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Delivering high-impact
technology research

Our mission is to generate significant new knowledge
and create innovative solutions.

Data Science & System
Security

We aim to build novel big-data solutions and service
platforms to simplify computer systems management.
We also develop new information technology that
supports innovative applications, from big data
analytics to the Internet of Things.

Integrated Systems

Our goal is to innovate, design, evaluate and deliver parallel computing systems architectures for high-performance, energy-efficient enterprise computing.

Machine Learning

We have been at the forefront of developments in such areas as deep learning, support vector machines and semantic analysis for over a decade.

Media Analytics

Our team overcomes fundamental challenges in computer vision and addresses key needs in mobility, security, safety and socially-relevant AI.

Optical Networking & Sensing

From the Internet backbone to the home, optics and photonics form the foundation of modern ICT infrastructure.

NEWS

Training Small AI Models Without Blindly Trusting Big Teacher Models

May 27, 2026

Machine learning is shifting from learning from data alone to learning from both data and teacher models. Beta-KD uses uncertainty-aware Bayesian weighting to train compact multimodal AI without blindly trusting every teacher signal.

How Rule-Driven Routing Makes Retrieval-Augmented Generation Smarter

May 13, 2026

Most retrieval-augmented generation systems stop at documents, ignoring the relational databases that power finance, healthcare, and research. Our researchers built a rule-driven framework that learns which source to query for each question, delivering better answers at lower computational cost.

Making Video AI Fast Enough for the Real World

May 4, 2026

State-of-the-art video models are accurate but too slow for live deployment. This work transfers their knowledge into causal streaming models that process video frames in real time, achieving 4x lower latency with competitive accuracy across action detection and pedestrian intent tasks.

Ezra Ip Presents at CLEO 2026 in Charlotte, NC on May 18th

May 12, 2026

Senior Researcher Ezra Ip has been invited to present Sensors Based on Forward Transmission using the Telecom Infrastructure at CLEO 2026 in Charlotte, NC, on Monday, May 18th, from 5:30-6:00pm. He explores a compelling frontier: using existing telecom networks as environmental sensors. He will present a review of environmental sensing using telecom infrastructure with sensors that measure accumulated phase and SOP.

NEC Labs America Attends CVPR 2026 in Denver, CO June 3-7, 2026

May 8, 2026

NEC Labs America is heading to Denver for CVPR 2026, one of the most prestigious gatherings in computer vision, machine learning, and pattern recognition. The IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition brings innovators from around the world to share breakthroughs.

Future of Cloud Computing with GenAI: Kunal Rao at Cloud Computing 2026

April 20, 2026

Generative AI is transforming cloud computing. At Cloud Computing 2026, Kunal Rao will chair the GenAI4Cloud track and deliver a keynote on software engineering in the AI era, exploring how AI agents, LLMs, and intelligent infrastructure are redefining the cloud stack.

We take a multidisciplinary approach to develop innovative solution for a broad range of research areas. Importantly, we engage with NEC business units to use these disruptive solutions to create key differentiation in NEC products and platforms, opening new markets and providing a competitive advantage to NEC Corporation.

We aim to build novel big-data solutions and service platforms to simplify complex systems management. We also develop new information technology that supports innovative applications, from big data analytics to the Internet of Things.

We innovate, design and prototype high-performance intelligent distributed systems, applications and services on communication networks like 5G and beyond. We develop next generation wireless technologies for sensing the world and improving communication networks.

Machine learning is the key technology for data analytics and artificial intelligence. Recent progress in this field opens opportunities for a wide variety of new applications. As leaders in the industry, we develop innovative technologies which are integrated into NEC’s products and services.

We solve fundamental challenges in computer vision, with a focus on understanding and interaction in 3D scenes, representation learning in visual and multimodal data, learning across domains and tasks, as well as responsible AI.

In the optical networking and sensing department, we are leading world-class optics research into the next-generation of optical networks and sensing systems that will power ICT-based social solutions for years to come.

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OUR MISSION

We aim to develop tangible solutions that address real-world challenges and bring about positive change. With a dedicated team of experts, we delve into cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, integrated systems, media analytics, and optical networking.

ABOUT US

NEC Laboratories America, Inc. (NEC Labs) is the US-based center for NEC Corporation’s global network of corporate research laboratories. We aspire to perform problem-driven research motivated by fundamental human needs with the intent to remove critical barriers and open new commercial markets. Our diverse research groups collaborate with industry, academia and governments to provide disruptive solutions to complex problems. A leader in the integration of IT and network technologies with more than 100 years of expertise, NEC provides a combination of products and solutions that cross-utilize the company’s experience and global resources to meet the complex and ever-changing needs of its customers.

For more information, visit NEC.

NEWS

Training Small AI Models Without Blindly Trusting Big Teacher Models

How Rule-Driven Routing Makes Retrieval-Augmented Generation Smarter

Making Video AI Fast Enough for the Real World

EVENTS

Ezra Ip Presents at CLEO 2026 in Charlotte, NC on May 18th

NEC Labs America Attends CVPR 2026 in Denver, CO June 3-7, 2026

Future of Cloud Computing with GenAI: Kunal Rao at Cloud Computing 2026

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