverse customers in Vietnam. In recent years, FIS has been leveraging its accumulated expertise to strengthen provision of its advanced technology platforms—developed as “Made by FPT IS” solutions—and is focusing efforts on rolling out XR solutions and metaverse-related businesses. The FPT Group also includes FPT Japan Holdings, a Japan-based subsidiary of FPT Software, which engages in business in 28 countries and provides solutions to global customers. FPT Japan Holdings drives digital transformation and provides support on a global scale, with a focus on clients in Japan and their overseas branches. Starting with a collaboration in the BPO business launched in 2016, the TOPPAN Group and the FPT Group have thus far collaborated in a wide range of fields. This has included a technology partnership, in which the companies worked together on systems for the TOPPAN Group’s NAVINECT™ manufacturing DX solution, and participation in forums organized by the FPT Group.

The TOPPAN Group is working to develop and promote metaverse services in diverse fields, including culture, tourism, education, manufacturing, and entertainment. To do so, it is leveraging its extensive customer networks and solutions as well as its technologies, such as high-definition image data processing, 3D measurement for accurate space creation, and advanced security authentication for ensuring safe and secure usage.

The collaboration will aim to further grow the partnership of the companies to develop and expand metaverse services in the global market.

Details of the collaboration

?Rollout of metaverse business in Southeast Asia
The companies will fuse the FPT Group’s infrastructure development capabilities and local marketing expertise with the TOPPAN Group’s metaverse solutions and high-definition spatial design know-how. This will drive business development and expansion in various fields in the Southeast Asia market, where the FPT Group operates. Potential businesses include entertainment, such as joint holding of live metaverse events, and digital twin services supporting manufacturing.

?Creation of new services based on provision of technology licenses
The companies will collaborate to drive development of new metaverse solutions by providing each other with metaverse-related technology licenses. This includes TOPPAN’s MiraVerse™Core, a metaverse solution featuring high-definition 3D simulation, and Metaclone™ Avatar, which enables people to generate their own avatar from a single photograph. Licenses from the FPT Group will include “akaVerse,” a solution package combining AR, VR, and MR.

Concept model for manufacturing digital twin business

Ahead of the launch of efforts under the collaboration, the TOPPAN Group has worked with the FPT Group to develop a concept model for a manufacturing digital twin metaverse, whereby a digital twin of an actual TOPPAN Group manufacturing site has been created. The model was exhibited in October this year at FPT Techday 2023 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The companies will advance development of the service while conducting testing at the TOPPAN Group’s manufacturing sites and considering use cases.

Future

The companies will drive efforts based on the collaboration, provide metaverse services in global markets, starting with Southeast Asia, and contribute to more user-friendly communication in the metaverse.

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