Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma District, Niigata Prefecture; President & CEO: Kengo Suzuki; hereinafter “Tsunan Sake Brewery”) participated as a speaker at Design Solution Forum 2025, held online and at PACIFICO Yokohama North on October 7, 2025. At the forum, the company presented the achievements and future outlook of its innovative sake production support process, “Smart Brewing,” which leverages generative AI.
Design Solution Forum is an engineer-driven technical event that explores the latest trends in embedded technology and design engineering. The appearance of a traditional sake brewery at a cutting-edge engineering forum marked a rare and noteworthy occasion.
Presentation Theme and Key Details
Lecture Title:
“Smart Brewing”: Updating the Tradition of Sake Brewing with Generative AI
Speaker:
Kengo Suzuki, President & CEO, Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
Session:
Room B (Slot B6), 14:50–15:20
During the presentation, Tsunan Sake Brewery introduced its Smart Brewing initiative from the following three perspectives:
1. Fusion of Tradition and AI
Generative AI integrates the tacit knowledge of master brewers (Toji) and brewery artisans with scientific data such as fermentation metrics and aroma compound analyses to propose optimal brewing conditions. AI also contributes to sake brewing using region-specific rice varieties, including Uonuma-grown Koshihikari.
2. Advanced Brewing and Sustainability
Smart Brewing is applied not only to improving production efficiency but also to the “Japanese Sake Upcycling Project,” which repurposes sake lees into nanoparticle materials and semiconductor resources. AI supports material analysis and process design, enabling the creation of a circular, locally driven industrial model originating from rural Japan.
3. Expansion into Space × Fermentation Technologies
The presentation also introduced fermentation demonstration projects in space, such as lunar brewing concepts and microalgae cultivation experiments using small satellites. By leveraging AI to design fermentation conditions in space environments, Tsunan Sake Brewery is shaping the implementation vision of its“Lunar Sake Brewery 2040 Plan.”
Comment from the President
Kengo Suzuki, President & CEO, Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd.
“AI is not a replacement for humans, but a co-creative partner that expands the possibilities of sake. By inheriting tradition while combining regional resources, fermentation technology, and generative AI, I am convinced that sake can evolve beyond food culture and contribute to building the infrastructure of future industries.”
About Design Solution Forum
Design Solution Forum is a technology forum planned and operated by engineers, held annually under the theme “Let’s Create and Expand the Designer Network.” Experts from a wide range of fields—including software, hardware, AI, and semiconductors—gather to discuss the future of industry. It is one of Japan’s leading engineer communities.
Official website: https://dsforum.jp/
Future Outlook
Tsunan Sake Brewery will continue to share Smart Brewing technologies with sake breweries and fermented food manufacturers both in Japan and overseas, promoting joint research and the establishment of AI-driven, co-creative regional industrial models. Through the Japanese Sake Upcycling Project, the company is expanding the industrial applications and added value of sake production processes, while also advancing next-generation fermentation frontiers such as space brewing and nanomaterial research.
About Tsunan Sake Brewery
Tsunan Sake Brewery Co., Ltd. is a sake brewery based in Tsunan Town, Nakauonuma District, Niigata Prefecture. Located in one of Japan’s heaviest snowfall areas, the brewery uses natural water sourced from mountains rising over 2,000 meters as its brewing water. Its sake production, using locally grown rice varieties such as Gohyakumangoku and Uonuma Koshihikari, is characterized by a style that harmonizes coexistence with nature and innovation. In 2025, the brewery received the Niigata Governor’s Award (First Prize) at the Echigo-style Sake Brewing Technology Competition, a prestigious contest of brewing techniques.
Tsunan Sake Brewery website: https://tsunan-sake.com/
