LG CNS, KDDI Target APAC AI Market

Park Sang-gyun, Executive Vice President and Head of the Telecommunications, Retail and Service Business Division at LG CNS (right), and Kentaro Matsuura, Deputy Head of the Business Growth Division at KDDI, taking a photo at the memorandum of understanding signing ceremony. (Provided by LG CNS) LG CNS has joined hands with KDDI, Japan's leading comprehensive telecommunications company. The two companies have signed a strategic memorandum of understanding to establish a next-generation business model combining artificial intelligence (AI), smart cities, and telecommunications infrastructure. The core of this collaboration lies in combining LG CNS's AX (AI Transformation) and DX (Digital Transformation) capabilities with KDDI's global telecommunications network infrastructure. KDDI is one of the top three telecommunications companies in Japan, operating 19 hubs in 15 countries across the Asia-Pacific region and expanding its B2B business. Utilizing their respective strengths, the two companies will jointly seek new business opportunities in the fields of AI, smart cities, and system integration operation and management services. In the AI sector, LG CNS's agentic AI platform, 'AgenticWorks', will play a pivotal role. Based on this, the companies plan to develop customized agentic AI services for local businesses to be applied to KDDI's operations in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, they are also reviewing physical AI technology cooperation for task automation at industrial sites. This approach involves providing integrated robot management services to customers in the manufacturing, logistics, and retail sectors by utilizing LG CNS's robot service platform, 'PhysicalWorks'. The rapidly growing Southeast Asian smart city market is also a major target. For hub cities in Southeast Asia where modernization projects are active, LG CNS's integrated city control and intelligent transportation system solutions will be integrated with KDDI's telecommunications infrastructure. Through this, the two companies envision establishing a business model optimized for the local market and securing market leadership. The companies have formed a working-level council and are preparing specific implementation plans. Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and China have been selected as the initial target regions for the business. Currently, the companies also plan to share technology and know-how in their core business areas of telecommunications and system integration operation and management, continuously expanding the scope of their joint business.