Honda announced  recently that the company will be focusing its artificial intelligence research and development efforts on the newly-built research center in Tokyo.

Honda said the lab will be operational by next year and will consolidate existing development teams in Europe, Japan and Silicon Valley.

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While most tech companies usually pick Silicon Valley as home of their research and development efforts, Honda decided to break this practice and instead built its lab on the company's native home of Tokyo. Through this strategy, Honda is hoping that it will create a closer interaction between the company's engineers and developers.

 "We won't make much difference if we did the same things as everyone else in Silicon Valley,"  Honda research and development division president Yoshiyuki Matsumoto said in a statement, Bloomberg reported. "And not everyone as succeeded there."

Matsumoto is optimistic about the future of AI in terms of applications in robotics, navigation, sensing and connectivity technologies.

Honda, which is also a major car manufacturer, aims to develop its own AI technology that can power autonomous driving cars of the future.

Meanwhile, it was noted that one of the many hurdles Honda is facing in establishing its AI lab in Tokyo is the lack of manpower. By establishing its lab in Japan, Honda has essentially distanced itself from the massive talent pool that Silicon Valley is offering.

To address this, experts believe that Honda will be tapping Japan's talent pool at universities. Honda may also open up partnership and collaborative efforts with startups focusing on AI development to boost the company's progress.

TagsHonda, AI, Artificial Intelligence, AI, Robots, Silicon Valley, Tokyo, Japan