NTT’s Upgrade 2025 Event: A Showcase of Possibility Without Purpose
4/14/2025 1:19:46 AMNTT is one of the most powerful technology conglomerates in the world. As a telecommunications giant, the company operates a global network infrastructure, ranks among the top three data center providers worldwide, and employs more than 330,000 people.
Through its NTT Data subsidiary, it boasts deep expertise in cybersecurity, next-gen networking, quantum research, and enterprise IT services. With these assets, NTT should be positioned as an industry-defining force in the AI-powered future.
However, at its recent NTT Research Upgrade 2025 event, it chose not to lead.
Instead, a bold, clear articulation of vision and ambition became a disjointed series of ideas, framed more as academic explorations than strategic imperatives.
Lofty language, vague metaphors, and philosophical asides dominated the company’s core messaging. While the technology showcased was real and impressive, the leadership tone was tentative — more deferential to partners than a directive to the market.
In short, NTT missed the moment, which is a strategic misstep for a company with its capabilities.
Ambitious Language, Unclear Strategy
NTT Executive Chairman Jun Sawada opened the keynote with expansive, almost poetic language. He spoke about “upgrading reality,” building a “network of AIs,” and promoting a “pluralistic value society.”
He referenced philosophical inquiries and the creation of the Kyoto Institute of Philosophy, aiming to bring together Eastern and Western thought in shaping the future of human-AI coexistence.
These are intriguing themes. However, they lacked anchoring in a keynote intended to showcase technology leadership — which turned into a couple of fireside-style chats.
There was little connection to product roadmaps, customer impact, or near-term business outcomes. Sawada spoke of IOWN — the company’s ambitious, Innovative Optical and Wireless Network — but left unexplained how this infrastructure uniquely enables or differentiates NTT in the AI race.