ABOUT
Rakuten Institute of Technology was launched in 2006
as the dedicated R&D organization for the Rakuten Group.
“Front-Runner of the Global Business Evolution”
- A word from the Global Head of Rakuten Institute of Technology, Masaya Mori
"We launched Rakuten Institute of Technology in 2006 as the dedicated R&D organization for the Rakuten Group. Since then, anticipating that the constant scaling up of internet services will result in a shift from simple linear growth to a radically different paradigm, we have proposed a vision called the “Third Reality” to aim at novel research & development for the business. In a sense, our interest in the subject is not merely academic. It is the creative mind-set that drives us to open up an entirely new frontier.”
Rakuten Institute of Technology is now located in Tokyo, Paris, Singapore, Boston, San Mateo, and Bengaluru, engaging in cross-location projects and supporting the globalization of the Rakuten Group. External to the Rakuten network, the Institute is partnered with Hidehiko Masuhara (Tokyo Institute of Technology), who serves as an advisor, and Yukihiro Matsumoto (creator of the Ruby programming language), who serves as a fellow.
R&D Vision: The Third Reality
At Rakuten Institute of Technology, our research is guided by a vision called the Third Reality, and we collaborate with various departments in Rakuten, as well as external organizations, in order to maximize our impact. The Third Reality vision is based on three key concepts.
Evolution of society
These days the physical world is becoming increasingly integrated with the digital world. There is no longer a clear border where one world ends and the other begins. As the cyber world evolves and expands to pervade all areas of life, users and physical reality are evolving even more. The border between them is disappearing such that together they are forming a new reality, which we call “The Third Reality”.
Overcoming conflict
People may see a dichotomy when a new technology appears. However, the relationship between the real and online worlds can be seen as collaborative and we strive to propose ideas that go beyond the conflict. As such, we believe that a third option will give us power to move further forward.
Users first
The Third Reality arises from the interaction of users with the ever expanding virtual world. The ways users can interact with the online world are increasing and internet services can be ever more personalized to the individual. The new reality is created in collaboration with users, so user's seamless experience is always important to us.
TOKYO
Rakuten Institute of Technology Tokyo, located at the Rakuten headquarters of Rakuten, was established in 2006. Rakuten Institute of Technology Tokyo covers various research areas including IoT, drones, network optimization, HPC, distributed computing, data mining, fraud detection, NLP, computer vision, HCI and AR/VR. In particular, we focus on applying advanced machine learning and state-of-the-art deep learning to many fields.
Literally and figuratively, the Tokyo office works closely with the many business lines of Rakuten enabling frequent interaction and collaboration. Tokyo boasts a very diverse team of researchers from all over the world - the majority of whom are from countries outside Japan in Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East.
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PARIS
Rakuten Institute of Technology Paris, established in 2014, focuses on projects using machine learning, deep learning, computer vision, natural language processing, and new interactions like augmented and virtual reality. Office Photos: Photo 1 Photo 2
Paris researchers collaborate with several business and technical teams of Rakuten France, located in the same office, and with many other Rakuten subsidiaries in Europe and in Japan.
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SINGAPORE
Rakuten Institute of Technology Singapore was established in 2015, and current projects include machine translation, speech recognition, interactive language learning with digital content such as TV series, and user behaviour modelling. We are responsible for providing high quality research and development to power long term innovation.Office Photos: Photo 1 Photo 2
In Singapore, where we see many new ventures and start-up businesses, the office has a close relationship with Rakuten Viki - the TV drama and movie site.
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BOSTON
Rakuten Institute of Technology Boston, established in 2015, is focusing on research on machine learning, deep learning and AI, specifically promoting research in the area of AI, which is currently developing at a remarkable pace, and collaborating with big data teams.Office Photos: Photo 1 Photo 2
The Boston office is positioned in a major international academic hub of the US, where several world-renowned universities are located, allowing collaboration with institutions nearby.
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NEW YORK (Satellite Office)
The NY satellite office is located in the heart of Manhattan, one of the busiest cities in the world. Nevertheless, as a small team, researchers enjoy an at-home atmosphere.
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SAN MATEO
Rakuten Institute of Technology San Mateo, located at the US headquarters of Rakuten, was established in 2018. Rakuten Institute of Technology San Mateo plays a role as the US market hub of research projects, connecting all RIT locations to US businesses. It focuses on data science, data mining, NLP, and applications of machine learning and deep learning in the creative economy space.
The San Mateo office is based in the bay area of US, where emerging startups and leading universities are located, encouraging maximum innovation.
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BENGALURU
Rakuten Institute of Technology Bengaluru, established in 2018, is focusing on research into deep learning, computer vision, and robotics. Some of the office's key research topics are detection and prediction of financial fraud, computer vision in e-commerce and medical imaging, and automation of warehouse robotics and logistics.
In Bengaluru, we are co-located with Rakuten India, and acts as a hub for collaboration with Indian research universities with the aim of providing high-level researchers with opportunities.
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