KDDI invests in Skydio in creating Japan’s drone disaster response network

Japanese telecommunications company KDDI Corp. says it is partnering with Skydio to create a network of drone stations across the archipelago to provide critical aerial emergency response within minutes of disasters striking.

Tokyo-based communications giant KDDI announced its tie-up with US drone maker Skydio in a press conference on Monday. The deal will involve X10 UAVs to be deployed at around 1,000 locations across Japan, where they’ll be rapidly deployed following earthquakes or other natural disasters.

The move is also significant in establishing “a capital and business alliance” between KDDI and Skydio, involving a reported $64 million investment in the San Mateo, CA-based drone startup. 

That, in addition to the purchase and use of presumably a thousand or more X10 drones, marks both a business and capital coup for Skydio in its efforts to challenge DJI’s global dominance in the sector. Previously stated wariness by Japanese officials about over-reliance on Chinese-made drones was also a possible factor in KDDI’s decision.

More broadly, however, KDDI said the automated operational abilities of Skydio drones – along with the artificial intelligence capacities of X10 craft – will allow safe, rapid, and efficient data collection of areas affected by disasters. Transmission and analysis of that information will be orchestrated the Japanese firm’s own array of satellite, 5G, and other transmission and software assets.

Hiromichi Matsuda, KDDI managing executive officer, said Skydio X10 features like Night Sense and other visual tech will improve the efforts to assess disaster situations and locate any victims.

“The drones will be useful in finding survivors during disasters, as they can fly in the dark and are equipped with temperature sensors,” Matsuda told a press conference, where he noted the Skydio UAV network will be designed to reach any potential disaster area in Japan within 10 minutes.

In addition to that work preparing to respond to domestic emergencies amid demographic challenges within Japan, the KDDI partnership with Skydio will involve drone development internationally.

“By proposing these solutions to various local governments and companies, we will work to solve social issues such as labor shortages, aging infrastructure, and increasingly severe disasters through the use of drones,” a KDDI statement said. “In addition, KDDI will acquire exclusive rights to distribute Skydio products in 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. As Skydio’s primary partner, KDDI will leverage the KDDI Group’s global sales channels and work with Skydio to expand its drone business globally.”