Fujitsu has launched a new business creation lab in collaboration with AWS Japan to speed up digital transformation in Japan’s retail and service industries.
The lab, based on the companies’ existing global strategic collaboration agreement, combines Fujitsu’s industry expertise and technology with AWS’s generative AI and cloud services.
Its goal is to help customers modernise legacy systems and build new revenue models, while improving management key performance indicators (KPIs).
Fujitsu says the lab will support customers end-to-end, from identifying on-site issues to proof of concept (PoC) and implementation, with PoC and decision-making possible in as little as 90 days.
The initiative builds on Fujitsu’s work in the food distribution industry and is expected to expand into other sectors in Japan.
These include retail, trading companies, food manufacturers, and a wider range of service businesses, using AWS cloud tools and cross-industry data collaboration to drive growth.
Inside the lab, Fujitsu’s specialists for the retail and service industries will work closely with AWS Japan’s solution architects.
Key activities include on-site problem identification, where teams work directly with customers to make hidden issues visible and design solutions using the latest AWS technologies.
The lab will also focus on rapid PoC and agile development, helping customers move from testing to implementation decisions within a minimum of 90 days.
Fujitsu and AWS plan to combine the company’s industry knowledge with AWS’s cloud portfolio to standardise solutions that can be reused and scaled.
This standardisation is designed to support a phased shift from legacy systems, such as mainframes and EDI, toward API-based integration.
The companies aim to address a range of management and operational challenges across food distribution, retail, trading firms, food manufacturers, and other service sectors.
The announcement highlights earlier work for Mitsubishi Shokuhin, where Fujitsu and AWS Japan used generative AI to support knowledge transfer in an inter-company EDI project.
A generative AI chatbot was used to standardise and share expert knowledge, with the aim of automating manual tasks and reducing the risk of system issues.
Fujitsu positions the new lab as a hub that connects on-site challenges with management strategy, using AI and cloud technology to create measurable business value.
The project also aligns with Fujitsu’s wider commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and its corporate purpose of “making the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation.”
The company remains Japan’s largest digital services provider by market share, and reported consolidated revenues of 3.6 trillion yen (around US$23 billion) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025.
Why it matters
This matters for supermarkets because it targets the core systems that grocery retailers rely on, like EDI, mainframes, and store-level digital workflows. Fujitsu and AWS Japan will help retailers test and modernise these systems faster, with PoC decisions possible in as little as 90 days. The work already done with Mitsubishi Shokuhin, a major food wholesaler, shows how these updates can improve downstream supermarket operations.
Better knowledge transfer, automation, and API-based integration all support more stable supply chains and smoother daily store operations. Even though the lab serves wider sectors, its technology focus directly affects how supermarkets modernise and manage their digital infrastructure.
Editor’s Note: This article is based entirely on Fujitsu’s official announcement issued on November 17, 2025. No additional information has been added beyond what the company published.
