Tokyo, September 10, 2024 – Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. (Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO Kaga Yanagisawa, “NRI”) is set to launch the "NRI Financial AI Platform" (tentative name), a cutting-edge solution designed to meet the high data privacy and security standards of financial institutions while safeguarding data sovereignty1. The new platform will be rolled out in the first half of 2025, providing a secure and flexible space for clients to deploy AI in helping them unlock new revenue opportunities.
The financial industry is under increased pressure to develop highly productive and resilient operational frameworks that can adapt to growing regulatory requirements and the changing demands of customers. Combining advanced financial expertise with AI technologies, such as large language models (LLMs), presents powerful new capabilities for organizations. However, managing and protecting personal and sensitive data when using AI remains a critical concern. NRI’s innovative platform is specifically built to keep AI use safe and secure, enabling businesses to create much greater potential.
By using this platform, AI can be seamlessly and securely integrated into IT solutions
running within NRI’s data centers. Leveraging our extensive expertise in supporting
the financial industry, NRI plans to introduce new financial solutions through this
platform, particularly targeting three strategic areas where AI is expected to have a
significant impact: 1) Sales operations support, 2) Compliance operations support, and 3)
Advanced and autonomous back-office operations (see diagram below).
Furthermore, NRI’s data scientists and AI experts will provide dedicated support to
ensure the effective application of this platform in financial businesses, helping
institutions fully leverage the potential of AI to drive innovation and efficiency in these
key areas.
“We are working hard to create an offering that integrates AI with our deep financial expertise and are very proud to unlock real value for organizations through NRI’s Financial AI platform,” says Noriyuki Takeda, Senior Managing Director at NRI. “With our new offering businesses will rest assured their data is safe and secure, enabling them to benefit from the full power of AI.”
Some of the new platform’s highlights include:
Optimized LLMs
In the financial sector, the introduction of LLMs requires sharp focus on reliable and
accurate responses. To address these critical needs, NRI will integrate Cohere
Inc.'s2 (hereinafter "Cohere") LLM, Command R+ through the Oracle Cloud
Infrastructure (OCI) Generative AI service. Command R+ excels in strong accuracy with
retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), multilingual capabilities to support global business
operations, and leveraging tools to automate complex tasks. It combines NRI’s
financial business data and IT solutions to ensure transparency, avoid hallucinations, and
keep data secure and private.
By deploying the latest GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)3 technology, we ensure
that the platform not only meets but exceeds the performance requirements of the financial
industry, enabling seamless processing of vast data sets. While Cohere’s LLM will play
a pivotal role, we are also actively evaluating additional models to deliver the most
optimal and cutting-edge solution for our clients.
“We’re excited to partner with NRI to help power its new AI platform for financial services with Cohere's enterprise-grade multilingual LLMs. Together, we are focused on delivering real-world value with AI while offering the highest levels of security and data privacy for customers. We look forward to building on this partnership to boost productivity and streamline operations for businesses globally, said Vinod Devan, Global Head of Partnerships at Cohere."
Enhanced data protection
In recent years, the rise of generative AI and other easily accessible AI solutions have
introduced concerns over data leaks and data management, limiting AI usage in the financial
sector to more basic tasks like information gathering. To address these challenges and meet
the stringent security standards of financial institutions, the platform leverages Oracle
Alloy, implemented within NRI’s data centers4, to create dedicated
environments for each institution. This ensures that all AI-driven data processing,
including LLMs, are securely contained within the data center.
By protecting data and providing a robust, yet flexible AI environment, our platform enables
financial institutions to go beyond mere information gathering. It opens new possibilities
for the application of AI in broader financial business functions.
-
*
Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud company—ushering in the new era of cloud computing.
-
1
Data Sovereignty: refers to the approach of storing data from cloud services domestically, ensuring that data ownership, access rights, and traceability are safeguarded under the country's own regulations and rules.
-
2
See the following website for more information.
https://cohere.com/ -
3
A specialized device designed to process specific tasks, such as image processing, at high speed. It is also utilized in fields like AI and scientific computing.
-
4
See the following website for more information.
https://www.nri.com/en/news/info/20240220_1.html
Inquiries
Inquiries about this news release:
Lawrence Hale Sterling
Corporate Communications Department
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.
Tel: +81-3-5877-7100
E-mail: kouhou@nri.co.jp
Inquiries about this platform:
Keiko Mukai, Masakazu Murao
Financial Process Innovation Planning Department
Nomura Research Institute, Ltd.
E-mail: fin-ai@nri.co.jp