9DW
9DW Corporation is a Tokyo-based AI development company that builds IYO, a proprietary general-purpose multi-modal AI core, and licenses it across healthcare, government, dental, broadcast, logistics, fisheries, and cultural heritage projects in Japan and Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What 9DW does
9DW Corporation (株式会社9DW) is a Tokyo-based private AI development company founded in March 2016 by CEO Tsuyoshi Imoto (formerly of Yahoo!, Rakuten, DeNA, and CyberAgent), with the stated mission of achieving 'world peace' through peaceful applications of artificial intelligence. The company builds IYO, a proprietary general-purpose AI core system that simultaneously processes multiple data modalities — natural language, audio, images, video, numerical/time-series, and 3D model data — at Level-4 deep learning, and markets IYO as a foundation for cross-domain applications rather than narrow single-purpose tools. On top of IYO, 9DW has developed eight named product lines: AI Dental CAD (with Kulzer/Mitsui Chemicals), Medical AI (with Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital under the Cabinet Office SIP program), Medicine AI (drug side-effect analysis with university researchers), Fisheries AI, Broadcast AI (4K/8K video editing and subtitles), Delivery AI (biomimetic route optimization), Fashion AI (Tokyo Girls Collection coordination scoring), T-shirt design generation, and the Kumamoto Castle stone-wall restoration AI. The company also pursues disaster-prediction AI via the Asia Natural Disaster Data Platform on Microsoft Azure, spanning Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
The business model is B2B and project-based: revenue is generated from (1) custom AI system development and OEM/embedded licensing (exemplified by the Kulzer dental CAD co-development using Kulzer's 1 million+ case database), and (2) government consulting and contracted AI development with central ministries (Cabinet Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) and Japanese municipal governments (Izumiotsu City and a multi-city consortium). The go-to-market relies on direct enterprise field sales, public-sector tender participation (via e-Red registration), strategic co-development partnerships with industry leaders, and conference/event-driven thought leadership (including the CEO's lecture at the Japan Fair Trade Commission). No public pricing is disclosed; contracts appear to be negotiated per project. As of January 2017, registered capital was ¥41.6M and headcount was approximately 40 (August 2017). The company was granted its first patent for AI dental CAD in March 2018 and added Chief Cybersecurity Advisor Toshio Nawa in June 2019, signaling preparation for higher-sensitivity public-sector and medical data contracts.
9DW firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 9DW
- Legal name
- 株式会社9DW
- Website
- https://9dw.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- 9DW Corporation is a Tokyo-based AI development company that builds IYO, a proprietary general-purpose multi-modal AI core, and licenses it across healthcare, government, dental, broadcast, logistics, fisheries, and cultural heritage projects in Japan and Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
9DW industry classification
Industry- Product category
- General-Purpose AI Software Platform
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- LLMOps & Generative AI Platforms (Prompt/Agent Orchestration, RAG) (HDAEANAD), Multimodal Generation (Text-Image-Video-Audio) & Creative Toolchains (HDAAACAG), Medical Imaging AI (HDAAAEAH), Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection (HDAAAEAG), Generative AI & LLM Solutions Services (RAG, Agents, Copilots) (BPAEAHAG)
Keywords
Where 9DW is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
9DW business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- AI System Development and Licensing: 9DW develops and provides domain-specific AI systems built on its IYO core platform. Revenue is generated through custom AI development projects for enterprise and government clients, as well as licensing of IYO-based solutions. Examples include AI dental CAD software (with Kulzer), AI hospital systems (with Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital), and disaster management platforms. The company also sells AI systems for broadcast automation, fishery monitoring, delivery optimization, and fashion.
- Government AI Consulting and Project Contracts: 9DW earns revenue through public-sector consulting and contracted AI development projects with government ministries (Cabinet Office SIP, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications) and municipal governments (Izumiotsu City and other municipalities). These contracts fund AI pilots and model projects for citizen service improvement and administrative efficiency.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
9DW product offering
Product offeringCore offering
9DW develops and sells the IYO general-purpose AI core platform, which simultaneously analyzes multiple data types (natural language, audio, images, video, numerical, time-series, and 3D model data) at Level-4 deep learning. On top of IYO, the company delivers domain-specific AI products for healthcare diagnostics, dental CAD, drug safety analysis, fisheries monitoring, broadcast subtitling and editing, delivery route optimization, fashion coordination evaluation, T-shirt design generation, and cultural heritage (Kumamoto Castle) restoration. Revenue is earned through custom AI development projects, OEM/co-development licensing, and government consulting contracts.
Product overview
9DW Corporation is an AI development manufacturer founded in March 2016 that offers its proprietary general-purpose AI core system 'IYO' as the foundational platform, which simultaneously analyzes multiple data types (language, audio, images, video, numerical, and time-series data). On top of IYO, the company has developed multiple domain-specific AI applications including: Dental AI (CAD software and tooth model auto-generation), Medical AI (diagnosis assistance and report creation), Medicine AI (drug side effect quantification), Fisheries AI (underwater monitoring), Broadcast AI (video editing and subtitles), Delivery AI (route optimization), Fashion AI (coordination evaluation and T-shirt design generation), and Kumamoto Castle restoration AI. The product portfolio represents a platform-plus-applications architecture where IYO serves as the core AI engine powering various industry-specific solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IYO: 9DWのオリジナル汎用型AIコアシステム。複数種類データの同時解析を主としたシステムの認知力向上を実現するAI技術。
Products and services
- IYO General-Purpose AI Core System (いよ) Proprietary general-purpose AI core that simultaneously analyzes multiple data types (natural language, audio, images, video, numerical, time-series, and 3D model data) at Level-4 deep learning, serving as the foundational platform for 9DW's industry-specific applications.
- AI Dental CAD (Tooth Model Auto-Generation) AI system that learns from MRI/CT image data to create 3D tooth models with automatic gap completion, enabling personalized artificial tooth 3D models to be generated in minutes. Co-developed with Kulzer GmbH (Mitsui Chemicals subsidiary) and targets dental laboratories and clinics.
- Medical AI (Diagnosis Assistance)
Quantifiable outcome
- Design time reduced to 1/30th for dental CAD bridge treatment using AI, leveraging Kulzer's 1 million+ case database
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use 9DW
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments10 records
Ideal customer profiles10 records
9DW technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability14 records
Feature13 records
9DW partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- Japan Fair Trade Commission — Competition Policy Research Center (公正取引委員会 / 競争政策研究センター)minor9DW CEO Tsuyoshi Imoto was invited as a guest speaker at the Japan Fair Trade Commission's BBL (Benthos Boring Lunch) Meeting organized by the Competition Policy Research Center. This engagement focuses on competition policy perspectives regarding AI industry trends rather than a commercial partnership.
- Cabinet Office of Japan — SIP AI Hospital Systemcore9DW was selected alongside Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital to participate in the Cabinet Office Strategic Innovation Creation Program (SIP) 'AI Hospital System'. Under the program directed by Dr. Yusuke Nakamura (Director of Cancer Precision Medicine Research Center, Cancer Institute), 9DW contributes AI, IoT, and big data technologies to develop an AI Hospital System for advanced medical services and medical staff workload reduction. 9DW is also registered as a research institution in the e-Red government procurement system.
- Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital (横須賀共済病院)coreYokosuka Kyosai Hospital is 9DW's hospital partner for the AI Hospital System under the Cabinet Office SIP program. 9DW conducts demonstration experiments at the hospital and co-develops AI-powered diagnostic imaging and hospital workflow optimization solutions for deployment in Japan's healthcare system.
- Izumiotsu City (泉大津市)flagship9DW signed a comprehensive partnership agreement with Izumiotsu City for AI-driven citizen service improvement and administrative efficiency. The partnership covers diverse areas including regional activation, talent development, culture, sports, education, food education, health, welfare, international exchange, and lifelong learning. 9DW conducts AI pilot development for municipal processes. The project is part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Business Reform Model Project and involves collaboration with Shijonawate City, Katano City, Kashiwara City, Kaizuka City, Hannan City, and Okayama Prefecture Tamano City.
- Kulzer GmbH (Mitsui Chemicals subsidiary)core9DW co-develops AI-powered dental CAD software with Kulzer GmbH, a subsidiary of Mitsui Chemicals. The project leverages Kulzer's 1 million+ dental case database to automate and accelerate bridge treatment design, targeting 1/30th design time and improved precision. This is a co-development and licensing arrangement for dental CAD applications.
- University Research Partners (大学共同研究機関)core9DW collaborates with university researchers on drug side-effect quantification and safer drug combination discovery. The joint research aims to develop an AI system that quantifies side-effect risk likelihood and identifies lower-risk alternative drug combinations with equivalent efficacy.
- Kumamoto Castle Restoration Project (熊本城復旧プロジェクト)flagship9DW partnered with the Kumamoto Castle Restoration Project to apply its IYO AI for stone-wall restoration. Using 3D scans of displaced stones and 2D pre-earthquake data, AI predicts where approximately 70,000–100,000 stones belong, aiming to dramatically reduce the 20-year restoration timeline and tens of billions of yen in costs. 9DW staff have been deployed on-site for inspection and AI system development.
- General Incorporated Association Earthquake Precursor Research Center (地震予兆研究センター)core9DW entered a joint research agreement with the Earthquake Precursor Research Center and Natural Disaster Research Center for AI-based big earthquake prediction. The research covers Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, and broader Asia, analyzing seismic, meteorological, electromagnetic, groundwater, and surface data. 9DW's AI processes and automatically analyzes these multi-source datasets. This partnership involves international collaboration with BMKG (Indonesia), BNPB (Indonesia), GIB (Indonesia), and LAPAN (Indonesia) as part of the Asia Natural Disaster Data Platform.
- Microsoft AzurecoreMicrosoft Azure serves as the cloud platform for the Asia Natural Disaster Data Platform, enabling 9DW's AI to integrate and analyze big data from Asian government agencies and research institutions. Azure's cloud infrastructure supports cross-border data processing at scale.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
9DW competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sakana AI: Tokyo-based AI research company developing foundation models with a Japan-centric, locally-trained approach. Compares to 9DW on Japanese-language AI differentiation and pursuit of advanced/general-purpose AI capabilities.
- Preferred Networks: Tokyo-based deep learning company building proprietary AI frameworks with applications across healthcare, transportation, and manufacturing. Direct comparable as a Japanese venture-scale AI platform company pursuing multi-vertical deployment of a proprietary core.
- Appier: Taiwan/Japan-based AI company offering cross-industry AI solutions (marketing, enterprise) using proprietary machine learning. Comparable as an Asia-based AI platform company operating across multiple verticals with proprietary core technology.
- ABEJA: Japan-based AI platform company offering multi-vertical AI solutions (retail, manufacturing, infrastructure) with a strong enterprise/government channel. Compares to 9DW on Japan-focused B2B AI platform play with cross-industry application of a core AI engine.
Broad incumbents
- NEC Corporation (AI division): Large Japanese conglomerate with substantial AI offerings in biometric identification, public safety, healthcare, and government systems. Comparable as a competing provider of AI solutions to the same Japanese public-sector and enterprise customers 9DW targets.
- SoftBank Robotics / SoftBank AI: Japan-based conglomerate with substantial AI and robotics investment and Japan enterprise/government AI offerings. Comparable as a large Japanese incumbent competing for similar enterprise and public-sector AI mandates.
- Fujitsu (AI Platform): Global Japanese IT services and AI platform provider with significant healthcare AI, manufacturing AI, and public sector offerings. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing in the same enterprise AI / government AI opportunities that 9DW pursues.
Emerging players
- DataRobot: Enterprise AI platform company offering automated machine learning and deployment tools usable across multiple industries. Comparable as a multi-vertical enterprise AI platform with similar horizontal AI deployment philosophy.
- SenseTime: Asia-based AI company specializing in computer vision, medical imaging AI, and multi-modal AI with both enterprise and government exposure. Comparable as an Asia-based multi-modal AI company pursuing government and healthcare verticals.
Others
- Microsoft (Azure AI / Japan business): Hyperscaler providing Azure cloud and AI services (including OpenAI models) to Japanese enterprise and government. Comparable as the infrastructure and AI platform partner that both competes with and enables 9DW's IYO deployments in Asia.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
9DW social profiles
Digital presence9DW financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
9DW leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
9DW funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
9DW M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 9DW
What does 9DW do?
9DW develops and sells the IYO general-purpose AI core platform, which simultaneously analyzes multiple data types (natural language, audio, images, video, numerical, time-series, and 3D model data) at Level-4 deep learning. On top of IYO, the company delivers domain-specific AI products for healthcare diagnostics, dental CAD, drug safety analysis, fisheries monitoring, broadcast subtitling and editing, delivery route optimization, fashion coordination evaluation, T-shirt design generation, and cultural heritage (Kumamoto Castle) restoration. Revenue is earned through custom AI development projects, OEM/co-development licensing, and government consulting contracts.
Is 9DW a public or private company?
9DW is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was 9DW founded?
9DW was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is 9DW based?
9DW is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does 9DW make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. AI System Development and Licensing is the primary driver. The others are government AI Consulting and Project Contracts.
Who are 9DW's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sakana AI, Preferred Networks, Appier and ABEJA. Broad incumbents are NEC Corporation (AI division), SoftBank Robotics / SoftBank AI and Fujitsu (AI Platform). Emerging players are DataRobot and SenseTime. Microsoft (Azure AI / Japan business) is listed as an others.
Does 9DW have an API?
No public API is recorded for 9DW.
What industry is 9DW in?
9DW's product category is General-Purpose AI Software Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAHAF, AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services, with a secondary code of HDAEANAD, LLMOps & Generative AI Platforms (Prompt/Agent Orchestration, RAG). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7373.