India’s private-sector drone maker ideaForge has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Japan’s leading AI technology provider Digital Media Professionals Inc. (DMP) to develop next-generation Di1-powered AI drones and enter the Japanese market with DMP's support.

As the global drone market surges from US$ 54.9 billion in 2024 to US$ 117.6 billion by 2030, Japan’s market is slated to grow from US$ 2 billion in 2025 to US$ 5.1 billion by 2034. 

To enable this growth, Edge AI is critical for drone-based autonomous solutions in defence, security and industrial applications, ideaForge said in a press release. 

The Di1 edge AI SoC (security operations center) from the DMP has FP4-based NPU (neural processing units) for high-performance, low-power, 4-channel camera for 360-degree vision, and strong imagery, which works in tandem with ideaForge’s rugged, secure, autonomous, and resilient field-proven VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drones to perform robust autonomous flight in severe environments and complex terrains, the company said.

“Under this partnership, ideaForge will develop next-generation Di1-powered AI drones and enter the Japanese market with DMP's support, marking a major step forward for India's deep-tech global expansion,” it added.
 
Together, ideaForge’s UAS (unmanned aerial system) end-to-end expertise and DMP’s physical AI arm bring smarter and safer autonomous systems for accelerated adoption.

The partnership is focused on two key areas where ideaForge will provide the Di1 integration in its UAV platforms to enable new features, and DMP will be the “Go To Market (GTM)” partner for ideaForge’s drone solutions portfolio in Japan, enabling demonstrations, customer outreach, distribution, training, and after-sales support, the Indian drone firm which has steadily expanded its presence across India, and also established its footprint in the USA through a joint venture, stated.

“This collaboration with DMP aligns perfectly with our broader strategy to develop high-performance, customizable AI for defence autonomy drones that efficiently address diverse global market needs – from defence surveillance and border security to industrial infrastructure inspection and precision agriculture. Through this collaboration, we would be able to leverage DMP’s strong presence and understanding of the Japanese market to accelerate our global expansion initiatives and will provide smarter, more efficient, and sustainable autonomous drone systems that deliver real-time decision-making, extended endurance, and unmatched reliability in the most demanding environments,” Ankit Mehta, CEO and Co-founder, ideaForge Technology Ltd said.

Tatsuo Yamamoto, Chairman, President & CEO, DMP Inc., added, “We are thrilled to partner with ideaForge, a global leader in mission-critical drones, to integrate our Di1 edge AI SoC into their next-generation UAV platforms. This MoU accelerates Di1’s accelerated deployment while enabling DMP to bring ideaForge’s rugged, high-endurance, and resilient drones to Japan’s defence, security, and industrial markets.”

This collaboration is a critical milestone in the global expansion of ideaForge, leveraging Indian deep-tech innovation and Japanese AI expertise to create mission-critical defence, security,, and industrial drones for the Japanese market, the statement added.