Digital Media Professionals Inc. (Headquarters: Nakano-ku, Tokyo; Chairman, President & CEO: Tatsuo Yamamoto; hereinafter “DMP”) has announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ideaForge Technology Limited. (hereinafter “ideaForge”), India’s leading drone technology player. Through this partnership, both companies will collaborate to develop next-generation Di1-powered AI drones and introduce cutting-edge unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the Japanese market. This collaboration marks an important milestone in accelerating the global deployment of DMP’s edge AI semiconductor “Di1,” as well as a significant step in the global expansion of deep tech innovation from India.

ideaForge is a market leader in the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) manufacturing and services sector in India, holding the top market share. It is ranked as the world’s No. 3 dual-use (civil and defense) drone manufacturer (*1).

As the global drone market surges from USD 54.9 billion in 2024 to USD 117.6 billion by 2030(1), Japan’s market is slated to grow from USD 2.0 billion in 2025 to USD 5.1 billion by 2034(2). To enable this growth, Edge AI is critical for drone-based autonomous solutions in defense, security & industrial applications. DMP’s edge AI SoC “Di1” has FP4-based NPU for high-performance, low-power, 4-channel camera for 360-degree vision, and strong imagery, which works in tandem with ideaForge’s rugged, secure, autonomous, and resilient field-proven VTOL drones to perform robust autonomous flight in severe environments and complex terrains. Together, DMP’s Physical AI arm and ideaForge’s UAS end-to-end expertise bring smarter and safer autonomous systems for accelerated adoption.

The partnership is focused on two key areas where ideaForge will provide the Di1 integration in its UAV platforms to enable new features, and DMP will be the Go To Market (GTM) partner for ideaForge’s drone solutions portfolio in Japan, enabling demonstrations, customer outreach, distribution, training, and after sales support.

■ Comment from Ankit Mehta, CEO & Co-founder, ideaForge Technology Limited.
“Our vision at ideaForge is to build next-generation intelligent unmanned aircraft systems by seamlessly integrating advanced design, engineering, manufacturing capabilities, and cutting-edge AI technologies. This collaboration with DMP aligns perfectly with our broader strategy to develop high-performance, customizable AI for defence autonomy drones that efficiently address diverse global market needs—from defense surveillance and border security to industrial infrastructure inspection and precision agriculture. Through this collaboration, we would be able to leverage DMP’s strong presence and understanding of the Japanese market to accelerate our global expansion initiatives and will provide smarter, more efficient, and sustainable autonomous drone systems that deliver real-time decision-making, extended endurance, and unmatched reliability in the most demanding environments.”

■ Comment from Tatsuo Yamamoto, Chairman, President & CEO, DMP
“We are thrilled to partner with ideaForge, a global leader in mission-critical drones, to integrate our Di1 edge AI SoC into their next-generation UAV platforms. This MOU accelerates Di1’s accelerated deployment while enabling DMP to bring ideaForge’s rugged, high-endurance, and resilient drones to Japan’s defence, security, and industrial markets. We will work together to create Physical AI-powered solutions that change the way drones operate in terms of safety, accuracy, and independence.”

■ Outlook
This collaboration represents a significant milestone in merging Japanese AI technology with Indian deep-tech to create mission-critical drones for the Japanese market. ideaForge already has an established presence in the United States through its joint venture, First Forge Technology, focused on manufacturing and distribution in the region. This partnership enables the creation of a flexible framework for joint development and market entry, allowing the two companies to seize opportunities in high-growth markets while driving innovation in sustainable and autonomous aviation technologies.

While this collaboration is expected to contribute to DMP’s business performance and corporate value enhancement over the medium- to long-term, it will have no impact on DMP’s consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2026. Regarding the financial outlook for the fiscal year ending March 2027, this is currently under preparation and is expected to be announced on May 15, 2026.

■ About ideaForge
ideaForge Technology Limited. (listed on BSE/NSE: IDEAFORGE) is a pioneer and the pre-eminent market leader in the Indian unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) industry. With a mission-first approach, we deliver cutting-edge drones engineered for unmatched performance, autonomy, and reliability, redefining possibilities in security, mapping, surveillance, and disaster response applications across militaries and enterprises.
With India’s largest operational deployment of indigenous UAVs, an ideaForge drone takes off every 3 minutes, enabling over 950,000 successful flights. Ranked 3rd globally among the world’s Top Dual-Use Drone Manufacturers by Drone Industry Insights (DRONEII) Global Drone Review 2024, ideaForge continues to set benchmarks in innovation and excellence.
Since pioneering India’s first VTOL UAVs in 2009, we have expanded with advanced R&D and manufacturing hubs in Navi Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and the USA, driving the development of indigenously designed and built solutions. Backed by marquee investors, including Qualcomm, Infosys, Celesta Capital, Florintree, EXIM Bank, and Infina Finance, ideaForge is at the forefront of revolutionising unmanned systems.
For more information, please visit: https://ideaforgetech.com/

■ About DMP
Digital Media Professionals Inc. (DMP) is a fabless semiconductor company providing IP licensing and SoC/module products based on proprietary GPU and AI technologies, helping enhance customer product competitiveness.
For more information, please visit: https://www.dmprof.com/

■ Contact
Digital Media Professionals Inc.
Technology Products Business Division
TEL: +81-3-6454-0450
E-mail: info_06@dmprof.com
Web: https://www.dmprof.com/en/contact/

References
(*1) Next Move Strategy Consulting
(*2) IMARC Group